A new study by Nextdoor shows businesses are rethinking their strategy as consumers remain loyal and local
London, UK: Consumers are looking to stay loyal and shop local as lockdown is eased, according to Nextdoor – the neighbourhood hub, as 63% of its members claim they will frequent local businesses more often. The survey conducted by Nextdoor found more than one in three consumers have started using a new brand due to the innovative or compassionate way the brand responded to the pandemic.
As consumer shopping habits have been altered by the coronavirus, 30% of businesses have changed the products and services they offer by building relationships with new vendors and suppliers, providing more online services, and made operational changes.
Nextdoor members have also been using the platform to stay up to date with local issues. When looking at the top three issues in the UK, 37% of members are looking for updates about public services, 33% updates about local businesses, and 33% are using the platform to get updates from their local council.
With communities turning to social networks to connect with neighbours, Nextdoor has seen the UK engagement rate on the platform increase by 73% since January. As a result, the average click-through rate on brand advertising increased by 0.15% in Q2 when compared to the previous quarter.
When looking at the power of local, UK members are keen to engage with their neighbours to get tasks done with 71% of Nextdoor users having hired their neighbours for jobs around the house such delivery services, gardening and tutoring, compared to 34% in the US.
Paps Shaikh, Commercial Director – EMEA at Nextdoor comments: “It’s fantastic to see consumers are supporting local businesses during a time of need. Nextdoor was created to bring communities closer together and as local businesses are often at the heart of our communities it’s important to support these businesses as they need us more now than ever.
“As a result of this slight shift in consumer shopping habits, we have seen brands small and large adjust accordingly and pivot towards local advertising due to the powerful connections this can create. This research shows that the tone and sentiment of advertising has never been so important, as consumers are reacting to those who are providing reassurance at a time they need it the most.”
Oliver Baxter, Head of Brand, Communications and Product at By Miles comments: “Car insurance pricing has been a hot topic during the pandemic, as people are driving much less. However, as our policies are specifically designed for lower mileage drivers, demand has increased significantly for our fairer, more flexible kind of car insurance during lockdown. While our advertising strategy hasn’t changed dramatically, we’ve had to rethink the tone and messaging of our ads a bit, as people are using their cars in different ways than they were before lockdown began.
“It’s been really important for us to advertise in a trusted environment. Nextdoor has allowed us to do this while reaching specific local neighbourhoods at scale, where we know lower mileage drivers can benefit from a pay-by-mile insurance policy.”
About Nextdoor
Nextdoor is the neighbourhood hub for trusted connections and the exchange of helpful information, goods, and services. We believe that by bringing neighbours together, we can cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighbourhood they can rely on.
Building connections in the real world is a universal human need. That truth, and the reality that neighbourhoods are one of the most important and useful communities in our lives, have been a guiding principle for Nextdoor since the beginning. Today, neighbours rely on Nextdoor in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, and Canada, with many more to come.
Nextdoor is a privately-held company based in San Francisco with backing from prominent investors including Benchmark, Shasta Ventures, Greylock Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Riverwood Capital, Bond, Axel Springer, Comcast Ventures, and others.
For additional information and images: nextdoor.com/newsroom.
