ISTANBUL
Companies that have not yet invested in digital were incapacitated during lockdowns and the pandemic showed many firms they had to make a digital transformation, a digital communications expert told Anadolu Agency.
Now, companies are trying to quickly adapt to digitalization and firms that have not studied e-commerce should hurry, said Nabat Garakhanova, the head of the MEZO Digital consultancy firm.
She said e-commerce volume rose 39% in 2018 in Turkey and during the pandemic, the number of firms that wanted e-commerce increased 50%.
"E-commerce is an important area in this system. Companies need to proceed with correct and cautious steps in many areas such as business follow-up, warehouse control, customer satisfaction and feedback, inventory control and cargo processes," she said.
When choosing e-commerce infrastructures, companies must research options according to their needs and goals and firms with existing e-commerce systems should analyze problems and should reconsider and plan for issues if they are not satisfied with the performance, Garakhanova said.
E-commerce rival
E-commerce was previously an alternative method but it became the main method, she reminded.
She had a warning to companies about competition in e-commerce. "Firms should pay attention to market analysis, target audience, accurate and logical price reductions."
"Long-lasting cargo processes, bad customer relations, and weak product packaging will frustrate all campaigns," she said.
In short, companies can reach new customers if they offer quality products, good customer service and cargo supply processes.
New traditions
Online channels are inevitable for all people and they will bring many innovations, Garakhanova asserted.
"The pandemic process has shown us that the companies that have completed their digital transformation have become much more prominent than their competitors," she underlined.
People learn the comfort of e-commerce channels, traditional commerce methods will not disappear, but the new process will create its own traditional methods, she said.
"E-commerce does not just mean selling products or services, it has many sub-branches such as product development, complementary services and customer loyalty," said Garakhanova.
She stressed that social media channels are the most suitable platform for e-commerce transactions -- a concept called “s-commerce.”
Firms can promote their products and services, communicate with a target audience and manage customer relationships via social media platforms.
The coronavirus, which first appeared in China last December, has spread to 188 countries and regions across the world, causing significant damage in several sectors.
The virus has killed more than 400,000 worldwide, with total infections exceeding 6.91 million.
Greater than 3 million patients have recovered from the virus, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.
The virus has infected 169,218 in Turkey and claimed 4,669 lives so far as daily infections and deaths continue to decline.
The vast majority of patients have gone on to make a full recovery.
