Earlier in November, hoolah featured a series of stories, featuring four business leaders from notable Malaysia brands—including 6ixty8ight, Novelship, XIXILI Intima, and Pazzion Malaysia—where we highlighted the new reality for businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. Through our exclusive interviews, the merchants all agreed that consumers are becoming increasingly technologically-savvy, while at the same time becoming financially constrained. These insights underline how consumers are becoming even more selective when purchasing the things they need or want online.
Recognising the impacts these insights have on online retailers or businesses, hoolah and Shopify Hong Kong jointly organised a virtual meetup on 17 November 2020, where participants get to find out the latest industry trends and strategies from established merchants for the coming holiday season.
The first collaborative virtual meetup featured speakers from global shipping software Easyship, Hong Kong postal service HK Post, Hong Kong-based digital and ecommerce agency Wave Commerce, dropshipping service provider Productpro, and sustainable coffee label Moving Beans.
Related Article: Building Stronger Brand Identity That Drives More Profit: August 2019 Shopify Meetup
In case you missed it, here are the 3 key takeaways from the hoolah x Shopify event:
1. Swift Customer Service Is A Boon, While Delayed Responses Are A Bane
When the pandemic hit, many were forced to stay home. Retail therapy that once took place in-person and in brick-and-mortar outlets has now transitioned online. Businesses began seeing more sales generated from their web stores. Under normal circumstances, this would be a good omen. But because state regulations aimed at curbing the pandemic forbid some companies, including postal and shipping services, from operating at maximum capacity, shipping routes and postal services were affected.
For Logan So, the head of e-commerce at Productpro, and Daniel Hardej, the director of Moving Beans, the initial lockdown saw massive delays in shipping, with some consumers becoming antsy or worried. “No one expected an impact that huge to happen, so it is normal for them to feel this way,” Logan explains.
For the upcoming winter holidays, this trend may resurface again. Having swift responses and quality customer service is key to maintaining and strengthening consumer-retailer relationships. For Daniel, helping customers keep tabs on the delays through social media messaging or emails are important. Companies could adopt automated responses on their social media to seamlessly direct customers with different inquiries to the right person and get the right help, he adds.
“Transparency is key. Let them know what went wrong, and maybe offer something on their next purchase,” Daniel says. “Keeping customers satisfied requires effort.”
2. Last Year’s Christmas Playbook May Be Irrelevant This Year
Amid a shaky economy and concerns about a new wave of coronavirus infections during the winter holidays, businesses—both large and small—are likely to see new challenges in the coming weeks. “Past years’ holiday promotions may not work as well this year,” Logan says. “But it should not stop you from getting into the holiday spirit.”
Retailers should still look into going online and having an online presence, especially if they haven’t. For those who already have, updating the website with holiday cheers or blasting out an eDM to check in with your customers would be great. More importantly, retailers should let customers know the cut-off date for shipping by Christmas, through these updates or eDM.
3. Beef Up Your Social Media Marketing
With the festive season fast approaching, online retailers will be pitting themselves with other businesses to gather impressions that drive conversations online. Social media, it seems, will always be the best approach in making impressions, says Daniel.
“Use punchy slogans, great imagery, and be very, very persistent,” Daniel adds. “Have a specialist look over the advertising campaigns multiple times a day, every day.”
Retailers could also look into beefing up existing promotional campaigns during the festive season, beyond just having good social media marketing strategies. An example would be to create monthly subscription boxes or offer discounts on them to interested consumers.
“Subscription boxes are great presents to gift to friends and families,” Logan says. “Plus, they help in introducing your label or brand to new customers, who may or may not have interacted with or heard of you before.”
—
Keen to participate in our next Shopify merchant meetup? Follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter to catch the latest updates, exclusive content, and more tips and tricks.
Previous
