I was in Jeddah a couple of weeks ago and I had so little time to get my clothes washed and ironed, especially my Ghotra ( it is a nightmare). I called the hotel service desk and they said we can only do this after four hours while I didn’t have that luxury of time for it.

I thought let me open my phone and search for the nearest laundry shop. I found one nearby, and I got an Uber and went there. I had to wait for half an hour or so until it was done smoothly. This is normal behaviour and has become second nature for many people today. We start by searching online after having this problem that needs a solution.

Often times, we are at a state of mind, where we need to get things done differently. Remember when you wanted to remind your sister about a family gathering but you weren’t in the mood to call her, then a WhatsApp message did the job. That only time you wanted to have that groceries list crushed, but it is the weekend and you just didn’t bother, then you opened an app and ordered your groceries list in a blink.

The digital era is here

These are called convenience moments. The young generations today are naturally programmed to live by these rules. Convenience or never. An average attention span for a person browsing the web from this young is 7 seconds. If it takes longer to find something or load the page they would just turn into another option or cancel it completely. The high internet speed and mobile devices made this a reality.

All industries are acting and striving to match this behaviour. A restaurant is building a website and linking to a couple of food ordering apps to generate and increase sales. An airline builds its own client database, apps and websites and links it to various online booking websites to increase its sales and shares in the market. A car towing company is building a website to receive requests from people with broken cars. Businesses and public service centres ( government entities) are adapting to this change in behaviour by adopting the digital channels as touchpoints for customers and beneficiaries.

The new buyer journey

Each one of us goes through certain steps when buying something, and these steps as scientifically mapped are :

Awareness—>Interest—>preferences—>Action

You are Aware: I am hungry.

You are Interested: What should I eat?

You have a preference: I choose Kabsa.

You take action: I order online for home delivery.

These steps are the same for everything we buy, be it a burger, a mobile phone or even a car. The only difference is in the duration for this whole journey to reach its finish line.

Your business is already changing and it is out of the question whether to shift into digital, it is about HOW you make this move.

A cornerstone for adapting the digital change is to be informed and aware of what is the digital age, how consumers behave there, the channels/platforms they roam around in, and how does this work as a new science, and how it can work for you. You will need a comprehensive strategy for your business to move to digital and start thriving.

How to build a digital marketing strategy?

It is a very important step that you need to take, it requires you to be equipped with the knowledge to go there with confidence and win this new digital evolution in the business world. At the Triggers academy, we have a program that is designed to answer these questions and help you build your digital marketing strategy to sustain and grow your position in the market.

Governmental entities, non-profit organizations and private businesses, all need a digital strategy to tackle a wide spectrum of market needs and demands to achieve success ( business objectives, target audience, digital channels, the message, content, reporting and setting a process). Join our upcoming Digital marketing professional certification program to win more.