Life After Corona
Market share will be an important goal.
Billions of dollars will be spent on advertising, messaging and media content to make you feel comfortable again. It will come in traditional forms — a billboard here, commercials there — and in new-media forms, like memes. Corona has erased so much brand equity and levelled the playing field that when the lockdown is lifted it will be like the puck is dropped and a new Game has begun.
Those businesses that have developed a new creative strategy and are ready to execute when the puck is dropped will likely be able to grab a few quick goals bringing the audiences to cheer them on and make them their favourite team.
As the dust settles we will see big shifts in brand equity as actions are louder than words where brands like Bauer changed their production line to produce PPE face masks, Dyson in UK stepped up to produce a Covent ventilator as other brands just talked about doing something. It is a fine line between appearing to take advantage a pandemic and taking action to be helpful. We will see millions spent on brand messaging to thank the front line workers, or don’t worry life is returning to normal. The simplicity and execution of brand messaging will be judged based on its authenticity.
Community minded messaging will become all too common and those that find creative ways to reconnect with their audiences will shine and capture the customers attention as a leader in this overtime period of a final playoff game.
This could be the winner take opportunity for brands. It will be important for brands to get it right. Consumers will not want to see reckless spending in this time of consumer suffering. Compassion, sharing, understanding and some form of creative collaboration with consumers will likely earn longer term alignment with your customers. Understanding your customers fears and desires is a good starting point as it might enable you to figure out some simple ways to adjust your business operations to speak to these fears and desires. An example of this is how the grocery stores have adopted curtsied pick up to overcome the consumers fear of going inside a grocery store. This fear will not be eliminated right away so rethinking store layout and operations could be the difference between a grocery chin winner and looser during this play off game.
Wendy McKinnon the CEO & inventor of the SelfPay App could be holding the key to just such an operational change. Self Pay app will let you take things off the shelf, scan them and put them in your cart that might just have your own sanitized grocery cart liner box/bags that then get lifted into the back of your car. You get to minimize your fears of infection. The stores could be set up in a more bulk fashion so that the case lot tops are removed and you take out the next single serve cereal box or loaf of bread etc. This reduces the amount of staff handling meaning that you as the customer are the only one that has touched it since it left the factory packing facility. This will help provide customer peace of mind.
This fear will not be eliminated right away so rethinking store layout and operations could be the difference between a grocery chin winner and looser during this play off game.
Wendy McKinnon the CEO & inventor of the SelfPay App could be holding the key to just such an operational change. Self Pay app will let you take things off the shelf, scan them and put them in your cart that might just have your own sanitized grocery cart liner box/bags that then get lifted into the back of your car. You get to minimize your fears of infection. The stores could be set up in a more bulk fashion so that the case lot tops are removed and you take out the next single serve cereal box or loaf of bread etc. This reduces the amount of staff handling meaning that you as the customer are the only one that has touched it since it left the factory packing facility. This will help provide customer peace of mind.
This fear will not be eliminated right away so rethinking store layout and operations could be the difference between a grocery chain winner and looser during this play off game.
Wendy McKinnon the CEO & inventor of the SelfPay App could be holding the key to just such an operational change. Self Pay app will let you take things off the shelf, scan them and put them in your cart that could have your own sanitized grocery cart liner box/bags that then get lifted into the back of your car. This lets you minimize your fears of infection. Grocery stores could be set up in a more bulk fashion so that the case lot tops or fronts are removed and customers take out the single serve can,cereal box or loaf of bread etc. This reduces the amount of staff handling meaning that you as the customer are the only one that has touched the product since it left the factory packing facility. This will help provide customer peace of mind.
As a promotion for Self Pay they could partner with the grocery chains to offer a grocery shopping safety kit which could include a branded face mask, Clorox branded gloves, Clorox shoe protector pull overs, shopping cart liners as re usable heavy duty carry home bags (almost like fabric cooler bags. Im sure you get the picture …how ever this gets finally flushed out …it is a way to make it more comfortable and safer for customers to shop in your grocery store.
Curb side pick up could become a default operational proceedure and the stores that redesign their stores to make this process the safest and most enjoyable will come out the winner.
Where products are located in the store to reduce the amount of time spent in the store will win consumer points. As an example ...the most common items are currently located in the back corners requiring customers to walk the entire store in hopes that they will pick up many other items on route. This was a good strategy but now needs to be rethought as the first grocery store to make the shift will earn brand equity and market share from doing what is right for the customer today over what traditional wisdom once was.
