2020 has been an incredibly difficult year for many businesses across Australia. Just about every business, in every industry, has been negatively impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. It has been a challenging year for business owners who have had to remain flexible to adapt to the ever-changing business landscape. In fact, many businesses have had to completely rethink how they operate and many of these changes will continue to impact how we do business moving forward.
The Coronavirus crisis has forced many businesses to move to the online realm. More businesses are now focusing on e-commerce with their teams working remotely. While changes like this are necessary to ensure your business stays relevant in the marketplace, they present their own unique challenges. However, savvy business owners are quickly implementing new strategies to cope with these difficult times allowing their businesses to continue to thrive despite the impact f the pandemic.
Continue reading to learn how 2020 has changed how businesses are operating and how business owners are dealing with the ‘new norm’.
Table of Contents
Remote Working
If your business is embracing the idea of remote working for the first time, it can be daunting at first. However, with more ways than ever to stay connected and a range of powerful cloud-based platforms to use, you can ensure you manage your remote team efficiently. Try utilizing timesheet software to keep track of employee working hours, use project management software tools to stay in control of your project deadlines, and explore other tools that can help you to operate your business remotely without issue.
Shift To E-Commerce
Government restrictions forced consumers to embrace shopping online with more enthusiasm than ever before. Many businesses have taken advantage of this new trend, embracing e-commerce solutions to sell more online. With limitations on in-store shopping opportunities, it makes more sense than ever to move your business into the online realm. As consumers become more familiar with buying online, this is one trend that is expected to continue post-COVID. Take this opportunity to fund how your business can enter the world of e-commerce successfully and avoid being left behind.
Contactless Payments
Making purchases online is typically contactless by default. However, for those businesses that must continue to make in-person sales, it’s vital that you offer contactless payment options to ensure the safety of your team and your customers. With more consumers embracing alternative digital payment options such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, Android Pay, PayPal, and others, it’s wise to invest in contactless systems going forward regardless of the impacts COVID has had. Contactless payments are the future so make sure your business is prepared.
Marketing Strategies
The Coronavirus crisis has pushed consumers and businesses into the digital space at a faster rate than many were ready for. Australians have been spending 30% more time on social media during COVID-19 as a result of all of the additional downtime that many people had. For business owners, this is the perfect time to adapt your marketing strategy to ensure you capitalize on this opportunity. Social media marketing is a cost-effective way of reaching a hyper-targeted focus demographic and with the right approach, it can deliver incredible results.
Prepare Your Business For The New Norm
COVID-19 has forced many businesses to change the way that they operate. What’s more, it has had an impact on customer’s buying behavior and on society in general. To ensure your business survives the current business landscape and is ready for the new norm that lies ahead, now is the time to re-strategize. Taking the time to plan for business post-COVID will ensure that your business can continue to thrive in 2021 and beyond.
