As early as November, the Christmas spirit is visible at a shopping mall in Eastwood (Photo from THEPHILBIZNEWS/MAS)
By Alithea De Jesus
It is palpable that the brick and mortar shops were disrupted by the pandemic. Prior to the advent of the coronavirus, you would see retails shops across the country especially during Christmas has all the bells and whistles to make sure that they can drive their potential customers to their stores.
As inevitable, the now normal has forced a shift from the physical space to the digital space, making it essential for brands to connect with their consumers through online platforms. This is especially true for the retail industry, with consumer shopping behavior changing drastically.
The behavior of now normal consumers has shifted toward a heavier reliance on the digital space. As of October 2020, data from creative agency We Are Social pointed out that there are almost 5 billion internet users around the world spending nearly seven hours online daily.
With the behavioral change among Filipino consumers accelerated by restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, even industries like retail needed to adopt a renewed and more innovative business model. Management consulting company Mckinsey also stated that transforming the consumer experience would heavily leverage technologies, thus retail industry stakeholders must focus evolving with the landscape to maintain relevance and competitiveness.
For leading IT Solutions company Yondu, the e-commerce era has long been here, but many Filipinos may have been caught unprepared for it. With the rise of online selling, this is slowly changing.
“Filipinos are used to everything traditional – from shopping in malls and dining in restaurants to buying goods and products. The main difference of buying things online? It’s the sense of doubt that they may be feeling,” said Karl Pulanco, Yondu’s Product Manager.
“Filipinos still look for that ‘feeling’ of assurance, or having something they can hold in their hands. Businesses must address this by discovering how they can continue engaging with their consumers online.” To help local businesses shift from traditional to digital, Yondu has come up with the best possible solutions for businesses to transform in the new normal. When it comes to helping retail businesses thrive, the company puts the focus on their Custom Software Development services, which includes web & mobile applications. Yondu believes that while it is equally important for businesses to have a good product, websites and mobile applications also create value.
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