Out to the parking lot for a moment ...there are so many spots that are provided to special groups, handicap, expected mothers, unhappy fathers, Grocery stores could benefit from creating parking spots that are larger than normal in the front row closest to the store for fast lane curb side pick up or convenience row self pay shopping.
There will be a need to get customers comfortable with being inside grocery stores again. This pandemic is not something that will be easily forgotten so those stores that demonstrate understanding and compassion through the operational changes they make will benefit from the return of customers, luring of new customers and the respect will equate to increasing their brand equity. Dominion stores were once the leader until loblaws made the changes to impress the customers and lure them onto the Loblaws platform. They never returned to Dominion.
The grocery stores have been fortunate that this pandemic has not negatively impacted their sales performance but it has impacted the customers fears towards grocery shopping. Now is the time these grocery stores need to step up and make the necessary changes to carve out where they will stand in the playoffs.
They will have the upper hand to move forward and look like the better team. They will impress the audience and gain more followers, more business and more profits.
This is the moment where the team that had the advantage might loose the momentum and the team that was having a difficult time making any plays can enjoy a reset and try and start the game again with a fresh plan that will impress the audience.
Every Business will want to adopt ways to restart more quickly than their competition.
Advertising will likely sore as businesses will want to tell the world that they are open, back in business, still in business and that they are offering incentives to win back loyal long term customer.
This is the time to be creative, make the investment and think about how to connect with your customers. Many new marketing strategies will be tried as we come out of this lockdown.
Businesses will be jockeying for market share as the economic reopening begins.
Every business will be looking for new ways to engage their customers, better ways than their competition.
Here are some examples of things being considered.
After 40 years Owner of The Muskoka Store and winner of Retail Council of Canada’s Most Innovative Retailer of the Year in 1994, has never seen anything so impactful too retail. This is an exciting time as it is going to change the world of retail for ever. This has required creative thinking, some of the changes being made will be maintained long term as a better way and we won’t see a full return to the older ways.
For Example …Bruce believe’s there will be a hybrid version of Retail and Online.
Think for a moment …you are driving to the cottage for the weekend and your regular stop at Webers will become an online order tracked by your phone location. The order is placed at the appropriate time based on the demand (virtual lineup) for the day. When you pull off the Hwy there will be pick up windows (likely in train cars). You pull up and pick up you order and then park to go into the park behind to eat …or you eat in the car as you keep going.
In a similar fashion Bruce sees the passenger in the car going online and selecting someone to take them on a virtual tour of The Muskoka Store selecting items and putting them into a virtual cart, speaking with experts on various products from the latest in Watersports toys, to BBQ’s, clothing or gift items for a friends birthday, dinner party or house warming gift. When you arrive at The Muskoka Store their unique parking lot pick up is a cable system like an old fashioned close line with a deliver basket, or it could be a small train tam system that will take your order to the parking lot pick up area with staff there to assist you.
Those that create and properly execute the new ways to entertain and service customers will score points and win the game as this new period of the game of retail starts.
Time to get your plan together as the puck will drop soon and you will want to be ready.
Susi Patterson the co founder of The Corner Store Films, a commercial film production company with 40 years of commercial film experience says that there are going to be some short term changes until social distancing is
More to come ….I just got breakfast call #2.
Here are some ideas to think about.
The Muskoka Store https://rbux.com/timelink/tms1
rBux Music Video’s https://rbux.com/timelink/
rBux TV Commercials for brands https://rbux.com/timelink/HBC
The next paradigm is now being created.
In truth, you crave that feeling of normalcy. We want desperately to feel good again, to get back to the routines of life, we want to stay safe so those that can provide a new safe shopping experience might just come out the winners.
Lets connect about some changes that could become the new normal.
New marketing strategies to restart your business as we come out of the lockdown brands like Bose, or Music Artists & Retailers from independents like The Muskoka Store to major retailers like HBC. in online shopping experiences.
The Muskoka Store https://rbux.com/timelink/tms1
rBux Music Video’s https://rbux.com/timelink/
rBux TV Commercials for brands https://rbux.com/timelink/HBC
What a wonderful world -Louis Armstrong
Times like these -foo fighters
Dillon Lockstar -Victoria Harbour