COVID-19: Ways to cope with the changing consumer behavior

The current COVID-19 situation has altered our lives, interests, and everything around us. The required changes brought about, in the present scenario have changed consumers’ mindset in terms of their needs, and purchasing behavior. These kinds of alterations have resulted in new challenges for advertisers in managing campaigns, as well as to all channels of Marketing.

We can also check, as to what’s trending these days through Google Trends.

Here’s how the consumer preferences are changing during the pandemic:

• Individuals are staying connected online more than ever before.
• Individuals are experiencing alterations in their daily routines.
• People are turning to new software and apps to meet their daily needs.
• Individuals are investing more time in taking care of themselves.
• Connecting with family and friends through videos have gained prominence.
• The individual’s needs and situations are changing, due to which spending more time on Google for specific information has become the new normal.

We are encouraged to adapt to these realities and reframe the Business strategies, to cater to the needs of the consumers.

The Google Ads team has come up with tips to help the advertisers in campaign management and also in formulating their digital marketing strategies, to suit the existing situations. Here are a few of them:

• Be aware of terms like “virus” or “check-up” and avoid using them in your search ads. Also, make sure that COVID-19 related local terms are not used in the ads.
• Review, evaluate, and update your ads to reflect your current business changes to the users.
• Keep your website up-to-date in terms of product availability, services, and local conditions.
• Reconsider the requirements of your customers and alter your messaging accordingly; to suit their needs and conditions.
• Google has provided an option to add a banner to your website, to quickly convey your business updates to your customers.
• Due to the pandemic, the demand, and supply is changing quite often. The businesses need to evaluate the availability of the list of products and services, and thereof modify the ad campaigns.
• As most of the people are viewing videos on YouTube through TV, set your device targeting to the TV screen.
• Understand your consumer and adjust your search text ads, landing pages, ad extensions, and websites to meet their changing expectations.
• In order, to provide convenience to the customers, it’s important to make the products available online and in stores.
• Use responsive display ads to convey the apt message in a fast-changing market.
• Individuals are turning more to apps and videos. It’s important to connect to the new users as well as reach out to the existing customers by engaging them with an offer.

The drastic changes are inevitable due to the pandemic and as advertisers and business owners, it’s important to understand the changes in consumer behaviour and re-define the business goals and match the demand and supply.