The age of the consumer has been in full force since the 2010s. The advent of the internet and smartphones allows customers to interact with brands, compare prices instantly, and buy more. What’s more, is that brands now cater to them.
With the recent pandemic, consumers now hold even more of the power. People are more connected than ever and dedicate more time to conducting in-depth research surrounding a product before purchasing. But how has this changed?
Shopping Trends in the Pandemic
COVID-19 drove new buying trends that are expected to stick around. In fact, research conducted by Google has highlighted four unique ways that shopping behaviours have changed.
Convenience
The pandemic meant that consumers relied on the convenience of shopping online more than ever before. When people couldn’t go shopping and were required to isolate themselves, they turned to the internet. Here, popular search trends included ‘curbside pickup’ and ‘same-day delivery’.
This expectation of convenience also applies to brand communication. Consumers want customer service to be easy, effective, and convenient. After all, no one wants to spend hours on hold just to have a simple question answered.
Discovery
The way that consumers discover brands drastically changed due to COVID-19. Over the last year or so, people found more shopping inspiration online, with 70% of consumers saying that they purchase a product from a brand after seeing a YouTube video.
For this very reason, digital marketing via social media platforms is now better than ever, especially if increasing brand awareness is at the top of your marketing strategy. Not only can social media help your content reach thousands of people, but it provides many options to expand brand reach even further. For instance, you could consider working with influencers on Instagram or YouTube to promote your product or services to a more sizable audience.
Values
As issues such as climate change and racial equality are given a larger platform, consumers are beginning to align their spending with their values. Searches for ethical online shopping grew by 600% in 2020. Likewise, searches for ethical brands grew by 300%.
Undertake audience research to determine your target market’s values – do they prioritise sustainability, price, or something else? Once you answer this question, you can then find out where your brand aligns with this and incorporate this into your marketing strategy.
Dynamics
The unpredictability of the pandemic has led to dynamic demand from consumers. Lockdowns found many people rediscovering old hobbies or starting new ones, and the easing of restrictions also led to new buying trends. For instance, searches for patio heaters increased by 600% as outdoor dining was brought back.
Ultimately, the age of the consumer left consumers expecting a high level of engagement and support, but the pandemic has increased this tenfold. As a result, brands need to adapt and change with these needs to succeed in the post-pandemic era.
What Does This Mean for Your Brand?
The term age of the consumer sounds much more dramatic than it actually is. It is important to take into account what customers need and expect so that your brand can thrive. Here’s what you can do to make sure that you’re keeping up with consumers:
- Produce omnichannel content – Make sure that your marketing strategy encompasses a range of channels, whether that’s paid advertising, social media, traditional advertising, email campaigns, or a combination of these. Consumers switch between different channels multiple times a day – from YouTube to Instagram to Facebook and then back again – so it’s important to cover all of your bases to attract as many customers as possible.
- Write an FAQ – If consumers have a question, they want it to be answered as quickly as possible. FAQs are great ways to cover all of the basic questions customers might have so they don’t have to wait for a reply. If a customer has a question that an FAQ can’t answer, you could consider adding it or featuring a live chat box feature on your website that will allow you to interact with customers in real-time.
- Use marketing tools – Consumers like individualised content that caters to them specifically. If they feel a brand doesn’t understand their unique needs, they are more likely to go to a competitor. However, utilising marketing tools and techniques can help you tailor your content to your audience. Strategies such as audience segmentation and A/B testing can show you what your consumers want and need from your brand. They can also show you where to improve upon your service.
- Data is beautiful – Collect data about your audience. How long do they spend on certain pages? Do they prefer snappy, short-form copy or longer, in-depth copy? Gathering data can reveal trends within your audience that you can build on to improve their experience and improve your conversion rates or sales.
Conclusion
The age of the consumer has grown and changed with the pandemic, and brands need to change with it. People prioritise convenience and are shopping in line with their morals, along with spending more time on social media – and it’s up to brands to rethink their marketing to target them more effectively.
The first step in adapting to your consumer’s needs is to find out exactly who they are, what they want, and what they value. From here, you can develop new strategies and marketing techniques to offer them what they want to prevent them from shopping with a competitor.
