When you were John (or Joan) Q. Citizen you probably rarely thought of how certain decisions in the business world affected you.
Gas prices would rise, but you did not automatically think of the higher grocery prices you would soon be paying.
Unions demanded more money, but you did not automatically think of how that might affect the price of your next car or airline ticket.
However, once you enter the world of ecommerce you begin to take notice of the pebbles tossed in the pond you swim in. Suddenly it is much easier to see the ripples those pebbles create and you brace for the aftermath of the wake.
Ecommerce is a wonderful place to be in that overhead is often much less than a traditional brick and mortar store and you probably have fewer employees than a traditional store counterpart.
However, you may discover that your marketing plan needs a 'flex' mode. This means that the things you sell online may require certain shifts in marketing.
For instance, let's say …
1. You sell decorative outdoor lighting fixtures.
2. Your marketing plan has you developing content based on developing pleasant lighting for the home.
3. New housing starts are down and new home purchases are light.
In this scenario there will likely be customers who would be looking for lighting for a home that own and want to improve it for reasons you may have stated in your online content. However, what if you 'flexed' your marketing ideals and repitched the product as a way of improving the value of a home an individual may be wanting to sell.
It is the exact same product you are simply recasting the product to conform to a felt need. That need is expressed in the business climate. There may come a time when you revise your approach again, but that's one of the best things about ecommerce, you can recast your sales approach when you need to.
Some of the very dismal things that may be happening in the business world around you may present marketing tools you just have not learned to use yet.
When it appears the economy may have dealt a blow to your marketing objectives take some time to investigate if there may be new opportunities in marketing. Sometimes adversity can allow ecommerce to flourish in new soil.
Look for any and every advantage to your product in light of changing circumstances. Change does not always have to be a bad thing.
