Stage 3: The visionary

From a dormant position, the economy and demand in general are likely to surge as consumers enter the market space again. Anticipate and distribute demand across your channels so you can surf the wave without over-investing in operations.

You may have rushed to invest in new technology to keep your operations running at the start of the crisis, but are you in good shape to move forward? Make sure your architecture is scalable in a cost-effective way, and that it can cope with fluctuations.

Understanding customer behaviour is crucial, but instead of superficial metrics like number of visitors, identify and track metrics that actually contribute to your KPIs and bottom line, e.g. for conversions, focus on measuring and optimising the channels that convert best

No-one truly knows what’s coming, so being able to move quickly will become a key differentiator. To be able to focus on what Bain refers to as ‘micro-battles’ – time-boxed initiatives that rapidly lead to action and results – invest in a governance structure and a technological landscape that can deal with change. Predictive analysis can also give you a head-start on anticipating future consumer behaviour.