The Pandemic

‘The Era of Digital’

The outbreak of COVID-19 was simultaneously an unprecedented health crisis which caused economic shock. There were no longer any social aspects of life; meeting up with friends and family, going to the shops, grabbing a coffee, or going to work. Instead, the only socialising we could do to distract ourselves was to go online. In fact, before lockdown struck 41% of people in the UK shopped online, but since February 2021, when we were just coming out of the lockdown, this changed to a whopping 71%, (Statista, 2021).

So why even though shops re-opened did consumers still choose to shop online?

Well, consumers have become accustomed to online retail, they are used to it now, it has become a norm and it’s the ease of being able to find and buy something in only a few clicks. Furthermore, consumers are still un-easy about COVID-19, there’s still the risk of catching the virus even though retail stores are ‘deemed safe’. So, some consumers simply just don’t want to risk it.

Now more than ever, retail brands are trying to keep up with the rise in digital for their consumers. They need to act upon their e-commerce to keep consumers interested and invested in their brand to ensure they will purchase again, thus creating customer loyalty. They need to provide engaging content on social media, virtual social gatherings, and other creative initiatives that involve consumers, (Vogue Business, 2020).

Nike have successfully demonstrated what it means to tap into their target consumers, whilst also inspiring people with the power of sport. During lockdown they created a ‘Play for the World’ campaign, which involved both influencers and members of the public. It stressed how important it was to stay indoors and socially distance yourself, whilst also being able to reinforce the notion of togetherness through sport and fitness.

The campaign included a library of home workouts and resources, available on YouTube and via their app, in which people could stream workouts and also live stream to workout with other people around the world. The streams gave expert advice and guidance for athletes to reach their ultimate fitness goals wherever they were. There was also a variety of fitness challenges for the more competitive athletes, where people can compare their times or scores with sporting influencers, such as Cristiano Ronaldo. Nike built a community with their consumers through the COVID-19 pandemic, which has successfully built up their online presence, (Nike News, 2020).

Nike’s tactical online marketing strategies and the hit of the pandemic has led them to hit a 30% digital penetration mark a year ahead of schedule as well as, them seeing three consecutive quarters with digital sales growing more than 80%, (Brain Station, 2020).

So, it looks like fashion brands are going to have to take notes from Nike’s digital marketing strategies and research what we as consumers really want, before we get, well…bored!

References

BrainStation®. 2020. Nike’s Digital Ecosystem Paved the Way for D2C Transformation. [online] Available at: <https://brainstation.io/magazine/nikes-digital-ecosystem-paved-the-way-for-d2c-transformation> [Accessed 3 January 2022].

Instagram.com. 2020. Login • Instagram. [online] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/nike/?utm_source=ig_embed> [Accessed 3 January 2022].

Nike News. 2020. All The Ways Nike is Helping Athletes Play Inside — for the World. [online] Available at: <https://news.nike.com/news/nike-play-inside-play-for-the-world> [Accessed 3 January 2022].

Statista. 2021. UK: change in online shopping since COVID-19 2020-2021 | Statista. [online] Available at: <https://www.statista.com/statistics/1230225/changes-in-online-buying-among-uk-consumers-since-covid-19/> [Accessed 3 January 2022].

Vogue Business. 2020. How brands are connecting with customers in lockdown. [online] Available at: <https://www.voguebusiness.com/companies/how-brands-are-connecting-with-customers-in-lockdown> [Accessed 3 January 2022].