The current pandemic situation has shifted all of our lives in ways we would never have predicted. While we know that business as we know it has changed for the foreseeable future it has also created changes that will be here to stay after we return to normal life.
While some businesses have been very hard hit, such as the tourism and hospitality sectors other businesses have boomed such as online communication tools, food delivery, and home improvement.
Videoconferencing And Online Communication
Businesses have been flocking to platforms like Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams over the past month as working from home has been enforced by governments around the world.
Videoconferencing in particular has never been used to the volume as it has now. Having the ability to meet, chat, and collaborate online is business-critical, not a nice to have. This also applies to people’s personal lives with reports of weddings, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern using the platform to pull together a cabinet meeting, and even senators in Brazil using it to vote on legislation.
Online Shopping and Delivery Services
People are now ordering their groceries, personal items, clothing, and takeaway food online in numbers never seen before. In fact, some stores such as Kmart were so overwhelmed with orders on their site they had a virtual queue to allow shoppers online the site to place their orders.
Other businesses such as Deliveroo was much more prepared for the upturn in users and demand for services. They even created their own online shops for delivering groceries and other essential items.
Home Improvement
With many people thinking about the likelihood that they will be spending more time at home than before, they are making big changes to their living arrangements.
And this means that stores like Bunnings are seeing a huge upturn in sales on things like soil, planters, seedlings and timber. Many people are turning their spare time into goals to grow food gardens or raising their own chickens for fresh eggs.
Some Changes Are Here To Stay
As we find new ways to adapt our lives in lockdown some changes will become the new normal. Small businesses in Australia now can easily sell worldwide. Events businesses can lower their costs by moving to digital delivery allowing for lower ticket costs and the ability for more people to purchase a ticket. Online collaboration tools mean less time spent in the air or traveling and more time devoted to quality work outcomes. We are interested to see how these changes impact our lives in positive ways and how we come together to overcome the current economic and personal troubles in the world.
Stay home, be strong, stay safe! And reach out with any questions or help you may need.
