The pandemic forced many businesses to close after customers opted to stay home to avoid getting infected. The situation also compelled businesses that remained open to rethink their expansion plans. They had to postpone plans for expansion until the economy improved.
And over a year after the health crisis started, the business climate improved. The better economy allowed businesses to start working on increasing their share of the market. But the uncertainty of the economic situation also compelled businesses to be cautious in scaling. Here are some tips to consider when businesses plan to scale in the middle of a pandemic.
Work with Other Non-Competing Businesses
One way to expand is to collaborate with non-competing businesses in the market. Business owners should reach out to business groups and collaborate with their members. The collaboration will be beneficial for all members of the groups. It allows them to promote their products without investing a huge amount in advertising and promotion activities.
For instance, retail businesses should work with delivery businesses to ensure their products reach their customers. The delivery business owners will also help in promoting the retailer to ensure they have products to deliver. The mutually beneficial relationship will allow both businesses to stay afloat and expand their reach in the market.
Keep the Workplace Safe
The pandemic underscored the importance of safety as businesses started to open after over 58 percent of the total population got fully vaccinated. Due to this, businesses should clean and disinfect their brick-and-mortar locations before they reopen. They should focus on cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces at least once a day.
The frequency of disinfection should depend on the level of infection risk in their areas. Businesses should also provide hand sanitizers for their employees and encourage them to get vaccinated. They should also ask employees to stay home if they are sick. These measures will increase the level of trust among their customers and help them increase sales amid a health crisis.
Leverage Digital Technology
Many successful businesses adopted digital technology when the pandemic started. Increasing their online presence allowed them to connect with their customers who started shopping online due to the pandemic. Even though many businesses reopened their physical locations, they should continue their digital marketing efforts to expand their market.
Businesses should also use technology to their advantage. Adopting a no-contact shopping system gives their customers peace of mind when they shop in their physical stores. They should use a system similar to the one used on Amazon Go stores that do not have cashiers and long queues of customers.
Take Care of Employees
Taking care of the employees is another way for businesses to grow successfully, especially when businesses open their physical stores. The availability of more jobs in the market makes it necessary for businesses to work hard to retain their workers. The cost of hiring and training new employees will have a significant effect on the business’s finances. So, business owners should make sure they take care of their employees.
Providing the employees with a considerable salary will encourage them to stay. Another way for businesses to support their employees is to provide transportation for their employees when they work. In this situation, the business reduces the risk of infection since employees who have no cars do not need to take mass transportation when they go to work.
So, businesses should acquire a vehicle to ferry employees from their homes to the store and vice-versa. To reduce the cost of acquiring a vehicle, business owners should check reliable no-credit-check car lots for any available deals. These dealerships have a good range of vehicles available at a reasonable price. They also offer promotions that will benefit the business in the long run.
Engage the Customers
When the country experienced a recession at the start of the pandemic, businesses had to engage their customers to promote their products and services in the market. Customer engagement also allowed businesses to build trust and loyalty in the market, especially when they reached out to new customers.
Engaging customers also allowed businesses to educate their market about the changes that happened after the pandemic started. This is particularly true if the businesses suffer from disruption in the supply chain. In this situation, businesses should explain the delays in the availability of their products due to issues experienced by their suppliers.
Businesses should engage their customers through their social media accounts and use humor to lighten the situation whenever possible.
The health crisis has made it challenging for businesses to scale their operation. But businesses can implement measures to increase their reach in the market and allow them to grow.
