Today the world faces a crisis unlike any other. Across the globe as well as in Sri Lanka many industries are facing challenging times as they strive to survive amidst the current conditions. Many organizations have put into motion a plan to thrive in this situation and which would prove to help in their future operations. Presented here is our analysis and observations on how businesses across diverse industries can survive through digital marketing and its impact in the last few weeks. Report by - Jagath Kelum / Dilshan Kottagoda

1. THE NEW CHAPTER OF MARKETING

2. Since the outbreak of the ongoing pandemic (COVID-19),
many have speculated and questioned as to when shall
we see an end to the ongoing situations.
As media reports worldwide show a rise of the effects of
the virus, many medical experts expect this to last for 3
to 6 months until a cure is found.
Famous broadcastings such as BBC constantly address
the issue of the duration of this pandemic. To minimize
this many have taken measures such as ‘Social
Distancing’

3. We have heard this being mentioned quite often in the past few days.
But what is ‘Social Distancing’ and how does in play a roll in business?
Social Distance; is the act of keeping a safe distance so that the virus cannot be passed
on from one to another in any possible means. For companies & educational institutes this
meant carrying out operations from a safe distance, and seems to be the new norm in
today’s society.
As this took a toll on everyone, businesses had to find a way to continue its activities; thus
everyone adapted to a ‘Work From Home & Online conferencing’ culture.
[Social Distancing]

4. Sri Lanka has a good standing
Recently the Sri Lankan Health
department was commended as one of
the best by WHO
This reflects through the swift actions
taken by the country to overcome a critical
situation.
Likewise, businesses are evolving to
function continuously and hold a good
standing in its operations. This move has
paved way for various developments in
the Digital arm of Sri Lanka.

5. Industry impact overview (Short term)

6. The rise of Digital Services
While everyone subjected to quarantine at home, the inability to go outside and meet-up
with peers and restrictions to visit supermarkets puts everyone in a tight spot.
As Sri Lanka faces a curfew this increases the restrictions to head-out for any need; be it
food, medical or sanitary.

7. In many of the countries hit hardest by
the virus, total messaging has increased
more than 50% over the last month.
Similarly, in places hit hardest by the
virus, voice and video calling have more
than doubled on Messenger and
WhatsApp.
Source : https://about.fb.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus/
Rise in use of Social Media

8. Rise in use of Social Media
Source – (https://www.socialmediatoday.com/)
You can see in the chart
TikTok holds the top of the list in
the downloads and Facebook
holds a top position of the List in
Monthly Active Users. People are
changing their mindset and
interests in a short time.
Most video platforms
are upcoming and beaten
traditional channels. And they
have messaging options as well.
You have to think in a
new way to market your products
through the new platforms.

9. Fast moving E-Commerce products by category
As seen thus far in this report, its quite evident of the
impact that COVID-19 holds over society.
Now as all aspects of one’s lifestyle goes online why not
shop online as well…
Presented in this diagram are the
Top 10 Rising and Declining categories.
Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/shoppers-buying-online-ecommerce-covid-19/
Quite obviously, amongst the top 10 growing categories
are; Food items, Medicine and Disposable Gloves -
because indeed hand safety first against spreading!
Also amongst the Top 10 declining items we
see many materials for outdoor activities;
Clothing, Baggage and even Cameras.

10. Rise in use of Social Media
“LinkedIn engagement has been increasing for
some time, so it's not surprising to see more
people turning to the platform for professional
advice. And this week, LinkedIn has provided
some tips on how people can make best use of its
platform to better connect and engage with their
networks.”
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-shares-tips-on-what-to-post-during-covid-19-lockdowns/574905/
“Like every social platform, LinkedIn has seen an influx in user
activity over the past two weeks.”
- Social Media Today -

11. Rise of Gaming platforms (online/ offline)
As schools have shut-down and various institutes locked down
to control the spread of coronavirus (covid-19), this kept people
indoors.
Resulting from these measures; as we expected to see, the
number of people who turned towards video games surged
within the past few days.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2020/03/16/video-games-are-being-played-at-record-levels-as-the-coronavirus-keeps-people-
indoors/#5182f0c157baForbes:
Reached new heights Sunday, drawing a
record 20,313,451 concurrent users to the
16-year-old service.
It's all-time peak on Sunday (28th) with
1,023,2290 concurrent players.
Drawing in a staggering 15 million in
three days,

