From Zoom haircutting parties to baking bread on Instagram Live, lockdown saw people get creative with online technology. Now that COVID waves are hitting less hard, certain quarantine habits have proved to be passing trends. But others have stuck and overall, consumers are on their screens and devices more than ever. Let’s take a closer look at the most prevalent online consumer behaviour two years, seven months and almost a day since the whole world changed
Everyone Wants to Work From Home
Once they got a taste of rolling out of bed and logging into Teams with yoga pants under their dress shirts, most people didn’t want to go back to the office, at least not full-time. And while you may think that this is because they had better access to the fridge and the television and the couch, studies show that remote workers are often more productive than those who do their job from their company workspace. Remote work also allows for better work-life balance, another positive metric for performance, staff retention, and employee health and wellness.
Five Fun Facts on Remote Work
Even if you’re still working on-site, the stats on remote work will influence how you run your business. If you’re used to serving office workers downtown, you’re going to need to find creative ways to attract new customers. Or you may have untapped opportunities as your neighbourhood welcomes an influx of residents working from home. In almost all cases, remote employees need remote services. Which brings us to—
Online Shopping is King
If the boss isn’t hovering over their shoulder, people figure that any time is fair game to make an online purchase. (Just kidding, everyone knows we only buy stuff during lunch and designated coffee breaks!) In any case, consumers perhaps feel freer to place their orders because they know they’re likely to be home when their package is delivered. Or, to save on shipping and support local businesses, they’re opting for Click & Collect.
From wherever they are, they can select and pay for their products and pick them up in-store, skipping long lineups in the process. In the height of lockdown, curbside and in-store pickup was one of the more exciting outings available, giving us something to do besides bake cookies and doom scroll. And it seems like the thrill has not lost its novelty.
Doom scrolling again? Many consumers have found relief in online shopping. Thank you to Gerd Altmann from Pixabay for this fun photo!
These days, 28.1 million Canadians have made an online purchase in the last year. Sales for 2022 are expected to rise to an estimated $96 billion. In the U.S., online purchase sales are predicted to reach $1 billion. While online shopping was once reserved for clothing, electronics, and non-essentials, since the pandemic, consumers are turning to the Internet for necessities like groceries and toilet paper. So, no matter what you are selling, you need to offer the option to purchase online.
And good news—Linkeo can help with our Click and Collect solution, Deliver by Linkeo. Click here to see how it transformed one business owner’s experience during COVID and beyond. As it happens, Deliver is also great for restaurants and—
We Heart Restaurants
Restaurants had a tough go at it this pandemic. And while there were some tragic losses, some experts say that the damage was not as extreme as anticipated.
For restaurants that did prevail, Click and Collect was crucial and remains a non-negotiable for anyone in the food industry. Half of Gen Z and Millennial diners said they’re more likely to eat at a restaurant if it’s on a delivery app. While people are making their way back to restaurants, for now, takeout stats are higher than in-person dining. These numbers may continue to fluctuate as consumers become more and less cautious about ever-changing COVID risks and waves.
The takeaway—for their best shot at thriving, restaurants need to offer takeout. We love restaurants and the people who run them. So if you’re a restaurant owner, please consider setting yourself up with a Click & Collect solution. You know where to find us!
For a Click and Collect Solution, hit up Deliver by Linkeo. Photo Credit: mohamed Hassan on Pixabay
Fight Global Fatigue with Online Booking
The pandemic brought Zoom fatigue, decision fatigue, COVID fatigue, and all the kinds of fatigue. With everything going on out in the world, consumers are craving a seamless and easy customer experience. As easy as possible. And when it’s time to reserve an appointment, it doesn’t get more effortless than an online booking solution. Nobody wants to spend hours on the phone, trying to catch their hairdressers or massage therapists between clients. They don’t want to call back if they have to cancel. They don’t want you to call back if you have to cancel.
Online booking is dreamy, whether you’re scheduling a tattoo or an acupuncture facelift. It’s available 24/7, so clients can book when you’re out for dinner, on a jog, or fast asleep. With automatic email and text appointment reminders (and online deposits), you’ll get fewer last-minute cancellations and no-shows. You’ll get more last-minute bookings and fill up empty slots—26% of online bookings are for the same-day or next day.
When you subscribe to online booking, you’re catering to the 67% of consumers who prefer online booking. And if you choose Planner by Linkeo, you can give them special treats with built-in loyalty perks like gift cards and promo codes.
If you’re one of those people who disabled the Screen Time app on your phone to save yourself the horror and shame spiral, you are not alone. And you’re not the only one with soaring screen time. The average adult spends 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones every day.
But while some of these hours go to YouTube and social media, all is not lost. I mean, what’s the harm in the odd reel or skincare tutorial? Plus, with quality online solutions, the smartphone has become the portal to checking off your life admin to-do list, from the dentist to dinner. Online technology offers real value for consumers and with the right tools, you can cater to their newfound habits while reaching new customers and building a digital, pandemic-proof future for your business.
Can’t wait to see you on the interwebs! Thank you for reading, The Linkeo Team. And thank you to Gerd Altmann from Pixabay for another spot-on photo. And to Ivan Samkov from Pexel.com for the delightful thumbnail.
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