Connected Consumers Essay

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Going viral for bad reasons is not joke, it affects in a negative way a company’s sales, reputation and brand image. An example of this is the case of United Airlines. On Sunday, April 9th, a passanger posted on his social media a video of another passenger who was violently removed by the plane's security.4 The video went viral, it spread like wildfire, and it took just a few hours to affect the company’s reputation, stocks and sales.

“A 30-second video of a United Airlines passenger being dragged from his seat and bloodied on an overbooked Sunday flight at O'Hare International Airport racked up more than 6 million views Monday and sparked plenty of outrage.

For United, the video threatened to unravel more than a year of work by CEO Oscar Munoz to rebuild the airline's battered customer service reputation — and prompted questions about why United didn't try harder to fix the situation rather than apologizing afterward for having to "reaccommodate" passengers.

The damage this incident has caused to United's reputation may be irreversible, at least for some consumers, said Matt Rizzetta, CEO of New York-based public relations firm North 6th Agency.4

United Airlines stocks dropped the equivalent to over $1 billion after the video spread worlwide. Also, many consumers told the news that they will not buy tickets from this airlines, at least not in a while.[pic 9]

Companies should be concerned about maintaining good practices and remaining active in their social network, posting interesting content while generating closeness with their consumers. Going viral for good reasons should be the greatest opportunity of success, if they manage well the situation they will be able to attract the attention of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people; They’ll make themselves well-known, remaining in the public consciousness for weeks, or longer, while their sales will probably grow exponentially.

HOW COMPANIES CAN MANAGE THE CONNECTED CONSUMERS

First of all, companies must hear their consumers doubts, questions and opinions and they should respond quickly. Companies may have a contact email or a callcenter for example. FAQ sections on their websites are also usefull.

Companies should not be afraid of being transparent. Connected consumers like transparency, they trust in those companies and they are more loyal to them. Companies should talk about this on their websites.

Connected consumers prefer retailers who personalize the shopping experience. Companies should try to do so, for them to generate more long-term and loyal relationships with their consumers.

For last, companies should care abour their consumers feedback. They must send them an email asking for feedback, this way they can make sure that they receibe the correct product and didn’t have any problem with the purchase or delivery. Connected consumers appreciate that companies stay in touch and ask them for their opinions and reviews.

CONCLUSION

Internet and globalization had an important impact on the relationship between consumers and companies. Nowadays companies are more close and connected to their consumers.

Connected consumers have special wants and need; companies should be aware of them. Companies should gave them transparency, closeness and also quick and useful answers when they need them.

SOURCES

Meha Agarwal, ( 2014), Understanding the Connected Consumer, Iamwire, Website:

http://www.iamwire.com/2014/01/understanding-connected-consumer/24383

Rachel Serpa, (2016), Infographic: The Anatomy of a Connected Consumer, Gigya. Website: http://www.gigya.com/blog/infographic-the-anatomy-of-a-connected-consumer/

The statistics Portal, Statista (2016)

Website: https://www.statista.com/topics/2477/online-shopping-behavior/

URL: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-united-drags-passenger-0411-biz-20170410-story.html

Ed Leefeldt, (2017), Article: Can United Airlines rebuild its reputation?, CBSNEWS, Website: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/can-united-airlines-rebuild-its-reputation/