It’s been several months since the pandemic started. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ve stayed in business. Maybe you’re already selling items that people need during the lockdowns, so it’s just business as usual and your business has even grown as a result.
But what if...you already had a business before COVID-19 happened? And you haven’t been able to stay operational?
Unfortunately, many of our homegrown businesses -- 25.9% to be exact -- have had to close down or temporarily shut down because of the crisis. Closures in itself cost money, not to mention countless jobs and workers that now must find another way to survive.
Many companies have resorted to e-commerce to stay afloat.
But what if your business isn’t something that deals in products you can sell? What if you’re focused on providing services or some other benefit to your customers?
Is it even possible to pivot your business to use e-commerce?
Is it worth it to try?
The Case for Online Shopping
It makes sense: online shopping has been steadily gaining traction over the last years, but even more so now.
Even in the US, online shopping is still booming, with 68% growth compared to last year. With everyone stuck at home, online deliveries and shopping is the only way to reliably get goods.
Of course, there are still challenges. With transportation difficult and many businesses inoperational, sometimes it’s difficult to source for suppliers, or deliveries to customers are questionable.
Getting people to buy online can also be a challenge when you’re starting out, but it’s a task that all businesses will need to tackle at some point. Better now than later.
Pivot Ideas for Almost Any Business
Retail stores have it easy, because they can just start selling their goods online. What if you don’t have such a straightforward business? Here are a few ideas other businesses have done to pivot to selling online.
For Hair Salons and Beauty Services
- Sell hair and beauty products online! If you’ve got products in your salon for sale, it’s easy to start offering those online. Otherwise, you can start partnering with the brands that you use.
- Put together kits for almost any hair or beauty requirement. Hair coloring kits, hair spa kits, specific makeup looks--the sky’s the limit.
- Don’t stop with just kits--provide tutorials or full-blown classes on how to cut your own hair, cut and style other people’s hair, do your own makeup, and more.
For Restaurants and Cafes
- Takeout and delivery orders are a given. Don’t shy away from these even if you’re a full-service restaurant.
- DIY home kits are gaining popularity. Pre-package ingredients for a popular dish and let home cooks assemble your specialties.
- Meal plans are great value for money when people are getting tired of home cooking. Go by daily or weekly meal plans so your customers won’t need to think about what to cook tonight.
Healthcare Practitioners, Fitness Centers, Spas
- Telehealth and one-on-one sessions are important to maintain customers’ health without sacrificing their safety.
- Think about your specialty and sell products related to that. Knee bracers, toothbrushes, home fitness items--you know your stuff better than most.
- Start offering fitness classes online.
- Classes and tutorials on wellness practices, messaging one’s self or others, and the like can be an added bonus.
Farmers Markets, Food Distributors, Groceries
- Taking pre-orders and curbside pickups are an easy way to continue to sell your products
- Teaming up with savvy consumers for hyperlocal marketplace sales and group buys have been great ways to get over the early months of the ECQ. Don’t stop now.
- Beef up your B2B sales with B2C, offering bulk food items to individuals who are looking to minimize going out for groceries.
- Subscription packages for most common household essentials may be profitable.
The Sky’s the Limit
Don’t be disheartened. As they say, when there’s a will, there’s a way.
We still believe that this is a great time for businesses to dig deep and thrive. Your business was created to serve a specific need. Your business can still fulfill your customers’ needs--it just needs a little creative thinking to find out what their needs are now.
So is it worth it to try? At the end of the day, the decision is yours--but you owe it to yourself and your loyal customers to give it a shot.