# Part 1: COVID-19: How to Maintain a Product During a Crisis

- Link: https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/part-1-covid-19-how-to-maintain-a-product-during-a-crisis/
- Published: 2020-06-22T16:16:06+01:00
- Author: Ekaterina Petrakova

_⌊how to maintain products during covid19-min ⌉⌊how to maintain products during 
covid19-min ⌉Editor’s note: This is a guest post from [Ekaterina Petrakova](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-petrakova/)
__. Over the past 5+ years, Ekaterina Petrakova developed expertise in the majority
of online marketing channels while helping to build and grow businesses within the
company’s investment and incubation network globally. She is currently leading Marketing
at [Rocket Internet](https://www.rocket-internet.com/) while supporting [AHEAD program of Fraunhofer Ventures](https://www.ahead.fraunhofer.de/en.html)
in Marketing during her free time._

**_NOTE: This is part one of a two-part series on how to maintain a product during
COVID-19. Part II, scheduled to come out in July, shares tips on how to launch a
product during COVID-19. _**

We’ve heard it before: COVID-19 has radically transformed the way consumers interact
with the global economy. Users and companies alike have been dramatically affected
by social distancing measures and travel restrictions across the globe. Many businesses
have had to make substantial changes to their product⁠—fast⁠—as consumers adapt 
to a new world. 

But what does this look like on the product level? As companies begin to rapidly
test and deploy new methods to both retain and engage old and new customers, respectively,
there’s an urgent need to understand how the product [lifecycle](https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/lifecycle-marketing-101-21e874be642f/)
has been upended by the onset of COVID-19. Whether you’re a mobile marketing manager
or a product manager, you’ve probably already thought about how to engage your users
in a respectable way during this time, both adapting to their needs while understanding
the general sustainability of your product in the long-run. But what’s next?

In this article, I’d like to share some advice on maintaining a product during the
current crisis. Across all areas of the product cycle, I’ve found that the pandemic
has led to new considerations in three indispensable categories: your communication/
marketing branches, your product, and, finally, your offer. It’s imperative that
you understand new trends among your audiences right now, especially with regards
to how they engage, with which topics they engage, and their purchasing power. Only
then can you use this information to evolve your product, and adjust your offer.

A lot of the observations I share here also move beyond the digital/online marketing
ecosystem and the mobile-app universe⁠—it’s general advice for all companies who
have been living through COVID-19. The world is changing, and your product better
change with it. 

Table of Contents

 * [What Does the Product Cycle Look Like During Normal Times? ](https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/part-1-covid-19-how-to-maintain-a-product-during-a-crisis/#what_does_the_product_cycle_look_like_during_normal_times)
 * [What’s Going On During COVID-19? ](https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/part-1-covid-19-how-to-maintain-a-product-during-a-crisis/#whats_going_on_during_covid-19)
 * [There are three ways you can address the current circumstances during the pandemic: ](https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/part-1-covid-19-how-to-maintain-a-product-during-a-crisis/#there_are_three_ways_you_can_address_the_current_circumstances_during_the_pandemic)
 * [Evolve your product](https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/part-1-covid-19-how-to-maintain-a-product-during-a-crisis/#evolve_your_product)
 * [Fix and Adapt Your Offer](https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/part-1-covid-19-how-to-maintain-a-product-during-a-crisis/#fix_and_adapt_your_offer)

## What Does the Product Cycle Look Like During Normal Times? 

First and foremost, it’s important to understand what the product cycle looks like
in non-crisis times. As visualized below using the example of Airbnb, there’s a 
general development process when you launch a product, with only a few key stakeholders
at the center of the process: you (as a company), your product, and your market.

  |  **NN** |  **Step ** |  **Main question** |  **Value** |  **Example (Airbnb app)** |  
 |  1.1 |  Product |  What is your core product? |  Value is created |  Travel / Stay / Experience |  
 |  1.2 |  Offer  |  What does a user buy/consume? |  Value proposition |  Mobile app |  
 |  1.3 |  Communication / Marketing |  How do we attract a user / keep a customer? |  Value is communicated, tied to audience |  Marketing campaigns (UA, retargeting, CRM, etc.) |  
 |  1.4 |  Service |  Product / service provided |  Value is received |  Person stays in the flat |  
 |  1.5 |  Feedback |  Customer gives feedback (both actively and passively) |  Value is evaluated (matching expectations) |  NPS, ratings, reviews, surveys, retention, etc. |  
 |  1.6 (1.1) |  Product (adjustment) |  … |  Value is corrected / adjusted |  Product is adjusted… |

Each step reflects the development of the company’s value as it moves forward, as
the product itself develops through processes that help its objective and targets.
Understanding the value of your product is the cornerstone of its success—and it’s
critical to understand it in non-crisis times if you are to adapt to the current
context.

