The coronavirus crisis will pass, and the world will be changed: there will be more digital and more e-commerce in the future.

The older generation who had not previously shopped online are now aware of the convenience. Younger people had to explain to their parents how to do it, and now they use eCommerce. Now they are aware of it, they will use it beyond the term of the pandemic.

Covid-19 will provide a long-term boost for online retailers—if they can stay in business during what will likely be a rocky economy.

However, supply chain issues, product shortages, and potentially declining consumer demand could also blunt e-commerce growth. When confronted with a potential supply chain crisis, how can online brands continue their work, and what can they do now if they aren’t adequately prepared?

We want to give you 5 useful pieces of advice on how to manage your online business in a time of crisis.

Improve your content marketing strategy is the easiest and most effective way of getting in touch with your customers. Share the changes that you are currently making and that distinguishes your offering from your competitors, and promote your good news stories.

Be more social and engage in conversations with your existing customers. Brands who can address customer difficulties due to the impacts of Coronavirus will make a positive impression on consumers, boosting brand loyalty.
Short of ideas? Look at how Decathlon UK launched its own challenge to keep the kids active at home.

You might address how your workflow has changed to emphasize safety and policy changes regarding existing purchases. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn are the right places to explain any changes in your offerings or expected fulfilment delays.

You need to be seen at each stage of the buyer journey, from people searching online that never heard about your business to loyal customers.

Explore new methods that will keep your brand visible in front of potential customers. Set aside an advertising budget and maintain your brand visibility as this will deliver long term benefits. Also, focus on generating high-quality content that will get shared by new users.

TripAdvisor is sponsoring posts on Facebook despite this being among the worst time ever for travel brands.

Revisit your content strategy, update it, and give it a spring clean to improve your rankings in the search engines based on the new searches related to the pandemic.

For most companies, websites are the heart of all digital traffic. If you are using advertising platforms such as search ads or social media ads, your users are most likely going to visit your website somewhere along their user journey.

Double-check your Google Analytics to make sure you satisfy all the requirements and that you use data to improve your marketing strategy. Set up goals correctly and connect the platform to your Search Console and your Google Ads account.

Proper utilization of this data can enhance your business, improve your visibility, and forecast user preferences to maximize conversions.

Consumers may not be the streets, but they have not disappeared: they are on social channels and online platforms more frequently. Furthermore, not everyone is panicking: during a crisis, many people are confident that we can return to a calm situation and are inclined to buy goods and services at a discount for the future.

The Italian brand WeRoad (involved in organizing travel groups) offered gift cards up to 50% off and they were highly successful, as you can see by their fan’s reaction on their Facebook page.

The COVID-19 pandemic means that pretty much nothing is business as usual. Customers are concerned about how brands are adapting to the new circumstances and are wondering if you’re processing orders, have product available, and if those products are secure in present circumstances. There are several steps you should be taking now to ensure your customers can get answers when they’re searching online.

In 2020, e-commerce is expected to reach 12% of total retail sales. However, the latest change in consumer behaviour due to the Coronavirus will affect the future quarters for 2020 and have a massive impact on the long term. As the consumer’s comfort with online shopping grows higher, and technology becomes more intuitive, online business will grow at a faster rate than previous projections.