Reasons for Offering Application for Free During Crisis

Companies often use specific techniques to make their services and brand appealing to
customers during a crisis. During the Covid-19 pandemic, companies can leverage several
techniques to ensure that customers remember their products. The first reason a company may
offer its application for free during the Covid-19 pandemic is to support the emotional needs of
affected users, who often lack the financial capacity to access subscription-based application
services. It is vital to acknowledge that people are affected emotionally, mentally, and financially
during a crisis and, thus, need to access real-time information about the things happening outside
their homes. A free website would save families from incurring high costs to access information
about the crisis, making them feel cared for by the company that offers such services.
Additionally, a company would offer free application services to attract potential
customers interested in the information a company has to offer in its application. Building a
customer base may involve allowing customers to use an application for free during its initiation
stage to help them familiarize themselves with it and share the services with other people to grow
its popularity (Koch, 2020). With such an initiative, a company is likely to form real connections
with potential customers, which can outlive the social and economic impacts of the crisis. Also, a
company may opt to offer free application services during a crisis to demonstrate care to its
customers and build trust. It is vital to acknowledge that companies often have values that guide
their relationship with customers. The values may require that companies show care, empathy,
and affection. There is no time to do this than offering free application services during a
pandemic like COVID-19 when people need help the most (Koch, 2020). Showing care and

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affection to customers during a crisis is essential in winning customers’ trust and promoting a
company’s brand image, which may significantly increase its market dominance.

Characteristics of Business 2.0

Business 2.0 is a type of web that uses the internet to allow more users to communicate
with each other in different ways. It is vital to acknowledge that business 2.0 uses numerous
tools, such as blogs and mash-ups for collaboration. Notably, blogs enable people to present their
opinions and comments through websites and graphics, among many other uses. A critical
examination of business 2.0 indicates that it has certain characteristics which make it unique.
One of the characteristics is that it allows for content sharing through open sourcing. Open-
sourcing enables people to access information publicly without restrictions. It allows faster
sharing of information as the users can modify and disseminate it as they see fit. The other
characteristic of business 2.0 is that it allows for creating user-contributed content, which is often
original. The benefits associated with user-generated content are numerous. One of the benefits
is that such content is brand-specific, making it easy for people to obtain essential information
about a specific brand. Also, the content is often less distorted because it is original, making it
authentic and credible.
The other characteristic of business 2.0 is that it allows for collaboration both inside and
outside the organization. It is vital to acknowledge that collaboration is crucial for the effective
use of a website. Community networks often use business 2.0 to collaborate using social media,
blogs, and other platforms. The success of the internal collaboration is greatly dependent on
business 2.0 tools, which are readily available. Regarding collaboration outside the organization,
the website users can work with each other when sharing information and posting their opinions
about the content on the website.

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Reference

Koch, J., Frommeyer, B., & Schewe, G. (2020). Online shopping motives during the COVID-19
pandemic—lessons from the crisis. Sustainability, 12(24), 10247.