It’s been one year since the pandemic changed the world. Even in the coming months and years to come, we can expect the crisis to continue influencing our lives. Even in the business world, we had to find ways to adapt, or else our startup will crumble.
Consumers have been trying to cope with all the restrictions related to the pandemic. This means businesses have no choice but to go with the flow and continue adjusting their strategies to accommodate pandemic customers. As we continue to solve the big puzzle of how to thrive mid-pandemic, one way to survive is by adapting to consumer behaviors that are dominating the pandemic world.
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Creative Solutions to Consumer Pain Points
Despite the availability of vaccines, we continue to fear about our own health and safety even in 2021. This means consumers will continue quarantining in their homes and are less likely to prioritize in-store purchases. With this, businesses need to continue coming up with creative solutions to entice customers to trust their brand.
For one, online shopping is currently more appealing to most consumers. They want to be able to buy the things they want and need without stepping out of their home. But simply having an online store and offering fast deliveries is not enough to get clients.
Startups need to be more creative, so they can compete with established businesses online. Thankfully, there are many things you can do to let your brand’s personality shine through creative strategies.
For instance, hiring professional designers is one way to ensure your visual content can make great impressions. Creative graphic design can help your brand stand out in a sea of online sellers on the internet. You can even ensure your brand’s story and message are being delivered accurately to your audience.
It does not matter if you require a logo update, a website overhaul, or graphics for your succeeding social media post. The more you let your brand’s creativity shine, the more consumers you will attract. Sometimes, all it takes to address customer pain points is to make sure they notice your brand when they need it.
Online Purchases and Curbside Pick-up
Despite consumers indulging in online shopping, they still want to go out, to some degree. They may be sheltering in place, but that does not mean they want to stay cooped up indoors most days of the month. This is why startups should also consider catering curbside pick-up for online purchases.
This is easy for startups who already have a physical location. They can simply take orders only and prepare the orders at the customer’s preferred business location. This is a great way to boost your store’s foot traffic.
For startups without a physical store, many already opened their first physical location. Others went on renting shared office space to accommodate pickup orders. This means you need to ensure your processes are seamlessly integrated to successfully shift into this model.
Increased Demand for Voice Search
Today’s technology enables consumers to search for what they want and need without typing anything. According to a study, up to 55% of American households will own a smart speaker by 2022. This means more will be using voice search, making it crucial to optimize business websites for voice search.
Voice search is easy, effortless, and convenient. There is no typing involved, making it an appealing search strategy for online users. This also enables users to use longer keywords, which means you can do the same to boost your website’s rating.
Some ways to optimize your website for voice search are as follows.
- Target question keywords with long-tail keywords
- Use filler words to make questions conversational
- Rethink your frequently-asked questions (FAQs)
- Restructure content into smaller fragments
- Boost website loading time for
- Google’s speed update
- Have a mobile-optimized website
Continuous Search for True Happiness, Purpose, and Sustainability
We can expect consumers to focus on more making a difference and living with a purpose. More will want to start living a healthier, sustainable lifestyle. Others will chase after their purpose in life after realizing how short life is.
The pandemic already took millions of lives. Many people experienced first-hand how short life is and why now is the time to live a more fulfilling life. They want to start anew by supporting a cause, being more eco-friendly, and finding their purpose in life.
Startups can take this opportunity to help consumers with their search. For instance, sharing what steps you take to make your brand more sustainable can entice more eco-conscious consumers. Note that eco-conscious consumers would support brands that also have the same goal.
Adapting to the pandemic world as a startup can be extremely difficult. But this is one of those times when the only way for your brand to survive is to focus on what matters the most. Think about what your target audience needs and wants. Keeping up with consumer behavior trends is one way to ensure your business stays on the right track.