Forcing us to change our behaviours has in turn shifted the hardest thing of all - consumer mindset. Our long-held beliefs are being challenged, and as creatures of habit this may well mean we change these behaviours permanently.
For example, since the COVID-19 outbreak began, 15 percent of US consumers tried grocery delivery for the first time during the COVID-19 crisis, and 40 percent of these intend to continue getting their groceries delivered after the crisis. This isn’t just about how consumers receive their groceries, but also why - faster, safer, easier. And yet, while all of these convenience factors have always been there, so too have consumers deeply entrenched behaviours that had them doing what they’re familiar with. Triggers, like COVID-19, are powerful ways of motivating consumers to engage in new behaviours, with the less barriers to entry making it easier and more likely to be adopted.
So where does that leave your stores?
In an unexpected paradigm shift, we are now being faced with the challenge of enticing those same customers back to stores. Your in store experience can be your competitive advantage if you know how to efficiently enhance the offering.
If we look at the primary benefits now being experienced by customers’ fast adoption of ecommerce across industries, it’s clear the store needs to provide something above and beyond the ease and convenience of online.