I am definitely a part of the 56% of folks who hold jobs that can be performed remotely from home. (Lister, 2020) I consequently (or coincidentally) find more time to convenience-shop online for absolutely anything and everything!
This got me to thinking about the various eCommerce stores around the country and around the world. What better way to put feet to the fire than to suddenly have a captive audience beta-testing your online site or your digital solution? The UX of these features, products, and services can make or break a company right now. For example, I believe that ease of use, taxonomy, and the overall appeal of a website’s or mobile application’s design can drive more customers to purchase, or drive customers to the next competitor!
I’ve since seen this referred to as Quarantine UX in the industry. It covers many experiences customers have enjoyed from essential to luxury and is starting to show cracks in some of the digital innovations to which we’ve grown accustomed such as ridesharing, food and grocery delivery, 2-day shipping, and Mobile app ordering of food for pickup (Wilson, 2020).
While the companies need to show some responsibility and accountability in their digital assets to ensure positive and lasting user experiences, I also recognize there are things I can do to be that ideal customer (Ovide, 2020):
- Stop using delivery apps and go straight to the restaurant for delivery services; it puts more money back into their pockets.
- Maybe get up off of my behind and travel to the grocery store directly for that bag of apples, chicken breast, toilet paper, etc.
- Cut shipping and handling a little slack. If I don’t need it in two-days then go ahead and adjust it accordingly.
Let’s consider…
- As a Marketer, which companies have you noticed are getting user experience right?
- As a consumer, how have your habits changed during the COVID 19 crisis? Do you see yourself returning to those activities when this pandemic is “over”?
Resources:
- Lister, K. (2020, April 17). Latest Work-at-Home/Telecommuting/Mobile Work/Remote Work Statistics. Retrieved from https://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/telecommuting-statistics
- Ovide, S. (2020, April 13). We’re Shopping a Ton Online. Let’s Be Conscientious About It. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/technology/coronavirus-ethical-shopping.html
- Wilson, M. (2020, April 6). The rise of quarantine UX: How COVID-19 has upended the very idea of convenience. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/90484977/the-rise-of-quarantine-ux-how-covid-19-has-upended-our-ideas-about-convenience