The new norm: digital transformation
Five years ago, brands and agencies used to talk about “digital transformation” as a future. But somehow, COVID-19 has now meant that brands who didn’t transform digitally would struggle to survive. With changes in a customer’s brand perceptions, journey and preferences, a company who isn’t doing the basics of digital marketing will certainly not survive a post COVID-19 norm.
COVID-19 has been a period of experimentation
When was the last time you stepped outdoors? Most likely, it was to do something classified under “essential services”. You probably wore a mask, kept your distance. Doused yourself in sanitizer. Washed your hands while singing happy birthday, twice.
As countries are still under lockdowns globally, consumers like you and I are forced to stay home and minimize our social activities outdoors, and take extra precautions. These extra precautions are leading to newly adapted purchasing behaviours and brand perceptions - behaviours that will likely become ingrained as habits once life presumes the new normal.
In mid March, Carrefour UAE reported a 300% surge in online shopping, similarly Kibsons was struggling to keep up with delivery windows pushed out to two weeks. For the first time in their lives, consumers felt compelled to shop online to feed themselves because they did not want to risk exposure to the virus.
The sharp increase forced the company to transform many supermarkets and hypermarkets into fulfillment centres, according to Majid Al Futtaim Retail CEO Hani Weiss. In an interview with Arabian Business, Weiss said that the increase was a result of increased purchases of basic commodities such as food, as well as hygienic products – particularly soap, sanitizers and masks –as well as a “huge” rise in the sale of freezers, printers and routers.
Additionally, Weiss added that there has been an in increase in average basket because people were stocking up, despite the drop in footfall. “If you ask me whether the increase in average basket covers the loss of customers, I’d say definitely yes. Online sales came on top, and beyond, the physical store shopping.”
So would consumers return to their original consumption habits “once the virus is brought under control?” I’m convinced they won’t. As the barriers of fear and unfamiliarity with technology has been broken - bearing n mind– it just takes 21 days for a new habit to form! - there will be consumers who find great convenience and value in shopping for groceries online and will continue in this new habit.
And consumers who switch back to physical offline shopping might not do so entirely: they might feel lazy some days and choose to do part of their grocery shopping online. It is clear then that supermarkets (and other retail) that do not also go digital will lose out to those who do.
From zero to one: How companies can kickstart digital transformation
How can companies start their digital journey? The key is to remember that digital transformation is not about cutting edge technology or having the most fancy or expensive website - it is instead about a growth mindset, process re-organisation and work culture.
Here are some tips:
Basic Housekeeping. Look at your social pages. Are they being updated with frequent and relevant content? Are you responding to enquiries timely? Do you have a clean and organised database of your current customers? Is your website tracking in place?
Start small with baby steps. There’s no need to overhaul your website website or jump straight into large scale Facebook Ads. Perhaps work on updating content, including a WhatsApp chat or automating your responses on social media platform messaging. You can slowly build online purchase journeys using platforms like Shopify, Facebook for Business, or a Google Shop. Test and try out what works and scale from there.
Engage a digital consultant. Consider digital consultants as professionals who can assist in helping you navigate the currently unfamiliar digital landscape. They’ll review your channels, content, branding, user journey, customer personas and digital assets and help you with understanding what’s needed, how to prioritise and tackle the transformation in phases and lay out the blueprint for digital success.
Remember that digital transformation is a mindset, not a cutting edge technology. At the heart of digital transformation is people– ask yourself, is the transformation making the consumer or employee experience better? Happier employees can serve customers better, and delightful customers are likely to result in repeat businesses. Focus on these experiences and expectations as opposed to the newest technology.
Adapt or die
Perhaps digital transformation is a question of survival. Companies that are already more advanced in their digitalisation path before the pandemic would have obtained good data from this time period and become aware of which digital areas to hone further. This would have given them a competitive advantage as compared to companies that have zero digital presence.
For the latter group, the time to start is now. If you are interested in speaking to us about how to get started get in touch.
