Online medical consultation, free e-books – how companies are fostering bonds with customers amid coronavirus outbreak

Consumer companies in China have come up with creative ways to serve customers and improve their brand image amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak, which has brought the country to a near standstill for nearly three weeks.

With hospitals swamped because of the rising number of infections, companies such as French food giant Danone and domestic baby milk formula maker China Feihe have launched free online medical consultation services so that patients can access medical services without leaving their homes.

Citic Press Group, a publisher owned by the state-owned conglomerate Citic Group, has made more than 4,000 e-books and audiobooks available for free for bored workers who have been told to stay home, as companies have extended the Lunar New Year holiday to help authorities contain the spread of the virus.

Popular restaurant chains such as Sichuan-style Meizhou Dongpo, hit hard by the crisis, have been live streaming shows from its empty kitchens, where chefs recreate items from the menu for audiences to make at home.

Partial lockdown measures are already in place in over 80 cities in nearly 20 provinces and municipalities since the central government imposed a lockdown in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, and its neighbouring cities on January 23. These measures have led to temporary suspension of cinemas and restaurants among other services.