E-Commerce in the Corona Crisis: How Online Shops react agile

E-Commerce is also not spared the effects of the Corona Crisis. While some online shops have to cope with additional high traffic, others are facing economic challenges. May it be problems with supply chains, fewer orders and sales slumps or angry customers: Even at this early stage, 70% of online retailers in germany feel the effects of the pandemic.

Nevertheless – or perhaps because of this – online shops should react agilely to the current situation in order to retain customers even in this crisis situation. We would like to give you as an online merchants some suggestions for this time of crisis, because shop visitors currently have changed fears, expectations and needs.

At the same time, we would like to emphasize that this is the first time we have been confronted with such an unusual and dramatic situation, just like you.

7 tips for online merchants in the corona crisis

#1 Communicate the signature release authorization

Even before the appearance of the Corona Virus, the shipping service providers offered the possibility to drop off the package at any location. Nowadays, a signature release authorization is more important than ever, because these days everything depends on reducing the speed at which the infection spreads.

Many of your customers are justifiably afraid of getting infected if they come into contact with an outside person. If a signature release authorization is communicated, online shops give customers the opportunity to order without the risk of infection.

#2 Be transparent

Transparency is the order of the day, not only for trade, but also for politics, business and science. In times of great uncertainty, transparency provides a measure of security and trust. Communicate possible bottlenecks, extended delivery times and other challenges to your customers transparently. Your own website and social media are ideal for this.

In recent days, the people has been faced with empty shelves due to increasing panic buying in supermarkets. So it is not dramatic from the customer’s point of view and not surprising if there are bottlenecks, for example. With transparency you reduce the damage.

#3 Create FAQs

Your existing and new customers will have many questions. To relieve the burden on customer support, it is best to create FAQs, which should also be prominently placed so that they can be found quickly by shop visitors. For example, a note in each checkout step is a good way to do this.

#4 Make the purchase process easier for older new customers

Risk groups in particular are rightly very cautious. In addition to people with an immune deficiency and certain previous illnesses, older people in particular belong to the risk group.

Make it as easy as possible for these people to buy online. By the way, this is a good time to make general optimizations regarding the user experience design of your online shop. This includes, for example, a streamlined checkout process with a maximum of 4 to 5 steps.

With a barrier-free online shop you can reach new groups of buyers. This gives you more chances of success today than before. In addition, you make a social contribution to the fight against the Corona Virus.

#5 Stay in touch with your customers

Digital customer contact is now more important than ever, because your customer support can respond individually to questions and potential needs. With the right tools, customer support can also be provided from your home office.

Tools such as Zoiper are so-called softphones, which allow you to make phone calls using any device imaginable. In this way, your customer support employees stay in permanent contact with the customers.

In addition, a plan for more volume in customer support should be developed, since many online shops are confronted with a higher call volume. As soon as you are affected by this, you should have additional lines set up.

#6 Provide individual incentives to shopping cart abandoners

The changed situation also has an impact on purchasing behaviour. Online shoppers have always paid attention to prices and discounts, which remain an important purchasing criterion.

Now, however, some have a significantly lower income and must therefore live more economically. Others belong to the risk group and avoid more than others any contact. Still others are in your online shop for the first time.

All of these situations can quickly lead to shopping cart abandonment. Help these shopping cart abandoners with solutions that meet their individual needs. For example, price-sensitive abandoners receive a voucher code and those in need of service receive a note for telephone, WhatsApp, or email service.

#7 Place relevant products prominently

Saturn and MediaMarkt are demonstrating this: Both electronics retailers place home office equipment in own categories prominently in the navigation bar. Your online shop will certainly also have products that are currently in greater demand than others. So why should these remain hidden instead of being promoted additionally?

Frequently asked questions about corona crisis

How can online shops react agilely during the corona crisis?

Online shops react agilely by adapting to their customers’ changed fears and needs. Communicate the signature release authorization so customers can order without contact, be transparent about bottlenecks and longer delivery times, create prominently placed FAQs to relieve customer support, simplify the purchase process for older first-time buyers, keep in touch digitally, offer individual incentives to shopping cart abandoners, and place currently in-demand products prominently.

Why is transparent communication important for online shops in a crisis?

Transparency creates a measure of security and trust when uncertainty is high. That applies to trade as much as to politics, business and science. Communicate possible supply bottlenecks, extended delivery times and other challenges openly through your own website and social media. Customers who have seen empty supermarket shelves find bottlenecks neither dramatic nor surprising, so communicating them openly reduces the damage.

How can online shops stay in touch with customers during a crisis?

Digital customer contact is more important than ever, because your support team can respond individually to questions and potential needs. With the right tools this works from the home office too: softphones such as Zoiper let employees make calls from any device. Plan for higher volumes as well and have additional lines set up as soon as call numbers rise.

What opportunities does the corona crisis open up for online shops?

The main opportunity lies in reaching new buyer groups. A barrier-free shop with a streamlined checkout of no more than four to five steps makes online buying easy for people who previously stayed away, including older first-time customers. Products currently in higher demand can be given their own categories in the navigation bar, as Saturn and MediaMarkt did with home office equipment.

What does the corona crisis mean for e-commerce?

E-commerce is not spared the effects of the crisis, but they differ from shop to shop. Some online shops have to cope with unusually high traffic, while others face economic challenges such as supply chain problems, fewer orders, sales slumps or angry customers. Even at an early stage, 70 percent of online retailers in Germany reported feeling the effects of the pandemic.

How can online shops win back shopping cart abandoners in a crisis?

Address abandoners according to their individual reason for leaving. The changed situation affects purchasing behaviour differently: some shoppers have a significantly lower income and must live more economically, others belong to a risk group and avoid contact, and others are visiting your shop for the first time. Price-sensitive abandoners react to a voucher code, while those needing service value a note about telephone, WhatsApp or email support.

What can online shops do to reduce customers’ fear of infection?

Communicate the signature release authorization clearly. Shipping providers allow parcels to be dropped off at a chosen location, so customers can order without coming into contact with another person. That is a decisive point for anyone worried about infection. Add a prominently placed FAQ section that answers the most common questions, for example with a note in every checkout step.