“Digital Transformation will still be key for IT using AI, Cloud, IoT and many new Technologies” - Chizuru Tominaga( Japan Marketing Manager)
COVID-19 Pandemic has changed the behavior of buyers and consumers. However, lockdown, an important outcome of COVID-19, has significantly increased the digital audience's profile, size, and availability. These situations ultimately led to Digital Transformation in Nepal.
Digital Transformation is not just about IT and technology. Rather it is about redefining business strategy and creating a new business model entirely with IT as the backbone.
Digital Transformation heavily relies on Real-Time Data about your market, consumers, supply chain, and competitors.
B2C businesses in Nepal could easily access their customers at home as 89 percent of consumers were using the internet. Digital Transformation has changed their consumers’ behaviors as well as expectations. This has led digital agencies to study and understand their consumers’ motivation for and style of content consumption and how customers expect to be interacted and dealt with.
However, it was a tough challenge for B2B businesses in Nepal as their marketing strategy was heavily relying on traditional marketing. Lockdown compelled the shutting down of publishing houses, and thus these B2B businesses had to come on digital platforms for the advertisements and gain attention from the audience.
Whatever the business type was, Digital Transformation brought brands and consumers together. Nepalese digital marketing got to its peak with this digital transformation. Not only that, the physically conducted events or administration got digitized.
Let’s learn about Eight essential Digital Transformation in Nepal after 2020.
- E-commerce has enhanced.
The shutdown of physical shops made these shops go on digital platforms. Consumers became customers for these shops. Some of these shops got into multi Vendor Platforms: Daraz, Sastodeal, DealAyo, Okdam,Thulo.com. These names have become prominent names in Nepali E-commerce. However, Lack of trust and confidence in the electronic system and other cultural and behavioral factors still hinder e-commerce.
- School on your screen
Lockdown and social distancing compelled the educational institutions to manage the teaching-learning environment through web-based.
7 million students are studying from school level to university. For students, teachers, and even administrators, online teaching was a new technological revolution in the education system during this pandemic. Video Conferencing apps like Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype were used for this purpose. It was a challenge to get into an online platform t since it was a new technological shift. Another is the unavailability of internet service in many rural Nepal areas where literacy rate and educational advancement are still in their toddler stage. A survey in August showed that more than two-thirds of schoolchildren in Nepal are deprived of distance learning opportunities. A nationwide survey says 64 percent of children didn’t find virtual learning effective.
- Payment within a click.
COVID-19 Outbreak changed Consumers' payment behavior. Using E-Wallets and contactless cards, consumers made less use of cash and made more purchases online. Also, the threat of COVID transmission with cash as a medium aided in E-wallets and Online cash. Sources tell us that 85 percent of e-commerce users prefer Code of Delivery as their payment method and 13 percent of e-commerce users opt for Digital payment portals: eSewa and IME pay. Rest 2% use debit and credit cards.
Discussions through Webinars.
Physical meetups were almost nil because of the restrictions; however, video conferencing apps made people connect and discuss the professional aspects. Webinars, Training, Summits, Contests, and Hackathons were done on online platforms. Webinars have aided in Digital Marketing success as a webinar (on average) received almost 260 registrations. Reports tell us that 61% of marketers use webinars as a tactic for their content marketing strategy.
- Work from Home Culture
According to Gartner, 88% of the organizations worldwide made it mandatory or encouraged their employees to work from home after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Most importantly, less chance of transmission of COVID makes Work from Home a new normal. Work from home is flexible, Convenient, Improves employee retention, and contributes to staff loyalty and motivation. Moreover, it can give better work/life balance. It was recorded that 75% of people who work from home do so because there are fewer distractions. In Nepal, people in IT, Digital Marketing in Nepal, new entrepreneurship made quite a good utilization of this service. Still, many people from other sectors had to lose their job as their work requires a physical presence and labor.
- Savings and Transaction with E-banking
Electronic banking enables banking transactions through computers and telecommunications. e-Banking can help you make financial transactions where internet services are available. Transactional Tasks and Non Transactional Tasks are Services of the e-Banking system.
According to recent Reports of Nepal Rastra Bank, there were nearly 4 million mobile banking customers and 0.78 million internet banking customers.1.13% of the adult population used internet banking for paying bills online, and 16% completed digital payments and financial transactions.
The fear of transmission and lockdown due to the pandemic scenario made people realize the importance of the internet and online banking services, including Online banking. No internet facility in rural areas, lack of confidence in digital banking, and least digital poverty are some leading factors for lower access and internet banking/e-banking services.
- e-consulting about abroad studies
e-Consulting is a consulting service that is operated through the Internet. Through e-Consulting, a customer from any part of the world can avail of effective and valuable consulting support. Through e-Consulting, you can get support and advice from a customer or user. Online consulting is accessible at a designated time, which can be made flexible. Also, you can have interactive sessions with experts staying at home or your workplace.
In Nepal, consultancies dealing with channeling students' journey to foreign studies started giving their consulting services through the Internet. They also helped students who had already got visas but were at a halt due to restricted air services get online classes through their universities.
- ehealth for hassle-free treatment
eHealth includes using ICTs in the healthcare sector, efficient management and optimized diagnosis, and better patient care. eHealth includes telehealth(providing healthcare to people in remote areas), Apps for personal trainers, sleep monitors, diagnostic devices, serious games for healthcare professionals and students to enhance their training, wearable technologies, etc.
In Nepal, due to social-distancing, many doctors and pharmacies appeared on various health apps to provide patients with the proper consulting on minor issues or already existing Chronic conditions and providing related medication. Payments were made through E-wallets like eSewa.
- E-governance started enhancing
E-Governance simply focuses on using the ICT services for delivering government services between government-to-citizens (G2C), government-to-business (G2B), government-to-government (G2G).
Less literacy Rate, Political Uncertainty, Lack of Coordination, Weak Infrastructure are still the challenges in Nepal to conduct smooth eCommerce. However, the lockdown. During the pandemic, In Nepal, administrational services like transactions, online passes, and answering citizens' queries to the government entities, and revenue collection got digitized during the pandemic. Government officers worked to provide regular services online and to update all their activities on the website.
Conclusion
Even though the pandemic brought a downfall in Nepal's economic status, Online or Internet-based services somehow helped people survive in the fearful situation of the pandemic. Businesses shifted online, and digital communication became prominent, e-commerce, e-learning, e-governance, e-consulting, e-banking, and many more online-based services were witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, In Nepal, Governmental, Private as well as Semi-Governmental entities have started utilizing online platforms for their services.
