COVID-19: For some businesses, enhanced online browsing to drive sales could become a new norm
SINGAPORE: The glass doors open up into a spacious lobby where a friendly salesperson waits to give y'all a tour around the showroom.
As he takes you lot through the colourful displays, he makes sure to stop at every product and innovate it in careful detail. There are curtains by fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier, motorised blinds and even smart partitioning screens that can exist toggled between opaque and transparent.
Merely this is not a physical tour of curtains and blinds retailer mc.2's showroom. This is mc.2'south virtual group purchase demo, a Facebook Alive tour for anyone who logs on to their livestream.
"Why we use Facebook live to bear this group buy demo is because it'south interactive. The viewers can inquire questions any time and our salespeople will be able to answer them. Or if they desire to see sure products … nosotros can e'er pull them out and allow them run across," said mc.2 founder Wilson Chew.
The company has seen some success with the platform, alluring over 100 viewers for their starting time live session. This is double the number of people they commonly take in their shop at whatever one time.
Developing an enhanced online browsing experience is one manner companies accept adapted to the new circuit breaker measures. All non-essential businesses take to suspend operations for the elapsing of the circuit breaker.
As companies meet the benefits of going online, several of them told CNA that they plan to incorporate digital selling methods into their businesses even though the circuit billow has ended.
ONLINE RETAIL HERE TO STAY
With people forced to stay indoors, businesses that take traditionally relied on physical sales take taken to new platforms, including livestreams and video conferencing tools.
PropNex Realty'south agents utilize Zoom and Skype to contact customers. The company also has its own Personal Banana App, which helps their salespeople remember project data, financial calculators and analyses for them to enhance their presentation and "add value" to clients, said CEO Ismail Gafoor.
"As the art of communicating via platforms like Zoom or Skype is definitely different than confront to face interaction, our salespersons are also provided with training to heave their confidence in terms of delivery and presentation via virtual platforms," he added.
Co-ordinate to Mr Gafoor, while the book of sales may not be comparable to those conducted through concrete viewings, information technology is "encouraging", with PropNex salespeople endmost more than than 1,000 transactions during the excursion breaker.
Digitalisation has improved productivity and speed for PropNex, equally buyers can shortlist two to three houses online earlier viewing and buying, compared to viewing 10 to xv residential backdrop physically. Paying deposits and signing leases have also gone online.
"Nosotros are witnessing buyers in the market place embracing new strategies in their property journeying," said Mr Gafoor, adding that the visitor was hoping to incorporate these methods in the futurity.
Meanwhile, home appliance retailer Sound House has adopted Facebook livestreaming, with their salespeople also learning how to utilise Whatsapp, calls and electronic mail to sell appliances.
The business firm also has a one-to-one customisation service called the Audio House Online Concierge Service and a same-day delivery service.
With over 1,800 viewers on a contempo Facebook live, managing director Alvin Lee said that the response was "very good", as it proves that customers are "willing to accept new ways of selling electronics".
Before the circuit breaker, 95 per cent of their sales were fabricated in person.
Withal, every bit customers get used to shopping online, Mr Lee said that the visitor plans to incorporate the chat services and the online concierge service into their sales methods.
"This circuit breaker gave united states insight into new client behaviour in the future. Because of this ii to three months, with customers purchasing online - we believe that for certain customers, this volition become their norm in the time to come," he said, calculation that Audio House would expand its online concierge service for customers who prefer to shop at habitation.
Fifty-fifty though the visitor will still rely on concrete sales, Mr Lee estimated that online sales could go up to x per cent after the circuit breaker.
"A lot of people meet the circuit breaker measures as a threat to the business and the manufacture. To us, information technology's not a threat, it was also an opportunity to explore the business. It gave us more than opportunity likewise," he said.
SUPPORTING AN ONLINE PRESENCE
While experts said that the circuit breaker would push more than companies online due to changing client expectations, the longevity of digital sales would depend on whether sellers tin sustain an online and concrete presence.
"With most staying at home and spending more time on social media, marketers are making sure they are where their customers are – on social media. Hence, online shopping has witnessed a boom," said Assoc Prof Ang Swee Hoon from NUS Business organisation School's marketing department.
While millennials and those from Gen Z accept contributed to the boom, infant boomers - who mostly have more disposable income - have as well started to adapt to online retail shopping, she said.
READ: COVID-nineteen: Retailers struggle amid uncertainties about reopening, recovery of sales
READ: Landlords to give SME tenants more rental relief under proposed amendments to COVID-19 laws
The longer the pandemic lasts, the more likely consumers are going to become used to online shopping, with the habit becoming "sticky". Brick-and-mortar shopping may then "get the exception rather than the norm", she added.
"There volition always be a segment of consumers who are raring to do physical shopping. But I see the number of consumers becoming more than comfortable with online shopping increasing.
"Information technology would also vary by product category. For products that require plumbing equipment (e.g. shoes), online shopping may be limited," said Assoc Prof Ang.
Merely even with changing client expectations, moving to online sales would depend on the companies' power to support their digital presence, said Singapore Polytechnic Schoolhouse of Business lecturer Lim Xiu Ru.
"Depending how business picks up, maybe retailers might not actually be looking at employing someone full-fourth dimension to manage online channels for the time being. And then the existing staff will have to balance. Whether (online sales) stays, it really depends on the retailer, whether they are able to back up these options," she said.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
williamswhatefteld.blogspot.com
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-some-businesses-enhanced-online-browsing-drive-sales-could-become-new-norm-295211
Post a Comment for "COVID-19: For some businesses, enhanced online browsing to drive sales could become a new norm"