* By Elói Assis
2020 was a totally atypical year, with many changes and learning for all sectors, but few had as much impact as retail. Nobody could have predicted such an economic crisis, caused by the pandemic, that caused retailers to close their doors and move quickly to accelerate the digital transformation process to survive. It is always an exercise in futility to make predictions, but with the lessons learned from 2020, it is possible to trace some paths that tend to be essential for the sector.
Online sales had a huge jump in 2020 and this change in consumer behavior is here to stay. A survey conducted with consumers by EbitNielsen, in the fourth quarter, points out that e-commerce sales in Brazil in 2021 are expected to grow 26%, which would lead the sector to a turnover of R bilhões 110 billion. In addition, of the consumers who bought online, 95% indicated that they intend to continue shopping through websites and applications, even after the pandemic.
The year 2021 is one of uncertainty about confinement, vaccination, expansion or reduction of the virus, end of emergency aid and unemployment at high levels. This imposes limits on the whole economy and, more and more, whoever is where the customer is - often at home, on their cell phone, but not browsing the app or mobile site of the store, but without doubt, using their own WhatsApp or social networks. Given this scenario, I strongly believe that the time has come for what I call “polycanality” in retail.
In recent years, we have heard a lot about the need to be omnichannel, which in short means joining multiple channels to make a unified management. But how many channels does retail operate today? Mostly, we actually have a “bicanality”, represented by the offer of the physical store and the e-commerce site. To enter this new era that was extensively tested in 2020, exploring new ways of selling, the retailer must use a series of new means to reach an increasingly dispersed consumer.
Hence the “polycanality”, where retail goes beyond the traditional two sales channels and offers the customer the possibility to consume through the most different sales channels. Thinking that consumers will be more concerned with contactless purchases, below are some channels that will be attractive for years to come.
- Whatsapp:installed on practically 99% smartphones in Brazil, during the pandemic who did not catch themselves looking for WhatsApp from any store to ask questions, receive more information about a product or service, catalogs, etc.? Well, now the tool has even released a catalog, links to direct and finalize the sale, offering greater comfort to the public that prefers interaction with an attendant. In the same way, other chat platforms, such as Facebook Messenger, Telegram and others, also allow catalog, price and sales consultation operations.
- Lives: amidst the explosion of lives that took the place of face-to-face events during the pandemic, a new consumption trend draws attention. Some have called it "live commerce", others "live shopping", which boils down to the concept of enjoying video broadcasts, whether from singers, public figures and influencers, or even companies, to market products. Imagine, for example, being watching your favorite singer and being able to buy the lipstick she is wearing without missing a minute of the broadcast.
- Marketplaces:impossible to talk about retail in the pandemic without thinking about the new online version of the malls, the marketplaces. These platforms have gained extreme relevance, allowing small and medium-sized retailers to be able to sell online very quickly, even without having a website and logistical structure, for example. And given the high flow that already travels on their platforms, they became natural generators of digital "traffic" for the products of the retailers that are there.
- Facebook and Instagram:finally, and no less important, are social networks. Because they are channels where there is a strong presence of consumers of various types, major brands are already betting their chips to stand out in these channels. Both already have integration of stores and catalogs to further boost sales. The strong point here is to look for where your customer is already and provide another quick and safe way to buy.
- QR Code and digital wallets: and we cannot close without talking about contactless payments, such as the PIX, recently launched by the Central Bank, as well as digital wallets. Although they are not exactly a sales “channel”, their existence has simplified at the same time as it has increased the security of distance payments, avoiding the typing of credit card data, replacing it with two-dimensional bar codes that are generated once for each transaction. Often, they become a quick way to manage a sale through channels not yet integrated into retailers' systems.
Regardless of your segment within retail, this year will be marked by new channels. But, even though it has been hampered by social distance, the store experience will continue to be the main protagonist - and should continue to be strong in 2021. It is time to think about how to not have a conventional space, but rather that adds value to the customer, as for example stores that provide additional services connected or not to your product.
We can no longer be taken by surprise, so it's time to be ready for adversity, keep your brand's purpose well defined and be open to experiment, discover and learn, being able to react quickly to changes in a dynamic world. May 2021 come full of news and a truly “multi-channel” retail.
* Elói Assis, director of retail and distribution at TOTVS
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
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