But Are Your Customers Ready?

 

For over three months businesses and their customers have struggled together in the face of a global pandemic. Reopening Doors for Business With restrictions slowly lifting, businesses are breathing a sigh of relief behind their masks as their staff gets tested and they reopen the doors.

But where are the customers? In a survey in April conducted by the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi consumers cited fear of infecting a loved one as a top trigger to adhere to social distancing and self-isolate.

Pre-Covid, this survey would be considered recent but in the new normal, sentiment, and consumer behavior change weekly.  Is the fear still present? And if not, where are the customers? A well-known salon in Abu Dhabi has said they opened their doors while adhering to regulations. However, many of their customers have not returned. The same is echoed in any conversation with taxi drivers.

What is prohibiting us, Reopening Doors for Business as consumers, from fully embracing this new normal? We had a social responsibility to protect ourselves and others – and still do – but don’t we have the social responsibility to contribute to an economy that is aching to bounce back?

Scenario 1:

Hesitation driven by fear of the future in terms of job stability and a second wave. In this scenario, your business would lean towards packaged offers despite the need to recover lost business that entailed as a result of COVID-19.

Scenario 2:

Hesitation driven by lack of awareness of the safety measures in place at establishments. To overcome this, you would send targeted emails to your database along with signs and posts in your establishment highlighting your commitment to safety.

At this point, and without sufficient research available that specifically addresses consumer behavior post-pandemic, managers and business owners are unable to make informed decisions. Commissioning market research or purchasing syndicated studies along with data interpretation will help managers make more informed decisions on how to rebuild trust and translate that trust into new revenue. Now, more than ever, it is important to seek market research that goes beyond customer satisfaction surveys and really looks at the behavior triggers. To access Feedback Market Research’s syndicated study or to commission your own industry-specific research, contact us.