Zara is a store that sells a variety of products for women, including clothes, accessories, and beauty products. With headquarters in London, England, and owned by French company LVMH, the brand is popular worldwide. Since its founding in 1847, Zara has always stuck to its knitting needles and opened multiple stores in various cities across Europe and Asia. Now, with the Covid-19 pandemic having changed the way we all live our lives, it’s time for the fashion industry to adapt, and Zara is at the forefront of this transition.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced retailers and brands to close down their physical stores and online shop-fronts in order to protect their employees and minimize the spread of the virus. In the face of this global health crisis, it’s crucial to retain as much of our daily lives as possible while still following the “social distancing” guidelines put in place by governments around the world. One such guideline is limiting the number of people in a confined space. This was difficult for retailers that often operate in smaller towns and rely heavily on foot traffic as a means of attracting customers. But even retailers that operate in larger cities with more options for pedestrians found it challenging to keep up with demand when online shopping became available to everyone.

So, how can brands and retailers retain their popularity and continue to provide high-quality products when products can be bought at the push of a button? The answer is online marketing. Where once consumers had to go to a shop in person to find what they want, now they can simply search for the item and compare prices and read reviews online. For retailers, this can mean fewer shop-squabble over small differences in price, and consumers can still get exactly what they want without having to travel far.

Here, we’ll discuss how businesses can utilize various online marketing strategies to gain the most from the pandemic and how to make the most out of Zara’s new digital platform.

Create A Digital Marketplace

While many retailers went paperless and transitioned to an online-only format after the pandemic began, Zara went the extra mile, creating a completely digital experience for customers. The brand’s website, zara.com, now features an “overlay” that allows consumers to compare prices and read reviews without leaving the site. The reviews, in particular, are extremely valuable, as they provide a third-party perspective on the product that the brand is lacking. This, in turn, can increase conversion and make a difference in the amount of revenue generated by the business.

Boost Online Visibility

In addition to creating a fully digital experience, Zara increased its online presence by significantly expanding its social media networks. The brand now has accounts on all major social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and it uses these platforms to disseminate important information about sales and specials, as well as to encourage consumers to make purchases. These platforms, which were once used primarily for broadcasting advertisements, are now an essential part of any business’ social media strategy.

Grow Your Email List

E-mails are still essential to any business’ marketing plan, but they’ve changed form. No longer do marketers send out mass e-mails in the hopes of reaching a large audience. Instead, they focus on growing their e-mail lists, utilizing the addresses to send periodic mailings that contain important information about their brands, products, and services.

After creating a digital marketplace and increasing its online visibility through social media, Zara turned its attention to growing its email list. The company now has more than 1.7 million subscribers on its mailing list, meaning that it can now send out informative e-mails with ease. 

Improve Product Knowledge

The last two points discussed how businesses can gain more customers by creating a digital platform and using social media to grow their email list. But what about the products that these customers eventually purchase? How can businesses encourage consumers to come back and make repeat purchases? Product knowledge is one area where businesses can gain a leg up on the competition, so they can provide better service and sell more products.

To improve product knowledge, brands can take advantage of the fact that customers often research online before buying a product in person. Retailers can gather key product information online, such as reviews, prices, and descriptions, and then display this data on their websites in an easily accessible manner. This makes it much easier for potential customers to find the information they need and encourages them to make a purchase. In some instances, if a customer finds a product they like but the price is a little higher than they expected, they’ll leave the site and visit a different shop to find the same item at a cheaper price. But if the price is higher than they expected, they may rethink their purchase and choose to visit a different shop. Either way, the goal is to make the customer as happy as possible while also generating a purchase.

Use Technology For Good

With so much time spent at home and more people relying on their mobile phones, the internet, and social media for leisure, businesses have an opportunity to utilize these platforms for good. During the pandemic, businesses can harness the power of these technologies to provide essential services to consumers and create new products and platforms that further enhance customer experience. Mobile phones and the internet have always been important platforms for marketing, and businesses can use mobile phones to their advantage by creating apps that help consumers find what they want and need.

Consumers increasingly use their mobile phones and the internet to find services and products that address their specific needs. During the pandemic, these tools have transformed from being useful for people to spread awareness of COVID-19 and allow them to keep track of governmental guidelines to being essential for consumers’ daily lives. Because of this, many prominent businesses have jumped on board and created COVID-19 apps that help people manage their health, find food, pay bills, and more. As more people spend more time online, mobile phones and the internet will continue to play an important role in our daily lives, and business should take full advantage of this platform.