{"id":2636,"date":"2020-03-30T14:53:15","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T14:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brightpearl20.wpengine.com\/what-retailers-need-to-do-to-offset-covid-19\/"},"modified":"2021-02-08T07:32:01","modified_gmt":"2021-02-08T07:32:01","slug":"what-retailers-must-do-to-offset-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/blog\/what-retailers-must-do-to-offset-covid-19","title":{"rendered":"What Retailers Need to Do to Offset COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Not many of us could have predicted the reality that we find ourselves in right now, and with government advice strongly recommending, and in some cases mandating, staying away from deemed non-essential brick and mortar stores, the retail space is taking a heavy hit.<\/p>\n

However with a (re)focus on cloud-based omnichannel ecommerce, attracting trade with customer-first convenience, and keeping them coming back with innovative loyalty programs, agile retailers can adapt to capitalize on growing trends, and retain their competitive edge.<\/p>\n

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Inside is The New Outside<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With so many consumers practicing social distancing from the safety of their homes, the available cash that they routinely used for social activities is being reallocated to activities within the home. While\u00a0 online subscription services have seen a huge spike in sales as you may expect, Netflix can only do so much and so consumers are spending their money on making the best of a bad situation offline, delaying focusing their efforts on constructing the latest in tinfoil headwear.<\/p>\n

However, there is one factor, above all others, that will be the difference between conversion and aversion<\/i>: convenience.<\/p>\n

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Retail Survivalists are The Kings of Convenience<\/strong><\/h3>\n

During these unforeseen times, consumers value convenience more so than ever. Not only that, but what they want, they want fast. While self-isolating shows no end date in sight, the same cannot be said for consumers attention spans – if it is too complicated to order, or it takes too long for them to get it, they bail from the sale.<\/p>\n

They want it easy, and fast. If not with you, then somewhere else. So it pays to give them what they want, when they want it, and to get the edge over the competition by rewarding their purchases with loyalty points to bring them in and keep them in<\/i>.<\/p>\n

So to deliver what they\u2019re asking, you\u2019ll need the right ecommerce tech stack to match. Here are the five vital components for your tech stack that will allow you to you roll with the changes during these unprecedented times:<\/p>\n

Elevate Your Ecommerce Operations to the Cloud<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Now more than ever, the ability to run your ecommerce business from wherever you need to be isn\u2019t a luxury, it\u2019s a necessity. Nationally and locally imposed mobility restrictions are becoming more and more commonplace, so chanceing being able to run your business from a static location is increasingly becoming more and more untenable.<\/p>\n

By running your business on the cloud, you can do so from anywhere. Look for a digital platform specifically built for the retail sector<\/a> so you can be confident that it\u2019s in your corner 24\/7.<\/p>\n

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Automate Your Fulfilment\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re plugging gaps left by unwell staff, those remote working, or you\u2019ve been forced to let people go to balance costs, automating your fulfilment process<\/a> is, by anyone\u2019s rationale, the most productive way to do more with less. Instead of focusing on every order, automate the repeatable to catch the exceptions.<\/p>\n

Retail automation essentials:<\/p>\n