A COVID-19 BUSINESS OBSERVATION

A COVID-19 BUSINESS OBSERVATION

It’s no news that the Covid-19 outbreak has affected our day-to-day lives, not only from a personal point of view, but from how work in general is done.

With some companies and government entities temporarily closing down, such as schools and restaurants, and others offering teleworking options for its entire staff or reduced hours for shops, here are some interesting observations that we noted throughout all this life-changing chaos;

 

 

Online Services

Chatbots, emails, online application forms, online payments, customer care (online or freephone), etc. are features that many companies should heavily invest in. Without these basic features, it would have been quite an issue for many companies to continue their day-to-day business without having their staff and the general public being further exposed to the virus. Whilst this might not be an option for some businesses, it would be an ideal time to look at how day-to-day business is done, and where possible, replace with online features.

Nonetheless, we’re still firm believers that human contact in business helps business relationships grow, so obviously these shouldn’t be replaced entirely but backed up with further tools.

 

 

Deliveries and online shopping

Whilst many restaurants, coffee shops and other outlets temporarily closed down, some already had a good delivery option available, but we saw a rise in many starting to offer delivery services. Again, the social aspect can never be replaced in restaurants, coffee shops, etc. and nor can the physical shopping experience, but it’s safety that reigned supreme during this period, with many opting to shop through a delivery option instead of going out of the house.

This also shows when building a business if it’s worth opening 5 branches of a shop or opening 1 and/or 2 and investing in a delivery option instead.

 

 

The rise of online marketing

TV streaming on Social Media is fairly not a new concept, but along with people stuck to their TV screens for the latest Press Conference, these were also being broadcast live on Facebook, with the added benefit that the video was also available for later viewing. This shed a light on one of the most underlying battles in marketing, traditional vs online.

We are firm believers in not putting all the eggs in one basket and prefer having a mixture of marketing efforts for different brands and their campaigns. We cannot ignore the fact that companies should have an online presence but shouldn’t ignore traditional efforts either. Having a solid offline branding campaign, such as Bus advertising, TV Commercial, etc. along with a Social Media and Display Campaign is a great combination of mixing traditional with online advertising and building further promotion and brand recognition. During this crisis the battle was clear, but it varied depending on the message being broadcast. Social Media was a much faster messenger when announcing closures, reduced hours, etc. but TV and Radio also stood their ground when announcing health tutorials, emergency numbers and general information on Covid-19.

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