November 21, 2022
Lyndon Hughes from ANS recently discussed this with ITQ Digital’s Bridget Loulie and Sarkis Salleh in our webinar, “Emerging from Brovid: Lessons from Uncertain Times.”
You can watch for all the insights about what to take away from Brexit and Covid, but here are 5 key points you can keep in mind!
Brexit resulted in new import and export rules, different tariffs, longer shipping and transit times, and changes to VAT.
Covid introduced a new set of habits for consumers, and one of the most noticeable was the emphasis on a quick turnaround time.
Time has passed since both, but you may have noticed that the changes aren’t going anywhere. Consumer behaviour hasn’t reverted back to pre-Covid habits, and Brexit still poses shipping and inventory challenges for e-commerce stores.
This might seem like bad news, but understanding the situation lets you adapt to it more effectively.
When businesses worked with ITQ Digital during Brovid, we were glad to see that they understood the best way forward was to streamline their systems to make operations more efficient.
We were in the middle of a project with Pulsar, a high-performance apparel provider, when the pandemic hit. Pulsar realised that our plans for their site would set them up for success during the pandemic: improving efficiency with integrated systems, enhancements to pricing and payment gateways, and a new customer registration process.
N&C, a UK-based jet ski supplier, was smart about how it scaled its business. It focused on its UK market instead of its EU market, choosing to grow its presence in a secure location. We helped them re-platform to Shopify, integrate to Xero and Veeqo, and refresh their store UX and design.
The Italian food supplier Prestige faced an obvious challenge when lockdowns hit, and required specific attention to delivery and shipping. In addition to a complete design refresh, we also tailored shipping by location, and implemented Click & Collect integration. Allowing customers to select their pickup date was a game-changer, and something that Prestige has continued to use.
Words of wisdom for any business, but especially e-commerce businesses in a post-Brovid world!
We recommend that you schedule regular reviews of pricing, policies, legal details, and global opportunities.
This might be more than you’re used to, but this level of certainty pays off in the long run. Even if it means you have to pay a legal firm to keep on retainer, avoiding issues with the rules is worth the effort.
These check-ups can also make sure you’re keeping options open for customers both within and outside of the UK, like ensuring that you have multiple currency options available and offering multiple shipping options.
The pandemic put a premium on not only keeping customers in the loop but also adapting to their needs quickly.
Customers want honesty. Don’t make any promises you can’t keep, and don’t evade answering a question that might earn their long-term respect.
You should also prioritise giving customers as many options as possible for customer service, shipping, and payment. Offering a wider array of alternatives caters to each customer’s needs and expectations, improving their experience and leading to future loyalty.
Moreover, if there’s one thing all customers want, it’s speed. This applies to both shipping – most customers are willing to pay more to get something faster – and web page loading times, which can be a deciding factor in which site they decide to buy from.
One of the many reasons we partner with ANS is their ability to provide businesses with the tools they need to navigate the post-Brovid landscape. Their Magento/WooCommerce hosting services are essential to any business that wants to get the most efficiency out of their e-commerce store.
If you want to learn more about them or get in touch, you can see their partner page here!
And if you want the big picture, why not check out the full webinar below?
