Apart from our daily habits and the restriction of human contact, Covid-19’s appearance has also shifted both our human needs and buying behavior. The urge for social distancing and the stores’ suspension of operation accelerated the e-commerce growth, both in recently established and already existed businesses. E-shopping offers customers access to a wide variety of products, easily and from the safety of their own home, while allowing the shops and companies to maintain their operations running as smoothly as possible, in spite of the harsh safety measures.
While each government has a different approach to handling the virus, e-commerce has expanded both the product and the age range of the consumers worldwide; individuals once non-familiarized with technology, have now added online purchases into their everyday activities and chores. Small, independent retailers or grocery stores’ products, once hard to find, can be now reached by more people in more areas, having both buyers and sellers benefitting from it. In Greece, but also in many other European countries, e-commerce transactions have been partly shifted from the purchase of luxurious products and services to the purchase of mainly essential goods, representing and serving the majority of the population.
Although the people’s needs in the throes of the pandemic are constantly increasing, and governments globally encourage the e-commerce reinforcement, not all businesses were proven to be in position of engagement. Those who had long postponed their e-shops launch or had not even planned it, found themselves exposed to the suddenness of the pandemic, for the ongoing crisis and the new, active role of the e-commerce had already increased the need for action on behalf of the businesses. In 2020, it was proven that the e-shop design and launching is not anymore considered an option, but a necessary condition for a brand’s fundamental existence.
After many consecutive months full of changes in our buying behavior, the e-shops have now conquered the market. According to surveys of the last several months, most of the e-commerce effects will be proven to be long-term, considering both the possibility of new waves of the pandemic, the easiness of the new purchasing habits, the low learning costs and, last but not least, the businesses’ motive to invest in new sales channels.
With the e-commerce and e-shops spreading, we gain access to the market, while not being exposed in danger, ensuring the sufficiency of goods in our households. One of the most important e-shop features is their 24/7 operation; being able to buy regardless of time or place. Of course, the aforementioned ease of the transactions today is also a significant feature, allowing anyone to make their purchases online, whether they’re computer literate or not. Another great e-shop feature is the ability to maximize the customer's connection with the brand itself. Visitors can effortlessly meet the whole brand’s aesthetic, philosophy and design in detail.
Having a great deal of experience in the creative field, impressme can go the extra mile, creating not only an effective e-commerce site, but also offering a complete, user-friendly digital experience to both users and businesses. Each of our e-shops’ overall design aims to highlight the brand’s virtues and its establishment in the market.
An example of our work and an exemplar on its field is the e-shop we created for Theocharakis Foundation, through which art becomes a part of each visitor’s daily life. Having paid special attention to the aesthetics and artistic expression, one’s experience does not only consist in buying; giving specific brand guidelines for the colors’ application and the Foundation’s overall presentation, our creative team offers users the opportunity to experience the artistic atmosphere of the actual Foundation. Through an immersive and interactive platform, customers have the opportunity to get information about the Foundation’s upcoming and past exhibitions and events, while scrolling through the available books and artworks. This way, and through the e-shop, purchasing is easily transformed into an experience as close to a visit to the Foundation as possible.
Who said that technology can only alienate us? It can also bring us closer, not only to our loved ones but also to experiences that would otherwise remain forgotten for quite a long period of time. This new e-habit may create a new world order, saving us time and allowing us to hopefully allot it to more productive activities, after the pandemic.