4 minute read
THE NEW NORMAL
The new normal for online sales
At a time when diversification is key, some dealers are setting up secondary online retail websites to more effectively cater to home workers and new markets. What are the benefits of doing this - and how can you make sure people know about it?
COVID-19 has everybody who can work from home doing just that, meaning that most offices are closed and the needs of dealers’ customers have changed. That’s not to say that dealers aren’t needed – on the contrary, there are myriad opportunities for them to adapt to this situation, and thrive.
The most important thing that dealers can do, right now, is ensure they have a captivating online presence to drive all sales in that direction. Then, to broaden their appeal, what some dealers are doing right now is setting up an online retail website rather than relying on their existing ordering platform. We spoke last month about the product areas that individual home workers are looking for – this is your opportunity to become their go-to buying option.
“Despite the economic negatives of COVID-19 it will, nevertheless, accelerate changes that were necessary and overdue,” says John George, MD of JGBM. “It’s important to note that, out of every recession there’s ever been, significant opportunities result. For resellers, there are some clear paths on which to formulate a new strategy for this landscape. Certainly, now, more than ever, it’s time for dealers to focus on their online offering; a multi-channel online approach is key, and safeguards relevance.”
DEALERS DO IT DIFFERENTLY
The challenge is, while many dealer websites are designed for B2B procurement – and they’re fantastic at it – they may not be as adept at retail selling. Giants such as Amazon have cornered this market but, as has always been the case, a local service and a personal relationship trumps what Amazon has to offer, which is limited to ease of use. Dealers who can provide this same ease, plus a strong dealer-customer bond, will win out.
“For us, the vast majority of dealer orders have, for some time, been drop-ship,” says John. “The dramatic shift to working from home is set to continue, which is even more reason for dealers to re-evaluate their online platforms. This could simply be a secondary website for a different function, either with the same portfolio or one featuring specialist categories. An effective selling website focuses on customer engagement, content and agility, with easy-to-read menus, searchability and quick purchasing.”
It’s a good time to ask around the industry about what your peers are doing; for example, JGBM recently launched 20/20 Lite, allowing the dealer to become ultra-competitive in the office machines sector using a webshop, for which they pay a monthly fee. Some dealers are already driving the change, particularly those who’ve been trading online for a long time. “Having a long-established online presence as a web trader has enabled Accolade to quickly adapt during a time of massive disruption,” says Ron Arnott, MD of the business. “We added many COVID19-specific products to our web store; items which, before, had been the preserve of medical and food processing facilities suddenly became mainstream office supplies.”
For Accolade, the current situation has merely accelerated plans that were already in place to cope with Brexit. A large warehouse allows the business to buy in bulk from various sources and it’s able to use its own vans to deliver cheaply within the local area. The business is currently planning to adapt even further by boosting its appeal, potentially offering free local delivery of products ordered online. “Google Shopping can be set up to advertise in a very restricted area at minimal cost, and our massive product database sub-divides easily into just those items of interest to local distributors. I’ve spent two decades learning web trading, since its inception, and such web stores would be very quick to establish, typically costing less than 10% of other platforms.”
SHOUTING ABOUT IT
Most on-the-ball dealers have undoubtedly added new product lines to their services, having watched business’s needs change - but do your customers know about them? Are they aware that you’re still there for them?
For dealers aiming to create a new normal for themselves through an additional or adapted service the key will be in marketing this well. Keep in regular contact with customers, ask them what their staff need while working from home and let them know that you have the solution. Use social media to highlight the fact that new ways of working require new business models, and shout about what you’re doing.
John’s recommendation that dealers should open up a retail stream isn’t necessarily something dealers will have considered before. You may feel that it’s a temporary solution and, therefore, not something you have to worry about. However, it would be naïve to assume that the way we work will go back to how it once was; employers will find it extremely difficult not to offer working from home policies, now that their staff have had a taste of it. We’ve reported before on the fact that most employers’ excuse for not implementing flexible working policies sooner is a lack of trust in their staff, but research has shown, time and again, that most staff are more productive when they’re able to work from home.
So, the future will see flexible working become commonplace, meaning that workers will continue to require access to the tools they need when at home. Those dealers with an additional business stream in place to cater to these people will be well ahead of the curve.
