The behavior shift to increased online shopping during the pandemic is no blip. Experts predict that even after life goes back to some sort of “normal,” more consumers will continue to shop online. COVID-19 has had some interesting effects on not only where consumers shop, but which brands they’re purchasing. For example, many consumers who switched brands due to product shortages or low availability may not switch back. This may come as a big shock to well-established, multi-channel brands that have historically benefitted from pre-pandemic shopping habits, relying on store chains and large online platforms to manage customer service and sell their products for them. 

There’s no time like the present to launch a new direct-to-consumer (DTC) E-commerce site on Shopify Plus. Site launches and re-platforming are moving to the top of many retailers’ to-do lists as more consumers are suddenly shopping online due to COVID-19 and shelter-in-place orders. An efficient new site can be a smart investment to be able to continue serving your (previously offline) customers. If you already have an E-commerce website, migrating to a more powerful platform like Shopify Plus will reduce or eliminate ongoing costs to maintain and upgrade, and better performance and customer experience will help convert more consumers to purchase. 

“Automation” sounds cold and detached, but email marketing automation is actually all about thoughtfully nurturing the customer relationship through personalization – albeit on a large scale. Automating emails based on behavioral triggers and real-time data enables you to consistently email many customers at just the right time with just the right message or information. For example, a “welcome” email after someone creates an account, a discount for someone who abandons his/her cart, or a recipe that uses a recently purchased product. 

These are tough times for retail. While eCommerce sales might be up, many omnichannel brands and specific categories are taking a hit. There’s also a lot of anxiety, both personal and financial, due to Covid-19 and an impending recession. We feel it too. 

We’re also having a moment of information overload from all of the articles, tips and reports being produced. To help you weed through and find information you can use to determine what modified strategies are right for your business, we thought it would be helpful to provide a roundup of and key takeaways from what we’ve found insightful. As we come across new articles and resources, we’ll continue to update this blog, so be sure to check back.