Consumer behaviours will change post-pandemic. Here’s how your business can prepare

As consumers prepare to emerge, blinking into the post-lockdown light, what changes can we expect and how different will things be? Here’s how to get your business ready.

Behaviours that will continue

For most businesses, online will continue to be central to your success. COVID-19 has forced customers to get used to buying online and using QR codes, and this habit won’t go away. Where once your website may have been the ugly cousin of your in-person experience, online is now front and centre.

I’m not just talking about retail either. Online is a way many of us will continue to work and connect, and being online for so much of our day means our expectations of software and website user-experiences will only increase.

If you’re in personal services, online will continue to do some heavy lifting for you here too, as people are becoming increasingly used to self-selecting and self-booking. I don’t want to call my hairdresser to book an appointment — I want to find a slot that works for me and claim it.

That means transparency and maintenance of your back end is super important. In other words, letting your customers see what inventory (whether that’s physical stock, appointments or restaurant seatings) is available.

Business owners should also expect click-and-collect or contactless delivery to continue in popularity. In fact, consumers will need a good reason to visit you in person, and part of that will be the immediacy of collection. If they can see you have a widget in stock right now, they’ll probably prioritise you over waiting for delivery. If they can’t tell whether you have stock available, they may stay home rather than risk a visit.

Behaviours that will change

Where pre-pandemic people would visit shops as something fun to do — a little excursion — now the stakes have changed. A spontaneous visit can lead to home quarantine! That means if you want customers in-store, you have to convince them of two things: that it’s safe and that it’s worthwhile.

Expect customers to have one of two main reactions to lockdowns being lifted. Some will have Fear of Going Out (FOGO), where they will see the world as unsafe and continue to bunker. Others will have Fear of Staying In (FOSI), where they’ll never want to be stuck at home again!

Attracting FOGOs

To attract people who are nervous about visiting your business in person, it’s all about safety.

Emphasise the precautions you are taking, e.g. distancing, sanitisation, tracking, deep cleaning, vaccination status, and help them build confidence through services like click-and-collect and contactless payment processes. They’ll tend to want more personal space and less contact with strangers while they’re with you.

Attracting FOSIs

For people who want to get out and about, freedom to mix things up is key. Having a differentiated in-store experience will delight them, as will invitations to COVID-safe events and cross-brand experiences. Bring together a range of services with other businesses and pitch it as an exclusive get-together. Think about activities you can put on their calendar to keep them coming to your store.

Live for today, or save for tomorrow?

Aside from having a FOGO and FOSI orientation, your customers are also likely to have one of two financial perspectives.

Some will embrace “carpe diem”, living for the now and indulging themselves and their loved ones. That means hedonic products that are about feeling good, and attracting them with messages about “living for now” and “freedom”.

Others will react to the prolonged economic uncertainty by squirreling their nuts for a rainy day. They are likely to be drawn to utilitarian products and services — those that meet needs rather than wants. Money-back guarantees and refund policies are particularly significant for people with this prudent mindset, and messages around “protecting your family” and “being smart” will resonate.

If we cross-hatch the FOGOs and FOSIs with their financial disposition, the consumer landscape looks like this:

Designing for safe behaviour

No matter which you’re dealing with, FOGO or FOSI, designing your physical spaces to accommodate customers will continue to be critical. As much as possible, you want the space to encourage compliant behaviour so you don’t have to police your customers and/or confront them.

That means continuing to provide sanitiser and check-in opportunities, as well as:

1. Having clearly demarcated zones and instructions e.g. where and how to order and pay, whether there is table service.

2. Funneling people into a queue so social distancing is easier. A queue means they only have to worry about who’s in front of them. If you allow people to congregate around your register instead of forming a queue, it’s more difficult for them to distance because now they have to monitor what other people are doing in all directions — front, back, left and right.

3. If you don’t want people to sit down, don’t leave chairs, boxes or crates in the vicinity (even if they’re stacked).

4. If you want people to move away from the register quickly, give them a small bench to rest their keys, wallet, phone on while they pay and take receipt of the goods. If they have to juggle all these items it will slow their exit down.

Most of all, as we move towards greater freedoms, it goes without saying it’s been a traumatic couple of years for your customers, you and your staff. That might mean people swing from feelings of immense gratitude to frustration and anger. The more you can do to provide psychological comfort and reassurance, the more your customers will rely on you.