12. Most usable digital platforms for online retailing
In Sri Lanka as well we see supermarkets reaching their customers through social media marketing (Facebook / Instagram) & direct
marketing (SMS, Call) to promote their delivery services, the famous ride hailing companies; PickMe & Uber, too has taken the initiative
to provide valuable services such as delivering necessary food items to the people. Also Sri Lankan companies introduce online shop
developments for small scale business to handle their online orders and transactions.
This is a good movement to Sri Lanka, before the Covid-19 incident people were
not much familiar and had less belief on online businesses and transactions. Now we can see they are adapting swiftly.
Rise of online deliveries
1. WhatsApp
2. Viber
3. Own websites (Ex-: keelssuper.net)
4. Imo
5. SMS & Calls

13. Rise of interest for instant News in Sri Lanka
With information spreading faster
than before, people desire to
obtain data first hand.
Instead of waiting for the new
found details to be developed and
published on television or radio,
people have opted to visit the
News corporation websites to
instantly view the current updates.
This is not limited to websites, but
also mobile applications and social
media pages owned by the
respective News providers.
Diagram showing a sudden surge in searches for news sites; mid March, 2020
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?cat=16&date=today%203-m&geo=LK&q=adaderana,news%20first,hiru%20news,daily%20mirror,bbcSource - Google Trends:

14. Across the country we have seen various businesses adapting and carrying out their
procedures while maintaining precautions to minimize the spread of the ongoing
pandemic.
As many have shifted to digital platforms and proceed with their daily tasks, we reach the
question of where do we stand on certain jobs/ duties that require the personnel to be
present such as a Sales pitch or an important meeting.
The answer to these concerns are clear, and have been in practice for the past few days.
Numerous companies have been practicing online conferencing to present themselves at
meetings and to pitch a sales idea.
Marketing Inconveniences

15. Spike of E-Commerce platforms in Sri Lanka
As everyone are now limited to
their homes, people have been
limited to the availability of meals
and various necessities.
To be of some relief, local
companies such as the images
presented; have initiated
operations on E-Commerce
platforms to help everyone to
easily obtain their necessities.
Orders & Deliveries are indeed
limited for safety precautions, yet
again the switch to a digital
solution has indefinitely made life
easier for many.
Source – https://www.facebook.com/milcohighland
https://web.osusala.online/
http://keellssuper.com/

16. How can your businesses adapt?
• Build a strong social presence (Utilize various Social Media)
• Adapt towards an efficient Workflow Management system
• Develop a vibrant website
• Publish informative blog posts
• Implement direct marketing to customers (SMS, E-mail, Personalized marketing)
• Familiarize the business with digital services
• Limit the promotional activities which makes customers perceive you as profit motivated at such times.
• Utilize ‘Work From Home’ to motivate and comfort not only customers but employees too (applicable to the
entire business)

17. Our helping hand…
At HBSI we are prepared to take your brand
online with a “360° Digital Solution” for you to
step ahead; via
• Web Design
• Social Media Marketing
• Lead Management
• Software Development
• Creative designing (Graphics & Video)
• Google Advertising / SEO
• E-mail Marketing
• Creative Designing
• Content Writing
• and also helping you handle your inquiries
with ease by utilizing our Call Center
operations
Is your business looking to overcome the
current challenges faced by organizations
worldwide?
We can help you make the jump from
current procedures to an easier and
convenient path to build upon.

18. Reach Us
Are you looking to adapt towards digital services and continue to engage
with your customers?
Give us a call: Jagath - +9477 455 15 15
Drop a mail: digital@hayleysbsi.com | Jagath.d@hayleysbsi.com
Hayleys Business Solutions International (Pvt) Ltd,
No.25, Foster Lane, Colombo 10,
0112 628 800