2020.. And after?

Since the beginning of 2020, following the pandemic, the economic sector, which has been intermittently at a standstill, has had to reinvent itself. In almost a year, the consumer has obviously also adapted and adopted new consumption habits. Despite the expected arrival of vaccines, the outlook remains unclear for everyone. What does 2021 bode for us? Shops and businesses will certainly still have to adapt in the coming months.

What changes has the coronavirus pandemic made in our consumption habits?

For the consumer first...

After a period of hesitation, of “non-consumption”, a large number of consumers have turned to e-commerce. The rush to food stores that remained open also pushed confined Belgians to turn massively and quickly to online shopping in order to meet their primary, physiological needs. The online services of major retail brands quickly became saturated, which generated frustration among certain consumers who then opted for smaller local distributors, at least temporarily. Very quickly, the consumer having satisfied these needs via digital channels also turned to the internet for other secondary needs.

Today, even if so-called “non-essential” businesses are open again, perhaps temporarily, consumers are not flocking to shopping centers. With this pandemic, many of us have become agoraphobic. Scientific experts, politicians and the media constantly remind us that “going to stores is taking a health risk”, rightly or wrongly, that is not the question. In any case, this fear, added to the discovery of online shopping for some (both its advantages and its disadvantages), accentuates these changes in consumption habits.

Months will still pass before sufficient vaccination of the population. Until then, consumers will improve their online supplier searches. Will the attraction for large distributors, often cheaper and more centralized than small local businesses, increase or, on the contrary, will consumers reposition themselves for local, organic or more ecological suppliers?

This unprecedented crisis has also triggered an awareness among part of the population, a desire to transform this exceptional crisis into an opportunity to change the world after. Support for local cooperatives, small independents and local artisans... Some are refocusing on their essential needs. But will they maintain their ideals once the pandemic passes?

Another notable change in this health crisis: the adaptation of our payment methods. At the first signs of the pandemic, cash was rejected by the authorities, advising payment by credit card, or even contactless payment. However, experts have since confirmed that the risk of contamination by handling bank notes or coins is no greater than that taken by typing a secret code on a payment terminal. As the months passed, cash gradually regained its rights. Fortunately, because let's not forget that cash remains a practical means of payment for vulnerable people (see article published previously: 3 reasons to maintain cash)

And for the company?

In the spring, most businesses had to close their doors. For some, take-out was not permitted. Only online sales were. While some sectors, such as the hospitality sector, were already accustomed to take-away or delivery, others had never placed an online order or visited social networks. Not all of them had a site. web, and even less of a site allowing e-commerce.

Without financial income initially, it is difficult for a small merchant to invest in a functional and attractive website. Many then turned to social networks. While it is quite simple to create a professional Facebook page, it is not the same for a layperson to create a catalog of their products, take orders via Messenger or manage the delivery flows that resulting.

Getting started in e-commerce without training or safety barriers is financially risky. Many have had to face, without being prepared, the first fictitious reservations, costly deliveries or even unpaid bills. Being independent means taking risks, we know that, but calculated risks. Writing good general payment conditions available on your e-commerce site or Facebook page, providing purchase orders, signed quotes with deposits in certain cases are essential for safe online sales. Opening payment upon receipt may seem risky but, well-locked with a debt recovery service in the event of unpaid debts, it allows you to considerably increase your turnover, even in times of a global pandemic.

And after?

When policies authorize the reopening of all businesses, when “pleasure shopping” is allowed again, when we can once again go to restaurants with colleagues, attend professional networking events, party in bars with our friends. friends, attend a theater performance, do indoor sports, what will remain of this beginning of digitalization of local businesses? Will we take the path towards all-digital or will we keep a mix between the real and the virtual?

Both the consumer and the entrepreneur have adapted. What habits will we keep? What traces will this pandemic leave in our consumption patterns? And you, what will you do tomorrow?