As many countries over Europe entered lockdown to fight the Coronavirus spread, consumer behaviours are changing massively. Spending more time than ever at home, watching over their children and working from home in some cases, communities of readers and consumers are looking for ways to go through the quarantine.
Consumer behaviours change: what does it mean?
According to Global Web Index’s survey, consumer behaviours changed massively as a result of the lockdown. On average, 26% of internet users are checking social media and 39% are reading the news more often than before, to keep up-to-date.
Social media channels have seen an increase in their usage, as people turn to them to keep in touch with their friends and family who may be at a distance or to access news content.
Telecommunication companies, such as Proximus, confirmed that home internet traffic has more than doubled since the beginning of the coronavirus spread.
Due to the cancellation of many events around the world, marketers are now switching to their online communities more than ever before. Businesses are being more supportive of their communities by offering them a way to keep up-to-date with the latest news and to be entertained.
Media companies are seeing more traffic as customers and readers want to keep up-to-date with the latest news. On Qualifio’s side, we can clearly see a boost in term of traffic on our clients’ interactive campaigns:
“At Qualifio, in the last days, we saw some of our customers (mainly from the travel sector) willing to temporarily freeze all marketing activities. We perfectly understand and support that, as they will have nothing more to sell for weeks. On the other hand, we were contacted by clients and prospects who wanted to intensify their online interactions with their communities in this period.”
Olivier Simonis, CEO @ Qualifio
Here is an example from one of our clients in the beauty sector:
“We have a community of over 2,000 hairdressers on Facebook that we engage daily. Since the lockdown, we have received dozens of applications for membership. In the coming weeks, we will have to be creative to retain our customers, keep them engaged and use their time wisely. We are going to rely on digital technology and Qualifio’s interactive formats to be a source of information, learning and entertainment to meet the growing demand.”
Thibaut Monet, Digital Marketer @ L’Oréal Professionnel
What businesses do to engage and entertain their communities
The solidarity shown by brands and media alike, out of consideration for their communities, is heartwarming. Here are our top examples of how businesses are giving back to their communities in the time of the pandemic:
- Television channel CANAL+ offers their usually paid programmation to every client who possesses an Internet box. A way to keep people entertained and go through the quarantine process.
- On the other hand, television channel Arte is thinking about all the students missing school or university, and provides them with educational resources.
- Internet provider Free gives more than 20x of 4G data to their subscribers without additional cost. As people can’t see each other face-to-face, the company is offering them means to check on their family and friends more often.
- Video recording and sharing service Loom has made their Pro version free for teachers and students. They have also removed the recording limit on free plans and cut the price in half for their Pro version.
- LinkedIn has opened up 16 courses for free, on how to stay productive, build online relationships and work/life balance. A way to stay operational for people who are only figuring out how they can make homeworking work.
- Luxury brand Giorgio Armani donated $1.43 million dollars to four hospitals in Italy.
- Football and basketball teams alike are looking for interactive ways to keep in touch with their fans, as the sports season has been suspended until further notice.
- On-demand video provider Netflix has announced that they would reduce their debit to leave more ‘Internet space’ for people working remotely.
As brands and media are looking for more ways to give back to their communities, marketers are seeking more and more creative solutions to keep their audiences engaged and informed. The examples above are just the tip of the iceberg, you can do even more! Our clients have been very creative this month.
Should you keep doing marketing during the lockdown? The answer is yes, but keep the behaviour changes in mind. Your marketing strategy will evolve with the current situation, which marketers shouldn’t ignore.
By creating content to keep your readers and consumers in a positive mood, you’re also helping them to counter the general anxiety. Have a look at our inspirational campaign examples to get the creative boost you need!
