RetailEXPO Virtual Conference tackles coronavirus challenges

Covid-19 is making many retailers questions their marketing and channel mix as they weigh up the most effective way to spend across their business in a recession.

So said Nicola Thompson, COO, Made.com, at the RetailEXPO Virtual Conference, which took place last week.

“We may see brands start to produce less polished content that lives for a shorter period of time in channels like social media which can be super flexible and have a conversation in a moment of time and take some of the investment and move it across their P&L to build really strong, credible customer experiences,” she commented.

Also during the event, Beth Horn, Facebook’s UK Head of Industry for Retail, emphasised the need for brands to share authentic, timely content. She described the post coronavirus consumer as ‘curious’ and increasingly open to shopping with new brands based on how they communicate with people.

That includes sidestepping polished content as an honest reflection of the pivot all retailers have had to make as part of the ‘new normal’. “People are hacking things together which is good and showing that authentic connections to consumers is a really powerful tool,” said Horn.