Adapting to the New Know, Unknow

Learn how businesses are flourishing amidst disruptions by adopting digital transformation, omni-channel retail, outdoor experiences, in-home services, and creative product shifts. Discover the secrets to resilience and sustained growth in the post-pandemic era.

Well, Well, at this point there is only an elephant in the room, and that is someone who doesn’t have their trunk covered. The pandemic has roiled businesses, particularly in face-to-face service industries, leaving them out to dry, thus forcing them to find creative and ingenious ways to strive and stride on to stay afloat. But some companies are managing to rise above the disruption and adapt to the new normal, in such a way that they are not just thriving but are also flourishing.

Going digital is the way forward

You know this, we know this, and everyone knows this, not all services need to be provided in-person, especially in the era of fast internet speeds, high-quality digital cameras, and cloud computing.

We have seen the inception and the growth of 3D virtual tours that have replaced in-person tours at many real estate agencies, museums, and tourism companies.

Then we do have Doctors who have expanded their use of telemedicine; similarly, beauty consultants, home organization companies, violin teachers, and personal trainers have shifted from hands-on sessions to video conferencing, or group sessions on zoom.

Innovative performing arts companies are streaming stage shows, musicals, operas, and symphony concerts online. And, of course, brick-and-mortar stores have raced to sell online and scale their online stores.

Omni-channel retail has seen an insurgence 

You should know this, and keep this in mind before we elucidate further, the digital transformation does not mean the end of physical stores.

Surveys find that most shoppers prefer some aspects of shopping in person. Omni-channel shopping models allow their customers to browse products, order, and pay online; see whether local stores have inventory available and choose to pick up purchases in person, if convenient; opt to have goods unpackaged and assembled by in-store technicians, and make in-store returns and exchanges.

The acceleration of integration across digital and physical channels has been spurred by COVID, and this could help retailers get the most out of each one, both during the pandemic and after.

Outdoors is All The Hype

Paris is known worldwide for its outdoor cafes, while Miami, FL is the outdoor dining capital in the U.S. But in most cities, rules regulating outdoor dining have made it difficult for restaurants to set up tables outdoors.

The pandemic has led city governments to relax those regulations substantially, cordon off parking lanes, are now allowing restaurants, stores, gyms, and religious organizations to take over sidewalks and parking spaces, as an open space for individuals to safely interact, enabling the business to run and at the same to help bring back a semblance of normal.

In-Homes Services are Becoming the It Fad

If you can’t go to the gym, the hair salon, or the school, bring it to your home.

In days we can only cling onto for dear life, as a means to stay alive in people’s memory, those days, before Covid, this would have been a solution only for the very wealthy.

But pandemic-related job losses and business closures have encouraged many small and large business owners to re-group and to go on to offer in-home services more widely, whether to individuals or small groups of neighbors, spreading the word via social media and freelancing platforms.

Shift to New Products and Services

At the start of the pandemic, major automobile, aerospace, and plasticware manufacturers converted their production lines for ventilators, face shields, plexiglass screens, and COVID-19 test kits. Clothing companies raced to produce N95 surgical masks and hospital gowns. And beverage companies started producing hand sanitizers.

All the sectors were all hands-on deck, but now many businesses have found an opportunity in the crisis by switching to manufacturing, selling, or leasing goods for which demand has surged. Some examples include dumbbells, beard trimmers, exercise bikes, yoga pants, and recreational vehicles (RVs).

Other businesses that have started offering on-demand services, like bicycle repair, tent rental, video game console refurbishment, and tutoring, have also shifted to the online space.

Now let us interject, since everything is either going digital or in-home, you could maybe consider taking your digital campaign to the next level and this can help you corner a market whilst it is still young and not over-saturated. Because even if you feel the in-home setup works for you, you do need the digital space to help spread the word and get the word to percolate into people’s minds.