在2021年，我们改变了测量其中一些数据点的方法。因此，本文中讨论的一些数据和趋势可能不再准确。有关我们的基准数据的最新实时视图，请访问我们的微型网站here.

It's been over six months since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. As we reported in March, the initial impact was painful on businesses. But now, six months in, businesses appear to be adapting to the new normal. Digital transformation is accelerating. Inbound marketing strategies are working incredibly well, while outbound sales strategies are struggling. Buyers are more in control than they've ever been, and companies delivering a great digital customer experience are winning.

COVID-19 forced many businesses to start operating online, and since then we've seen a huge spike in online buyer interest that has steadily increased over the past two months. This digital transformation was already occurring before the pandemic, but COVID-19 accelerated its timeline pressuring businesses and buyers to pivot to an online environment. Now that brands are experiencing the benefits of on-demand tools like live chat, these features will be standardized as consumers come to expect them more over time.

We've also seen a simultaneous decline in the effectiveness of outbound strategies. Take sales emails as an example — sends have nearly doubled since March, but open rates continue to remain well below pre-COVID levels. It's not that buyer interest isn't there; it's that consumers now have the liberty to choose when and where they want to interact with businesses. This places greater emphasis on inbound tactics as brands need to prioritize new channels like chat where consumers can interact with marketing, sales, and service at their own pace.

As more businesses learned how to successfully make this pivot, and the global economy slowly started to reopen, sales outcomes started to gradually improve. In June, we saw a significant change in deal performance as both deals won and deals created increased from just below pre-COVID levels to well above the benchmark by the end of July. Currently, global deal performance is hovering at and above pre-COVID levels as more businesses are getting used to working under these new circumstances. While it's certainly still a difficult time for businesses, the sales data suggests that we are slowly starting to move forward.

在这篇文章中，我们将深入了解过去六个月的买方兴趣，市场营销和销售范围以及销售成果。我们将研究COVID-19的不同行业，地区和公司规模如何受到19号的影响，并为现在有意义的投资提供建议。bob全站app

Hubspot无法预测会发生什么，没有人知道未来的样子。但是，我们希望我们的客户群这份报告在企业进入下一季度时提供了有用的参考，并且洞察力以某种方式对您有用。要自己探索随附的数据集，您可以找到bob全站app我们的交互式微型网站here.

Adapt 2020 HubSpot

This data is based on benchmarks calculated using weekly averages from Q2 vs. post-holiday weekly averages from Q1. Because the data is aggregated from our customer base, please keep in mind that individual businesses, including HubSpot's, may differ based on their own markets, customer base, industry, geography, stage, and/or other factors. While certain data is reported by industry, please note that we do not track all industries, and that HubSpot's industry classifications may not correspond with standard industry classifications.

COVID-19 6-Month Marketing, Sales, & Service Retrospective

1. Buyers Are in Control.

Customer-Initiated Chat Conversations

买家的研究已转变为比以往任何时候都更加按需的，现代的体验，并且实时聊天用法强烈支持这一点。在过去的六个月中，聊天量一直在稳步增加，自9月以来一直高出90％以上。由于企业已经在线移动，因此消费者蜂拥而至，作为实时帮助的资源。现在，消费者期望与品牌和企业进行互动时有实时的聊天选项正在慢慢开始在其网站上实施它们。

此外,现在大量的下体ple are working from home and communicating on their preferred time and channel, research is happening on the buyer's schedule -- and they want real-time answers, even if the sales team is asleep. Marketing teams have pivoted to chat to engage prospects. Sales teams are using it to nurture leads, and customer service personnel are using it to support customers. Live chat is proving to be one of the most effective channels for communicating with customers because it allows people to interact with a company on demand. The arc of technology bends toward convenience, so even if demand for chat doesn't stay at this level forever, we feel confident that the pandemic has made chat a table-stakes channel going forward.

与LATAM，EMEA和Northam相比，在区域上，Apac进行了最多的聊天对话。就在三周前，亚太地区的水平高出144％，这是自7月以来基准高于基准的最高水平。尽管每个地区的实时聊天量都有显着增长，但Apac的聊天对话自3月以来增长了132％，EMEA 86％，LATAM增长了81％，北丹（Northam）81％。

We're not surprised that APAC has been leading the way when it comes to live chat conversations as we've seen this region using more chat and SMS technology for quite some time. Apps like WeChat have gained popularity in the region for years, not only because they make it easier for customers to chat with sales and service people, but also because they give brands the opportunity to launch engaging campaigns. For example, in 2019, India alone had 340 million WhatsApp users, which was a significantly higher proportion of the population more than any other country in the world. Countries in APAC have also been early adopters of SMS and chat- - - - - -日本零售商正在使用微信做广告并提供客户折扣，以便在2016年激励中国游客。

Web Traffic

Two weeks ago, total web traffic was at a year-high 34% above the benchmark and we've seen this metric increase over 25% since March. Global web traffic seems to be holding steady at this rate as we push past summer and into fall. In fact, this metric has been over 20% above the benchmark for the past 10 weeks. As buyers continue to do their shopping online, businesses with the most established online presence seem to be seeing the most benefit.

