“Retailers are dangling deals online amid coronavirus, but shoppers may not show up,” reported CNBC on March 23. “The uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus has prompted many to tighten their wallets. Spending has rapidly shifted to staple items such as groceries and household cleaning supplies, away from apparel and accessories,” they added.
Obviously, though, apparel sellers have to continue to try to sell their wares online to stay in business, particularly when they have had to shutter their bricks-and-mortar stores. That’s the background for the email below that the British clothing retailer, Boden, sent out on the same day as the report.
What’s particularly striking about it is the meta-commentary on the marketing message that the brand is sharing with its audience.
The note registers awareness that the standard marketing email may strike people as being inappropriate in the current climate. When people are particularly anxious about health risks facing them and their family, they may consider shopping for clothes frivolous.
But, of course, Boden is in the business of selling clothes, and the best it can offer is that seeing the new spring line might cheer some people up. It can also offer assurance of social responsibility in not only keeping its shops closed but having its office people work from home.
The brand message comes down to – even when we’re not sure exactly what to do in such uncertain times, we have to prioritize safety but keep moving forward and find bright spots where we can.
That’s what we all have to do, which is why that message really can effectively resonate with the audience. So even if they can’t justify spending money on clothes right now, the relationship between the brand and the customer is strengthened through the shared experience.