A few days after the Spanish government decreed the state of alarm on March 14, the traffic of the IP networks of our country grew almost 40%, calls through mobile data increased by 25% and the traffic of the platforms instant messengers like WhatsApp multiplied by five. Consumption, with the exception of food products, moved to a purely digital scenario and this posed some challenges, both for companies and consumers.

One of those challenges as consumers is the impossibility of verifying the real quality of a product of which there is only one image, no matter how good, as a reference. To alleviate this situation, buyers seek recommendations from other users who, by telling their experience, help them make a decision during the process of buying a product or service, this is what we call recommendation marketing.

At a time like this in which we have been unable to go to a physical point of sale, recommendation marketing acquires a very relevant role since, for the user interested in a product or service, the opinions of our current customers can Being the only reference that helps you decide your purchase and, for the company, having the help of its customers can become an excellent sales strategy.

Referral marketing has always existed, from word of mouth to Last Database current post by post, it has always helped companies to improve their brand image and add sales while building loyalty to current customers thanks to bonuses, but the weight it has had on its marketing strategies has fluctuated over the years. Thanks to the internet and social networks, in recent years we have witnessed not a rebirth, but a consolidation of this type of tool in Europe and the United States, but now, with this atypical situation, we are verifying that some clients are changing their strategies towards this variety of marketing to the detriment of other channels such as outdoor advertising or POS, closely linked to face-to-face and physical point of purchase habits.

It is time to put efforts in the digital channel, not only thinking about the sale but also about reinforcing our brand image in front of the consumer who no longer sees us on the supermarket shelf or passes in front of our showcase. To take care of a client who continues to receive many messages from our competition, although now more than ever through the internet.

Also, referral marketing requires a much lower investment than other tools like advertising. It is capable of achieving sales increases at a very low cost and let us remember that, beyond a small investment necessary to start the program and maintain it, the company only pays for each insurance client it gets, not for each click that is made. in an advertisement, but for each person with a name and surname who hires a product or service through a recommendation link.

We live in exceptional circumstances that will lead to changes in our lives, in our economy and in business models. We have to adjust once again to the context in which we have had to live and adapt our company to what the market demands today and, in an environment of purely digital consumption, the referral can replace that relationship with our usual employee or when going shopping with friends.