It might be simple to think of customers from the perspective of pre- and post-pandemic groupings. However, this might be short-sighted. Attitudes, behaviours and trends before and during the crisis are continuing to build upon one another. While difficult to predict, we suggest brands spend time to understand the curve and prepare.
There are many observations so far about the post-pandemic customer including an accelerated adoption of technology and tools, the preference of convenience over brand loyalty, the accompanying increase in customer spending as well as the change in habits due to WFH and the increase of remote work.
It can be simple to group customers in pre- and post-pandemic. However, the truth is change is more of a curve than a black line and a box.
If we observe the curve, there are several reference points to note that provide us with a way of defining the concepts that might influence the customer.
The first point is that the regardless of the pandemic, the customer has always been in a state of change. Pre-pandemic, customers were predicted to take up new technologies and tools through areas such as the internet of things, automation, mobile and social commerce, mobile apps and big data. Despite the pandemic, they continue to do so. Change is the constant here, and not the environment.
The second point is that customers are in control of the speed of adoption of new concepts and behaviours. Over the last 18 months, the speed of adoption and the ability to educate customer cohorts in understanding and optimising the use of tools has accelerated. Regardless of whether the trigger has been anxiety, concern, fear, access, convenience, savings or some combination thereof, we have seen customers allow themselves to speed up their use of tools that provide them an outcome.
The final point is that customers do not recognise that they have changed their behaviours, but they do take cues from their peers. Customers assume their needs and preferences will remain constant over a long period of time, despite external pressures or triggers. By taking a mirror to the customer, and showing the changes they and their peers have adopted prior and during the pandemic, brands can help them reach decisions faster.
We can help you fix and problem solve for growth and revenue scenarios such as market entry, market expansion, product and service launches through a strategic communications approach.
Send an email to connect@wearebrandutility.com OR book an exploratory consultation through this link OR complete this form and we will connect with you shortly.
We are Brand Utility is a strategic communication and business consultancy. Our principal consultant is a registered management consultant, certified and recognised by the Institute of Management Consultants Singapore.
We work with brands in the corporate, professional services, retail, travel and technology spaces.
Here are 3 ways that the customer continues to adapt – while keeping to the earlier reference points – as we continue to live through the pandemic.
Contactless modes of commerce, shopping and payment
Given the anxiety around being in crowded spaces, and the airborne nature of COVID-19, many customers believe that contactless formats are safer and less risky. This might lead to more experiments by brands including the decrease in retail space, to be replaced by take-aways, curb side pickups and delivery. The increase in payment platforms and their corresponding fees means brands have to be savvy in deciding how to manage their margins without sacrificing customer choice.
Expectations, turnaround time, and fulfilment are shortened
The customer’s expectations continue to increase as brands compete on variety, speed of delivery, cost and mobile app experience. Security, privacy and efficiency are equally prized as customers look to their preferred brands to evolve along with them. Brands have to re-evaluate their customer journeys and decide if they can provide consistent levels of messaging, service and fulfilment. This can mean the difference in being a generalist or finding a niche to dominate.
Establishing trust has become more important in the customer journey
As customers become more familiar with on-demand services whether with transport, food delivery, or groceries, that expectation of trust – where someone else does an action on your behalf – will extend to their use of other products and services. This translates to multiple touch points along a brand’s customer journey – whether it is connecting with the customer over shared values, or doing education-based selling to ensure that the customer is both right fit and ready to buy, or ensuring that privacy and data protection is a key feature.
There are many more observations of customer preferences and behaviours changing over the 18 months. While customers might not recognise how much they have changed over time, they remain in firm control of how fast and how much they want to adopt these changes. Positioning and messaging by any brand has to reflect that they recognise the changes, and that they are in the best position to help a customer with the outcome they want.
We are Brand Utility is a strategic communication and business consultancy business consultancy. We work with brands in the corporate, professional services, retail, travel and technology spaces.
We offer strategy and tactics to support growth outcomes - revenue, scale, regional expansion and market entry – for our clients.
Areas of support include:
Strategic communications: Approach to market, brand concept and map, positioning, messaging, story and narrative, thought leadership
Marketing: Campaign/programme planning, story-based marketing execution, digital marketing, community amplification, content planning and production, go-to-market execution
Lead generation and growth marketing: Digital advertising, social media advertising, social commerce, e-commerce
Integration of marketing with business operations: We plan and execute as a marketing and/or PR lead for your brand
Discover more about our services at our website.
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
Comentários