In the future please even more customer loyalty

Yeah, it went “Bang” this year. And it is by no means over. Dealers, manufacturers and sales representatives, trade fairs, intermediaries and also the media were badly shaken. But we live in Germany, one of the richest nations in the world. Therefore, in this drastic year, the social security systems are taking effect, a globally envied system of short-time work benefits is taking effect and we are all hopefully reflecting on the discipline we are still said to have in order to make the best out of the circumstances.

So Corona must not mutate into an excuse! On the contrary, Corona should inspire us. And anyone who observed the numerous initiatives in Germany in the weeks after the lockdown or, even better, helped bring them to life themselves, experienced this time not only as threatening and frightening. Rather, a new bond of solidarity emerged in many places. By the way, also between dealers and customers and between manufacturers and trading partners.

Perhaps it dawned on some people that the Internet is not Amazon and online is not a dark danger. For many, the electric wire to the rest of the world was for a long time the best way to maintain communication, connect employees from home and serve customers.

If you don’t yet have a website or an online shop because you fear would just drown in the ocean of the big pure players, it may have slowly dawned on you that the net is something useful after all. And so the need led to the necessary: We must once again thoroughly examine our business models. The much money of the state will indeed give some zombies a second life. But he who was not shaken awake by Corona, thrown back on himself, is called upon: Good night!

For too long, the retail industry has been lethargic about change, rambling about service and dreaming about customer loyalty. Corona has shown where the binding really works. And from the last months, we should take the momentum with us, to achieve a lot with little. To have courage. And to use modern tools courageously. And if we do not forget the people in all this, then: Good morning!