It´s been more than a year since lockdown, and as expected, consumer behaviors have shifted since. We got used to virtually socializing, online shopping, working from home, and more. As consumers’ behavior changed, the industry had to adapt, migrating a lot of marketing efforts (and other strategies) to online platforms.
However, as local restrictions surrounding COVID-19 are lifted, consumer´s habits may be changing again, and businesses will have to readapt. Integral Ad Science (IAS) conducted a survey to U.S. consumers about how their behaviors changed in the last year, and how they predict their spending habits will evolve moving forward. It´s no surprise that the majority of people shifted toward online shopping, which is an activity most people plan on doing in the future.
51% of people plan to shop both online and in-person to the same extent, meaning that businesses need to balance their online and offline strategies. Although people will shop this way after restrictions are lifted, consumers (79%) will continue to use online channels to research information on what they plan to purchase.
With this in mind, it is advisable for brands to keep an eye on the advertising side of their strategy since 36% of consumers consider advertising an important tool when it comes to finding information about certain products and services. It is also important to know what ads to put out and where to place them because users prefer seeing relevant ads on safe, reputable sites.
On the other hand, after being at home for more than a year, U.S. citizens are looking forward to going out and having dinner at restaurants, taking a vacation, and traveling. All of this with certain concerns – the level of vaccination in the community is the number one concern, followed by the diligence in safety protocols in indoor spaces.
This information is relevant to those businesses in these industries that are opened now or are planning to be soon. You must take into account that even though 78% of consumers feel comfortable doing social activities with the restrictions being eased, there are a lot of people who appreciate businesses following guidelines.
The good news is not limited to restaurants and travel agencies. 89% of people surveyed by IAS said that their spending would increase or remain the same in the coming year.
In conclusion, the market will change again, and your strategies change as well. Balancing your offline and online strategies can be a lot to handle, which is why having the help of a marketing agency that feels like an in-house extension of your team is the best option. At Miss Ink, we can help you get your online marketing strategy on track. Give us a call at (305) 537-6465 or fill this form to request a social media quote for your business.
Resources:
“Pandemic effects: What´s Next in Shifting Consumer Priorities”, Integral Ad Science, July 2021. https://go.integralads.com/rs/469-VBI-606/images/IAS_Research_Pandemic_Effects_US.pdf?mkt_tok=NDY5LVZCSS02MDYAAAF-sYJmFTNFTb2bacfnnY3yjGey3m4Npc_hB–DntnCZEEIWDyF0Y1xoZRnZ_yIQpQE6sPzKX7W7WaXPlyEGuZTP1HWLSeUerACN04lBHNycr0ECIY
