QUICK READ: Americans have built up excess savings worth $2.6 trillion since the start of the coronavirus pandemic that will help power the economy’s recovery from the crisis, according to Moody’s Analytics. The US has amassed the most excess savings of any country, with the cash pile amounting to 12% of gross domestic product. They won’t spend recklessly, and they will demand more from brands at a lower price.
QUICK READ: According to different polls, most brands are shifting more money into digital marketing when people are starting to go shopping again at local retailers. The reason? Because the majority of marketers are brain dead. Marketers are shifting ad spend from traditional channels (especially TV) to digital channels. But in doing so, they risk eroding brand ROI.
QUICK READ: You can’t just assume happy customers will buy from you again. Instead, you need to have consistent systems in place which will cultivate long-term customer loyalty and repeat business. Customer loyalty is lucrative. If you can increase your customer retention, long-term customers will refer additional business to you, buy more of your products, and cost less than new customers. Loyalty boosts your competitive advantages and generates superior financial returns. Remember about 20 percent of your current customers generate 80 percent of your business’s profits.
QUICK READ: 20% of consumers are following brands on social media, but marketers should not apply that blanket statement to all products. It’s more likely that consumers will follow brands that make products they care about, like hard goods (i.e., electronics) or exercise equipment.
QUICK READ: The polls on consumer behavior as a result of the pandemic don’t make sense. What consumers say in polls and what they actually do are two different things and I believe they are ready to spend again because buying makes them happy.
IN BRIEF: The so called “experts” need something to write about so they’re trying to convince you that the pandemic has changed marketing forever. That is bullshit! Despite what they say it’s still about delivering on a promise of a good brand/product experience.
SUMMARY: The idea that consumers don’t want relationships with brands is not entirely correct. It depends on the product as well as the brand. There are some brands that consumers love to talk about on social media, but most others just give me a good product at a good price.
SUMMARY: Stuck at home and unable to spend as much as they normally would in restaurants, bars, and cinemas, consumers have accumulated $1.6trn in excess savings during the past year. They’re ready to spend, but what will they find when they return to brick-and-mortar stores?