If we look at the industry breakdown, computer software leads the way with the most web traffic at 51% above the benchmark. This reflects the digital transformation that was already occurring before COVID-19 but was sped up due to the effects of the pandemic. Compared to where we were in March, nearly all industries have returned to about pre-COVID levels. For example, entertainment, a structurally impacted industry, was 18% below the benchmark in July but has been above or right below the benchmark for the past seven weeks.

2. Inbound Strategies Continue to Prove Effective for Buyer Outreach.

营销电子邮件

With buyer interest so strong, marketers have reinvested in email. Marketing email volume has increased a total of 49% since the start of the pandemic and is currently a year-high 52% above pre-COVID levels. This is a continuation of the steady increase in traffic we've seen over the last few months. At the start of the pandemic, marketing email volume had increased nearly 30% by the end of March. Over the summer, send volume was steady at about 30% above pre-COVID levels and has risen again in the fall.

Response rates are also performing well, remaining at 10-20% above the benchmark since April. In the spring, we saw open rates shoot up immediately following the start of the pandemic, then they leveled out throughout the summer and fall. It's encouraging to see response rates holding up since email marketing has been declared "dead" many times over the last few years as channels like chat have been on the rise. But, in marketing, it's not what channel you're using, it's how you're using it. Highly relevant, helpful content will reach buyers in almost any medium, and we're glad to see marketing teams sustaining high-levels of engagement via email.

Sales Emails

On the sales side, email activity has also increased, but response rates have been on the opposite trajectory. Global send volume has increased 79% since March, but response rates have consistently stayed nearly 30% below the benchmark since April. Send volume continues to grow through the fall as it's increased 25% over the past five weeks.

这并不是说这种方法不起作用，只是对客户体验并不理想。随着销售团队试图吸引其新的在线受众，消费者正被电子邮件超载。由于大流行将更多的控制权放在买家的手中，因此他们实际上只能就其条款与销售团队互动。

Email is still a valuable channel for salespeople, but blindly emailing prospects isn't going to increase responses. You need to make sure you're being deliberate in your prospecting mix because buyers have a lot more options these days to signal interest (visiting a site, converting on an offer, signing up for a demo, etc.). The key is to understand the intent behind these channels instead of just doubling down where it's easy to spray-and-pray — like with email.

Sales Calls

尽管销售电子邮件参与度停滞不前，但销售团队的一个真正积极的收获是，呼叫事件现在高于基准高21％，自3月以来增长了18％。这是一个重大的呼叫勘探活动，因为它从3月到6月下降到基准的25％左右，但在夏季晚些时候再次接收 - 大约在同一时间，交易绩效开始恢复到预循环水平。

If we look at call prospecting by company size, smaller companies seemed to have called their prospects sooner than larger ones. Companies with 1-25 employees saw their call prospecting return to pre-COVID levels at the start of July, while 26-200 and over 201 companies are just starting to return to those levels now. Since smaller companies have fewer customers and not as many "set and forget" channels, their sales reps typically have stronger relationships with their customer base. When the pandemic pushed buyers and businesses into a time of uncertainty, these trustworthy relationships are what both sides could lean on to get through hardships. It makes sense that as deal performance began to stabilize in July, smaller companies were the first to return to the phones because they rely so heavily on these close-knit relationships as well as traditional prospecting channels like phones.

Currently, call events are 31% above the benchmark for companies with 0-25 employees and are up 26% since March. We can compare that to other company sizes like 26-200 employees, which is 18% above the benchmark and has increased 17% since March. Over 201 companies are only 2% above the benchmark right now, but this number has increased nearly 30% over the past four months. We'll look for 201 companies to increase their call prospecting as sales outcomes continue to gradually improve.

3.销售结果逐渐改善。

Deals Won

Over the last few months, we have seen businesses adapt to new circumstances very rapidly. There was a lot of fluctuation in sales outcomes due to changing buyer circumstances, economic uncertainty, etc., all driven by the spread of COVID biologically. At the 6-month mark, businesses are simply more used to operating under these circumstances, and while it's certainly a difficult time, the data suggests that companies of all sizes are starting to move forward.

