COVID-19 has made a massive impact on the world already and nobody knows when this virus will subside. All the major cities around the world are under lockdown and businesses are closed for two to three months now. Millions of people have lost their jobs. It has an adverse effect on the global economy and many industries around the world.
The interesting thing to note is that some industries are thriving even in this pandemic. Some of the best examples of this are video conferencing, E-commerce, and video streaming services. Yes, you guessed it right. Zoom, Amazon, Alibaba and Netflix are growing even faster during this pandemic as more and more people communicate, shop online, and enjoy their favourite TV shows and movies while staying at home.
Big businesses can survive this pandemic but what about small E-commerce businesses that are struggling to stay afloat. That is exactly what will be discussed in this article. In this article, you will learn about seven ways E-commerce businesses can ensure continuity during the coronavirus outbreak.
- Sanitize, Sanitize and Sanitize Even More
People are still reluctant to buy products from less popular online stores because they are sceptical about safety measures taken by these stores to prevent coronavirus from spreading. Whether it is your warehouses, shipment centres, inventories, or workspaces, it is important to sanitize everything.
Regular screening of all workers working at the warehouse.Here are some precautionary measures you need to take to gain audience trust.
- Sanitization of warehouse
- Maintaining appropriate social distancing
- Exercise extreme caution at entry and exit points
Highlight these measures in your customer communication and social media and give your online shoppers a sneak peek of the steps you are taking to curb the spread of coronavirus. Once your target audience feels that they are safe when they purchase from your online store and their confidence and trust in your business increases, you will see a sharp increase in your online sales. Identify why people are reluctant to buy from your amazon business account E-commerce store and address their concerns to convert them into loyal customers who keep coming back to you for more.
- Train Your Staff
One of the biggest threats to our society during these testing times is ignorance. You don’t want this trait in your employees. Instead, you should train them and prepare them to face the challenges coming in front of them due to coronavirus. Launch awareness campaigns and training programs that inform your employees about this disease and how they can protect themselves and others from it. Small steps such as asking your employees to wash their hands and wear a mask can go a long way in minimizing the risk of the virus spreading far and wide. You can also invest in a handbook especially if you are unable to arrange training sessions for your employees so they can read it and keep themselves safe.
- Take Care of Your Employees
Just like health care workers, doctors, members of security forces who are fighting the COVID-19 war on the front lines, your employees are too. As a business, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of your employees. You can opt for employee insurance just in case anything goes wrong. Think of it as an investment as you would do when you buy a cheap dedicated server hosting. It will serve you well in the long run as it will increase employee satisfaction so they will give their best shot every time they go out for work.
- Contactless Delivery
Markets and shops will remain closed as lockdowns are extended by many countries. This has created some fears in the mind of consumers. Even though they are ordering online they are still worried about contacting coronavirus from the rider who is delivering their package.
Small E-commerce businesses can overcome this issue by opting for contactless deliveries. This means that shoppers can ask the rider to drop their package at a secure location so they can pick it up from there. This could be your doorstep or a delivery point near the shopper’s location. By doing contactless deliveries, you can easily prevent viruses from spreading.
- Join Hands with Shipping Aggregators
Some countries are only allowing essential items to be sold through e-commerce stores. This means that if you are selling non-essential items and you operate in one of those countries that ban non-essential item sales via online stores, you are out of luck. Thankfully, there is a way to resolve this issue as well. You can partner with shipping aggregators which allows you to extend your reach and deliver to all parts of the country.
By partnering with a shipping aggregator, you can reduce the burden off the shoulders of your team while ensuring a hygienic end to end delivery process. You can also choose an alternative courier partner if you are not satisfied with your current courier partners performance.
- Transparency is Key
Establish a live tracking system that allows your customers to track their orders in real-time especially if you do not already have one. With a real time tracking system in place, customers can easily track their order status. This reduces customer confusion and ensures transparency. Educate customers about every stage their order passes through before reaching their doorstep. This can give them a clear picture of when they can expect to receive their order. This will also decrease the number of calls received by your customer service department as there will be less confusion about order delivery.
- Put Customer Support First
Your online shoppers might be reluctant to buy a product due to various concerns. They might have questions, queries and even confusion about the processes. It is the duty of your customer service department to clear all their confusions and answer all their questions in an effective way. Once they have a satisfactory answer to their queries, they are ready to buy from you. Offer round the clock customer support and do it through multiple channels so that your customers can reach out to you when they have a question.
How is your E-commerce business staying afloat during the coronavirus pandemic? Share it with us in the comments section below.
