{"id":25878,"date":"2020-04-08T13:21:12","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T18:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=25878"},"modified":"2020-04-14T09:45:56","modified_gmt":"2020-04-14T14:45:56","slug":"how-online-specialty-stores-can-stay-afloat-during-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-online-specialty-stores-can-stay-afloat-during-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"How Online Specialty Stores Can Stay Afloat During a Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Crises can be weird and stressful times for retailers. Depending on the situation, they may be slammed with demand for their products-or they may go begging for customers whose attention is focused on buying other things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if your business is in that second category? Here are a few strategies that can help your business stay afloat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understand what consumers want now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a crisis, people put immediate needs at the top of their shopping lists. For example, food, personal care and health care verticals are getting the bulk of consumers\u2019 money right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the details are always changing, as people stock up on one thing and move on to another. First it was toilet paper. Then, baby chickens<\/a> (presumably for eggs in six months). Then, yeast for baking bread. As people adapt to the 'new normal'\u009d and do everything at home, their shopping habits will likely keep changing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can you know what consumers are looking for right now? One of the best resources I\u2019ve seen is Attentive\u2019s Covid-19 eCommerce trends page<\/a>, where you can see what products are trending up and which are trending down-in general and within categories like apparel, home, beauty, electronics, auto, pets and more:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ecommerce<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What are *your* customers searching for now? You can check your site analytics to see which search terms are bringing the most visitors to your site. You can also explore Google Trends to see which searches are on the rise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, this is the trend line for 'activities for children'\u009d over the last 90 days. You can see the search volume increase as states and cities enact stay-at-home orders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"google<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Use these resources to decide which of your products to promote right now. Keep up with the trends so you can adjust your merchandising and marketing as demand changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Offer something entirely new<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What if demand for your products has dramatically slowed or completely stopped? Can you use your resources to offer items that are more in-demand? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, fashion designers who\u2019ve had to close their boutiques<\/a>, like Christian Siriano, and hospitality linen makers who\u2019ve lost orders, like Texas businesses Gourmet Table Skirts<\/a> and Savilino<\/a>, have switched to making cloth masks for hospitals and the public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small distilleries around the country, who rely on tours and tastings for part of their revenue stream, are helping to combat the hand sanitizer shortage<\/a> by brewing their own with the alcohol they have on hand, using a World Health Organization-approved recipe. (The FDA won\u2019t allow them to sell the sanitizer yet, so for now they\u2019re giving it away.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your business buys its products wholesale rather than producing them, look at any other lines your wholesalers carry. You may be able to adjust your offerings without having to find new suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Develop new offers for at-home shoppers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whatever you sell, it\u2019s time to get creative about how to offer it to your customers. Here are some ideas that are gaining traction now that we\u2019re all shopping from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n