I think it is safe to say 2020 is a year we won't forget. It has been the strangest and seems to be the LONGEST year ever. And it's only August! I don't know about all of you, but I am ready for 2020 to be in the BOOKS.
With this pandemic, most of us have been affected in one way or another. People are losing jobs, businesses closing doors or changing the way they do business to stay open, and we're all trying to stay safe and healthy.
Ward-Kraft is an essential business, and we have been fortunate to keep our doors open and continue working, but even we have been affected by COVID-19. With all the new requirements and restrictions on how we operate our businesses and how we all live daily, I have seen a shift in the way business is conducted in our company, as well as others I work with and have talked to. Some of our customers are struggling to keep their doors open. We are trying our best to help them out any way we can.
We are helping educate our customers on potential products they can sell, such as "essential" items, by providing educational webinars to help them branch out into new vertical markets and by lending a listening ear when they call and need to talk.
E-commerce has exploded during this time. Many businesses are shifting to online sales; this is good because companies that increase their online presence experience a growth in their market. They are now reaching customers across the US and even the world they couldn't have reached before. It is an excellent direction for a business head in.
When a business increases their online presence and sales start to rise, they may want to - and hopefully will - make their brand in the industry. Find creative ways to keep customers coming back. Utilize "captive audience" when a customer receives a package to make the experience worthwhile. Brand your packaging, shipping label, and add some marketing. Remember, reputation is built on customer experience and how a customer's order is received.
After this pandemic has passed and everything opens back up, we will likely still feel the effects that 2020 and Covid have had on us.
Businesses will either go back to their old ways of doing things or continue operations as they did during the pandemic. People will return to work, or they may not have a position if business practices have changed. It will take hard work and prayer to get this country and economy back to where it was in 2019.
I am here to help you with your business brand. If you would like to talk about how to make the most out of your online business - or how to get it started - and grab your customers' attention, Reach out, let's talk.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and God bless!
Heather Fink
800.821.4021 ext.4052