Did The Pandemic Affect Digital Consumerism?
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The COVID-19 Pandemic, something I am sure we are all tired of talking about, forced the world to operate in different ways. From the way we once communicated and interacted with each other to the way we had purchased products and services, technology has assisted in this transition. Due to the restrictions created by the pandemic, there has been a spike in the amount of those who are digital consumers. A digital consumer is a person who uses technology, such as a mobile device, to look for a purchase products or services on the internet. Technology aids in providing consumers with a simple and accelerated purchasing process.
Obviously, in the midst of the pandemic, in-person shopping was extremely limited. Thankfully, technology provided a convenient and necessary alternative towards in-person consumerism. This ultimately allowed for an increase in digital consumerism. Not only has the pandemic increased digital consumerism, but it shaped economic activity, consumer behavior and technology. Mary Meeker suggested in her 2020 Internet Trends Report that the companies who have a strong social media presence are able to sustain and thrive amidst the pandemic. These are the businesses and brands that drive consumers and influence their spending. Meeker is quoted saying in her report, “many of these offline-to-online trends have been in place for a while. Covid-19 just accelerated them.” The acceleration of online spending was due to the social distancing and store closures due to the covid-19 pandemic. Meeker also said that the businesses who were able to adapt during the crisis were ones who used cloud technologies, sell products that are always needed, can easily be found online, make other businesses more efficient and on top of that have a strong social media presence.
Digital commerce over the last year has become increasingly popular. This seems to be an effect of the pandemic that consumers are enjoying. The accessibility of food delivery services, telehealth appointments and even buying a car online, has proven to be the new preferred method of shopping. McKinsey & Co. is a consulting firm whose recent survey concluded that the pandemic generated a three month process of adopting e-commerce that otherwise would have taken 10 years. Many consumers were forced to lean on digital commerce to satisfy their needs. This push led to consumers realizing the simplicity e-commerce provides. The businesses were also forced to create a better digital experience for consumers in order to gain more customers and stay afloat. Many believe that the positive attitude consumers have towards digital commerce thanks to the pandemic, will remain permanent even after the pandemic. McKinsey & Co.’s survey found that nearly 70% of consumers that took the survey will continue to buy online or for store pickup.
The pandemic changed the way goods and services were being purchased.
Many faced challenges during the pandemic such as running out of an ingredient needed for dinner, their medications, or even toilet paper and not being able to run to the store or pharmacy to buy whatever item they were in need of. However, along came contactless delivery services and curbside pickup options at a variety of stores and on a plethora of online apps. Many consumers began asking themselves, why drive to and go to a store when someone else can do the shopping for me? These consumers who generally were not considered to be digital consumers prior to the pandemic had no other option but to adapt. They may have to adapt even more after the pandemic, because many stores have closed so consumers may have to travel in order to buy products from their favorite brands. Also, it is important to keep in mind that many who were not familiar with technology pre-pandemic, may have had a more difficult time navigating it than others and will not want to continue to utilize it.
In addition to an increase of products and services being ordered online, there has also been an increase of technology usage during the pandemic. Studies have been conducted in response to the pandemic’s effect on digital consumers. One in particular was conducted by Kameleoon and Go Group Digital concluded that 24% of consumers will increase long-term use of digital channels due to COVID-19 and 73% of consumers expect brands to personalize their journey. They also learned that there was an immediate increase in use of digital channels after the COVID-19 crisis began, the digital increases are going to continue even after COVID-19 ends, brands are not providing consumers with the personalized experience, there is an obvious impact of the past experience on future purchases and the consumer has realized the benefits of switching to digital. The increase in digital media use was positive because it allowed consumers to connect with and stay in touch with friends and family members during lockdown. However, it was also negative because of the overexposure to information and negativity social media provided during that time. When viewing Google Analytics data for the Pursue and Persuade website from the week of March 1, 2020 -- March 7, 2020, there were only 13 users who viewed the website, this was before COVID-19. However, if we look at the data from March 1, 2021 -- March 7, 2021, which is still during the pandemic a year later, we can see there were 29 total users. This increase can perhaps be due to the fact that there was an increase in digital consumerism and technology use because of the pandemic.
So, digital consumerism is increasing, this means that brands need to understand the most effective way to connect with consumers in order to sell their products online. How do consumers wish to be reached? This is a question some corporations may have asked themselves in light of the pandemic. Companies have continued to use email marketing, because 91% of consumers use email, according to a study conducted by Hubspot. This allows brands to be connected with customers, communication in real-time and easily measure results. Throughout the digital transition, many brands brainstormed on how to create and maintain a positive online reputation. Reviews can make or break a company, because potential customers read those reviews and will decide whether or not they will give you their service based on what they read. Creating a place where customers can comment on the product and services they received can help to build a reputation.
