As we reach the 1 year mark of the COVID pandemic in the United States, it is clear that many business have suffered great financial hardships. Many business have permanently closed, despite government programs aimed at helping them survive. Those that are open are struggling to find new ways of generating income.
Exploring new and creative online methods of conducting business.
The most obvious method to transition online is e-commerce. If you sell physical products, it makes sense to offer those items online. In recent months many eateries have moved their sales online. Bakeries, juice bars, and even ice cream parlors, now accept online orders and offer curbside pickup.
In-Person to Virtual Interactions
Many businesses rely on in-person interactions like real estate agents, doctors or therapists. Over the last few months, these industries have adapted to online interactions. Real estate agents now offer offering virtual tours via facetime or zoom. The agent will walk through the house with a live video feed. The buyer is able to direct the agent and questions about the property. Doctors offer virtual visits and therapist hold their appointments over facetime.
What parts of your business can shift online?
What can you offer your current and future customers in this new digital climate? Can any part of your interaction with your customer transition to a digital format?
Case Study: European Textiles LLC
I recently assisted European Textiles LLC with an online transition. They were on the brink of closing. It took us only a few hours make the website changes needed to transition a significant part of their customer experience to their website. We created high resolution image galleries of their fabric collections.
Allowing clients to preview the fabric collections online benefited their traditional process two-fold:
- First, it generated business interest by giving clients a taste of their fabric offerings.
- Second, clients can pre-select the fabrics they would like to see. This enables European Textiles to have shorter, more efficient in-person appointments.
Additionally, shorter appointment times allows them to sanitize between clients without sacrificing bandwidth.
European Textiles is now generating new leads and sales online. They are no longer considering closing shop.
Need help shifting your business into the digital realm?
If you’re struggling with ways of moving into the digital realm, give me a call. Don’t give up just yet. Let’s discuss how you currently do business and I’ll brainstorm how to shift those steps online. There are many avenues and options that your business could take advantage of. Together, we might discover a better way of doing business!