It is not surprising texting to local businesses has shot up during the pandemic. What is surprising is by how much, a whopping 450% overal...
It is not surprising texting to local businesses has shot up during the pandemic. What is surprising is by how much, a whopping 450% overall increase in customer calls, texts, and Facebook Messages per month. This according to a new study from Numa.
This study shows one of the many ways the pandemic is affecting small businesses across the country and indeed around the world. The data for the study is in a new infographic by Numa titled, “COVID-19 Changes How Customers Shop at Main Street Businesses.” And it goes on to show the importance and need for having conversational commerce. This is because customers are now calling and texting before they access services from a business. And this shift is taking place because of the pandemic.
Texting to Main Street Business Up 450%
In the press release for the report, Numa Founder and CEO Tasso Roumeliotis, explains the impact of this shift. Roumeliotis goes on to say, “Even before the crisis, customers had shown a preference for texting with businesses in addition to calling, but over the last several months there has been a dramatic increase in virtual engagement and a desire to communicate across multiple channels.”
In addition to the 450% increase, here are other key takeaways from the study:
- 393% increase in contactless, text-to-order revenue
- 11% of all messages related to curbside pickup
- 748% increase in curbside order check-ins
- 120% increase in the number of customers calling and messaging
- 43% increase in the number of customers shopping remotely
Adapting to the New Way of Doing Business
As the data shows, customers want to limit their contact with the companies they do business with. To that end, Numa recently announced a way to use landline phones to take text orders for restaurants. However, small businesses need to do much more.
They must provide multiple forms of communication and be available 24/7. Even when your business is not open, you have to make yourself available. Whether it is a virtual call center or a software solution, you now have more options, even as a small business owner.
The key is to leave more communication options open.
Take a look at the infographic below for more on the Numa study.
Image: Depositphotos.com
This article, "Texting to Main Street Businesses Up 450% (INFOGRAPHIC)" was first published on Small Business Trends
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