“Analytics can be
“About 70-80 percent of online sales gain will remain in grocery shopping even after the lockdown is ending,” she said. “People who were not familiar with technology and didn’t have a choice but to get familiar with technology, they found that certain things could be done quite frictionless.” Their views are echoed by students like Kahlia Mafua, a marketing major who helped launch the CWU Digital Marketing Club last October. The organization, which now has 20 student members, meets twice a month via Zoom, brings in guest speakers, collaborates on projects with nonprofit groups, and helps members build digital marketing profiles. “Even before the pandemic, online shopping on sites like
O ne of the biggest impacts of the pandemic has been the acceleration of consumer acceptance of the digital world, according to a pair of marketing professors in the College of Business. Both Sayantani Mukherjee, who teaches digital marketing, and Terry Wilson, who teaches management and marketing, agree the pandemic has made consumers far more willing to dabble with online tools for entertainment, shopping, medical appointments, and other services. “The pandemic has accelerated consumer
intimidating, but they are a big part of what’s going on in the industry, and you have to understand how they work.” KAHLIA MAFUA
use and adoption [of digital tools] by several years,” Mukherjee said. “It’s a huge transformation, on the leading and cutting edge of where business is going, and I find it not only interesting but also a responsibility to familiarize my students with that landscape.”
Wilson echoed her comments, noting “it has made customers more familiar with using digital tools, which made companies more willing to use digital tools.” As an example, Wilson said ordering groceries online and picking them up at the curb was something few would have done prior to the pandemic. However, with many shifting to working remotely and shopping online, consumers quickly adjusted to grocery pick-up services. “What might have taken five or 10 years normally, the pandemic accomplished that in one year,” she said. “Not everyone is a digital native. It educated all the people who weren’t innovators, who weren’t early adopters of digital technology, and gave them more familiarity, more security, and more confidence in using them because they had to.” Mukherjee added that in some cases, such as online grocery shopping, research indicates a significant number of consumers are continuing to use the service even after pandemic restrictions have been relaxed.
Amazon and Zappos was just huge,” Mafua said. “But now, things are completely amped up. More companies are beginning to see that their reach is much greater online because there’s this huge global market that you can enter now.” And it’s not just marketing students who understand the power of digital marketing. “One member is an accountant who wants to own her own business. Another one wants to go into social media,” Mafua said. “We also have graphic design and ITAM (Information Technology and Administrative Management) students. The club has really opened people’s eyes to what is out there.”
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