In April, we hit the lowest point for total deals won at 36% below the benchmark. Following that, we saw steady recovery from late-April to mid-June where deals-won returned to the same levels they were at before the start of the pandemic. Deal performance continued to improve through July and August, and at the end of September, deals won reached 10% above the benchmark. That's more than a 45% increase since the first week of April.

The pandemic has changed the definition of what a "good fit" customer is. Cashflow issues rendered some customers unable to purchase products that they could afford in the past. Changing circumstances affected the urgency customers had around purchases in both directions, accelerating some deals while stalling out others. Businesses have had to reassess their target personas because buyers' circumstances had changed so dramatically. To be successful, brands need to update their definition of a "good fit" customer as well as their sales motions.

Deals Created

今年4月,我们不仅看到了dea的最低数量ls won recorded, but the lowest number of deals created as well. During the week of April 6, deals created fell to 30% below the benchmark and remained below pre-COVID levels until mid-June. Over the summer, deal creation continuously improved and now it's at 35% above the benchmark. That's 65% more deals being created now than they were at the start of April. As businesses pivoted their strategies and learned to operate in a digital world, many found success and are starting to benefit from their new prospecting channels.

Regionally, it appears LATAM was hit the hardest for deal creation in the first three months of the pandemic. It reached its lowest point in April at 43% below the benchmark, but fortunately, bounced back over the summer and is now 16% above the benchmark. EMEA also had a recent return to pre-COVID benchmarks as it was trailing behind all the other regions up until July and August. It was 18% below the benchmark while all other regions sat at least 10% above it. In September, EMEA deal flow surpassed the benchmark for the first time since March and is now 20% above pre-COVID levels.

Construction, Manufacturing, and Computer Software have all been trending above the benchmark since the start of September. Construction is the top-performing industry and has been trending roughly 20% above pre-COVID levels since May. This is expected though, as these industries haven't been as structurally impacted as others. Industries like Travel, Entertainment, and Human Resources are still working their way back towards pre-COVID levels. While they're not exactly at the benchmark, deal creation for these industries has been significantly better than it was at the start of the pandemic.

Takeaways

Online Conversion Isn't New and It's Not Going Anywhere.

Businesses didn't suddenly discover ecommerce and live chat when COVID-19 forced them to adapt their operations. Brands and consumers were already moving online before the pandemic, but COVID accelerated their timeline and pressured them to embrace a digital transformation at a rapid pace. What were once novelty features and services — like live chat — are now vital to day-to-day operations. Without these tools, businesses can't engage or prospect customers like they could before the pandemic.

Now that many companies have pivoted online and are discovering the benefits that come with it, there's no returning to the way things were before. Companies will continue to invest in digital channels as these are proving to be highly-effective options for engagement, prospecting, and support. And, consumers are getting more familiar with these channels as well. As they continue to interact with brands through a digital landscape, they'll come to expect this environment as the standard for businesses moving forward.

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Inbound and Buyer Interest Aren't Optional.

With businesses operating in a digital world, buyer interest has turned into an on-demand experience. More consumers are working from home and spending more time online, which means they're interacting with brands when and where they please. Buyers now have a variety of channels to choose from when they want to contact your brand and they also have the luxury of switching between these channels as they see fit. So, if you want to successfully engage your digital audience, your brand needs to be available on all of the platforms your customers are using. That will also help you maintain a noticeable digital presence as more companies follow suit and go online.

You'll also need to focus more on your inbound methodology since consumers now have more power to interact with brands at their preferred pace. If you prioritize quantity over quality when it comes to messaging — like what we've seen with sales emails — you won't get far with engaging your audience and you may end up damaging the customer experience in the process. Instead, try focusing on sending high-quality content to your "good-fit" prospects. You may have to reassess what "good-fit" means since COVID has significantly impacted buyer profiles, but this should get you on track in terms of engaging buyers that are an ideal match for your sales team.

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企业必须适应。

Compared to where we were in March, global sales outcomes look a lot better. But, for many businesses — especially those in structurally-impacted industries — we're nowhere near where we were prior to the pandemic. Businesses have had to adapt their approach to operate under very different circumstances and some have done this successfully while others are still working to come up with an effective plan. The good news is it seems like most businesses understand they need to adapt their strategies in some way if they want to continue to operate in a post-COVID world.

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Adapt 2020 HubSpot

Originally published Oct 28, 2020 9:02:06 AM, updated January 07 2021