As we look to try and kick start what was an extremely difficult sector pre Covid I genuinely believe that retail has now got the chance to seize the initiative, to rethink and reimagine how they can become even more relevant in the post Covid world.

Stating the blindingly obvious every business is based on generating revenues in order to make a profit. 

Even now, customer experience is everything but the demands from consumers emerging from lockdowns are becoming even greater - a 'good enough' experience is likely to gift business to your competitor. 

Help your customers, make life easy for them, and they’ll pay you back for it as we slowly come through the current crisis.

It isn't all doom and gloom in the business world. There are many businesses that have enjoyed huge benefits from this crisis. There are also several businesses that managed to 'pivot' what they do and keep the business machine and revenues moving forwards. 

I'm delighted for those companies that have been able to keep going, along with those businesses that didn't just see the furlough deal as a way of kicking the redundancy plan down the road. 

For millions of people out there without the option to 'pivot' or keep going has proven to be too much. And as a result at both a personal and business level they are all scared because no one really knows what the future might hold.

So, it should come as no real surprise that many of your customers will feel just as anxious and act the same as you and me.

As we look to try and kick start what was an extremely difficult sector pre Covid I genuinely believe that retail has now got the chance to seize the initiative, to rethink and reimagine how they can become even more relevant in the post Covid world.

As business attempts to return to business it's highly likely that CEOs will be expecting CMOs to be a "magic bullet" that can revive sales, grow market share and inspire customers - all of this on a pennies, not pounds meagre marketing budget.

In what is possibly the harshest business climate anyone has ever seen or experienced, it's highly unlikely that the skills and resources that got us where we were pre Covid will be the ones that can be utilised to grow the business post Covid.

I talk quite a lot about how companies completely miss the point about leveraging social media networks. 

I genuinely believe this is due to marketing pre Covid having been reduced to a digital communication sausage making machine or as it's now known 'the company bullhorn'. 

So, instead of looking at social media platforms as a place to get free research on consumers, test reactions to new product ideas around the globe and build authentic relationships they continue to see it as a place to bombard us with the ad-tech shit we all seem to want to ignore - why?, because this is the way it's always been done.

I know this next bit is a difficult pill for marketing to swallow but my view is that it's time to cease the advertise and promote intrusive outbound communications tactics that became the norm pre Covid. 

The budgets and resource are no longer going to be there, but for business to be sustainable consumers (you & me) need authentic reassurance and the familiar from the brands they trust the most, especially those who are wanting to express pent up demand to go shopping regardless of the channel.  

Communicate and engage with them regularly via social media platforms and think of ways you can help them. 

As we look to come through this, consumers are going to remember the brands who had their backs when times were tough and they’ll reward them for it.

Just like you can't get fit by going to the gym now and then, you can't stay front of mind now and then.