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Zero in on new customer behaviors

Navigating recovery

How has COVID-19 affected your customers?

COVID-19 may have significantly changed customer priorities, buying patterns and distribution channel preferences.

Zero in on customer behavior changes

Every dollar you make rests on your ability to meet your customers’ needs. The COVID-19 crisis not only altered needs but also directly affected shopping patterns—and could be a catalyst for changes long predicted in your industry. Online shopping and ordering, along with electronic payments, have all surged.

Whether your customer journey is altered or pricing is undermined by slowing economy, understanding customer shifts is the foundation for any strategic reset and a starting point for a reset plan.

Look at changes in traffic and flow

If you’re not sure, just ask your customers on the phone, in emails and in text. Survey them—it’s easy to create online surveys with tools like Survey Monkey.

Understand how COVID-19 directly changes your customer’s demand for your business’s products or services. Will they be looking for different features? Think about how your customers will be affected by reduced spending and lingering unemployment from a downturn.

Evaluate the impact on demand and preferences

Actions to take

Will the aftereffects of the pandemic change the way customers visit your facilities, meet with your salespeople or consume your products or services? Know where this will threaten your operations and how new ways of doing business could meet customers’ needs.

Consider channel preferences

Prepare for a shift in the mix of in-person, phone, ecommerce, partner/distributor and other sales. How can you take advantage of these shifts? Look for new channels to open. Study shopping and buying approaches that can be carried out remotely or with social distancing and mask, gloves and sanitization.

Merchant services can support payment by card for ecommerce—and do so with contactless payment, a requirement for customers during social distancing. Electronic transfers like PayPal can make payment easy. Remote buying can minimize cash handling and contact for those buying in person.

BB&T Merchant Services
SunTrust Merchant Services

Get the workbook

With thoughtful step-by-step planning exercises and action items, the Small Business Recovery Workbook is the perfect companion to this guide.

Use it to organize all your ideas and goals in one place—so you can focus on the big picture and your next steps.

Download the Small Business Recovery Workbook (PDF)

Measures to consider

Examine your communications strategy

Recognize how customers have changed the way they want to learn about the business and its offerings. Where do you need to shift your efforts? Will it be email updates to your customers, text, social media or local print?

Revisit pricing

Look at value delivered and its relationship to pricing considering the COVID-19 crisis. Are customers looking to buy more bundled/unbundled services or products?

Brace for the economic downturn to affect basic demand—and pricing levels—for your products and services, particularly for discretionary ones.

Pricing (PDF)

Start scenario planning

Up next in the guide

New information comes in daily about the virus, the economy reopening and what it means for your business. Creating scenarios to guide your planning for the coming months and years lets you be prepared for what’s ahead.

Learn more