## What’s Going On During COVID-19? 

COVID-19 has had complex effects on companies across the globe, not least in the
way it has compromised the general product development cycle above. Generally, I’ve
observed that the pandemic has led to changes on three levels:

 1. On the **company level**: 

 * Your teams might be getting smaller, or functions are being severely reduced.
 * Your teams may not be able to outsource work, given the availability, affordability,
   needs, and scale of your company.

2. On the** product level: **

 * Your teams may not be able to deliver or provide the product, given the current
   situation.
 * Your product updates and modifications take time, resources, research, and new
   concept ideation.

3. Lastly, **on the market level**:

 * The market may no longer need the product you’re offering.
 * The market may not be able to receive/consume the product, especially if you’re
   offline. 
 * Financial and consumption habits are changing rapidly.
 * User habits/behaviors are also shifting rapidly—so too are platforms and routines.

Overall, these challenges lead to questions about your marketing/communication strategy,
the nature of your product, and what you offer your customer during the crisis. 
But where do we start? How do we allocate resources?And, most importantly: how can
you evolve/adapt your product?

## There are **three ways** you can address the current circumstances during the pandemic: 

### Start with communication (marketing)

Starting with communication is faster than doing immediate product changers or offer
adjustments. You also can get additional brownie points by showing your current 
and prospective audiences that you’re aware of the situation, and responding sensibly
to it as a result. 

An interesting preface: on the whole, [recent research by Smartly.io](https://www.smartly.io/ebooks/how-brands-should-navigate-social-advertising-after-covid-19)
suggests that quite a low percentage of respondents don’t want brands to advertise
during the pandemic (see below):

![How brands should react to the pandemic in their advertising ](https://phiture.
com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/image4-2.png)

Smartly.io. Global report in May 2020: How Brands Should Navigate Social Advertising
After COVID-19

While advertising continues to be critical during this time period, it doesn’t mean
you’re totally off the hook. There are a few key points to remember: 

 * **You need to be privy to branding/marketing in the right tone.** It’s absolutely
   necessary to clearly show the position of your product at this time, and communicate
   your values in a resolute, yet empathetic manner. Ads shouldn’t be your only 
   avenue of communication—an organic presence, coupled with communication, is essential.
   Empathy is pivotal here, too: you have to speak the language of your customers
   right now. For instance, [A recent survey by ACE Metrix shows](https://www.acemetrix.com/insights/blog/how-brands-are-navigating-covid19-pandemic/)
   that 86% of respondents react favorably to ads that directly address the COVID-
   19 situation.
 * **You need to focus on existing customers first. Keeping a customer is easier
   and cheaper than acquiring a new one. Understanding the value of your current
   customers is foundational in preserving your user base intact. Losing them poses
   critical risks during the pandemic.**
 * **You need to consider new channels, platforms, and devices****.** The pandemic
   has radically altered your users’ lives, habits, financial situations, and routines.
   You need to make sure you understand where they are now. Mobile apps, for example,
   would do well to consider optimizing for desktop, [as usage has increased significantly among younger audiences who were previously on mobile](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1106590/device-usage-coronavirus-worldwide-by-generation/).
 * **You need to prioritize localization and automation.** Automate everything that’s
   possible⁠—that way, you have enough time to think about concepts and adjust your
   overall messaging. It’s a rapidly changing time, and messaging may need to change
   week to week. Localization is also key: restrictions and political context change
   from country to country. As a marketer, you need to go deep to find the right
   cocktail of targeting, localization, and messaging practices that work best for
   your product. 
 * **Think about expanding your audience.** A target market you were previously 
   unable to reach may now be segmented differently, and should be prospected. New
   research by Smartly.io suggests that people [aged 55 and above are now more influenced by ads on social media than ever before.](https://www.smartly.io/ebooks/how-brands-should-navigate-social-advertising-after-covid-19)
   The pandemic has opened a new avenue for changing user habits⁠—don’t forget that
   new trends can be easily learned from, especially when it comes to creating a
   new target base. 

**But what about the data?**

It’s no surprise: one of the most essential parts of the product lifecycle, both
in normal and pandemic times, is having the right data infrastructure to understand
your users and your product. But it’s important that you understand that these are
unprecedented times. The following two points should be considered:

 1. **There are no correct data/KPI comparisons during this period. Comparing pandemic-
    era data and KPIs to previous years should be done with caution. The COVID-19 situation
    is unique, and by comparing performance across two different time periods, you 
    might lose touch with the real data. **
 2. **Review and choose reachable KPIs that fit the current moment****.** Think about
    your usual KPIs—do conversation rates, ROAS, and average basket size still make
    sense at the current time? It’s essential that you adapt your KPIs according to
    what the data is telling you.

The goal is to carefully consider your audience size, capacity, and budget when 
setting up campaigns—and having a fundamental data infrastructure, often easier 
when automated, ensures you have the right tools to make crucial decisions in a 
volatile time. 

## Evolve your product

Once you get feedback from your campaigns, you can now use it to adapt your product
to the current market. The pandemic may have totally changed what your product means
to your consumers, and it’s important that you evolve it to meet the demands of 
the current crisis. 

There are a few key points to remember here: 

 * **Express your awareness about the situation. Users should look at your product
   and walk away with the knowledge that you’re aware of the situation and are prepared
   for it. Do not be afraid to use the word “crisis”⁠—the worst thing you can do
   is to keep everything as it was. They should feel safe using your app at the 
   current time.  Airbnb’s “Online Experiences” is a good example of the way a company
   can quickly adapt to the current situation while engaging its customers at the
   same time (see below). **⌊Airbnb online experiences⌉

 * **Use the insights/feedback you received at the communication steps phase of 
   the product cycle****.** Chat communications, calls, questions, and reviews give
   you an indication of what’s working and what’s not, especially if you didn’t 
   have the capacity to change previous marketing campaigns at the onset of the 
   crisis. Understanding what your user needs is the essential first step if you
   want to evolve your product. 
 * **Find ways to expand and redefine your core product/service.** A good practice
   during this time is to shift your product, if applicable, to a common good or
   a community-based milieu. Social responsibility is now more important than ever:
   research shows that [customers are happy to support any brands that do any kind of charity.](https://www.smartly.io/blog/covid-19-around-the-world-three-ways-the-pandemic-has-changed-social-advertising)
   Let’s say you’re an e-commerce company: donating 5% of all profit to fighting
   COVID-19 can help customer engagement, and assuage your users that you’re on 
   the ball.
 * **If expansion isn’t possible, unlock parts of your app/product that weren’t 
   previously available⁠—for free.**  Many apps have already opened new channels
   to retain/win customers. Coursera, a worldwide online learning platform, for 
   instance, began offering [courses for free during the onset of COVID-19](https://blog.coursera.org/coursera-together-free-online-learning-during-covid-19/).
   Language-learning app Babbel is now offering an additional 6 months for free 
   after you purchase 6 months (see below). You may lose revenue, but you will keep
   and win new customers⁠—and it shows your ethics, responsibilities, and basic 
   values during this time.⌊Babble sponsored post⌉ 
 * **Keep your tracking up-to-date. You must make sure every new feature of your
   app/product is properly tracked and is up-to-date. Use the most of your MMPs 
   and UTMs if you’re using them⁠—not to mention behavioral analysis. Doing so allows
   you to see the long-term impact of your new projects, and empowers you to use
   the data later down the line. **

## Fix and Adapt Your Offer

After these two steps, it’s essential to also think about what⁠—and how⁠—you’re 
offering your consumers at this time. You need to know what you’re going to offer,
and how you’re going to communicate your value proposition during the pandemic.

Don’t forget the following points:

 * **Don’t use aggressive marketing strategies during this time. It’s a sensitive
   period, and pushing your product down your users’ throats will have an adverse
   effect. Instead, you should shift your marketing strategy towards what’s accessible
   and what’s useful to your customer at this particular juncture. Give your user
   more options. **
 * **Focus on necessities and value for the customer.** Show how your product fits
   the customer’s situation and life at this time. If you’re able to update your
   screenshots to those “must-have products”⁠—such as sanitary products, if you’re
   an e-commerce company⁠—then do so. If it’s a new customer visiting your website,
   screenshots and new content signals to them that you’re up-to-date, and are actually
   adapting to the COVID-19 situation. 
 * **Update FAQs and security/safety. ****Make sure to cover all possible security
   topics.** These should be visible, clear, and address as many, if not all, open
   questions your customer may have. Both [Helpling](https://www.helpling.de/de_en/coronavirus)
   and Airbnb provide good examples: they’ve created resource centers to address
   all customer questions and concerns, and do so in an empathetic and detail-oriented
   way (see below).

![airbnb resource centre](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/image3-
1.png)