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There is no doubt we are in unprecedented times in the work force as we figure out what this means for ourselves, our families, our jobs and our brands.

Whilst most of what we’re reading may not be positive and our experiences in the supermarket frustrating, there will be a fundamental change in human behaviour after this for the positive. Interesting considering my recent commentary around the seismic shift in consumer mindset and spending after the bushfires crisis.

We had no idea what was coming.

Here’s my thoughts on what is coming, and perhaps we can work out what this means for your category and your brands when the time is right to do so. At the bottom I’ve combined all the potential in-home opportunities I can currently think of that could spark discussion!

The human spirit & connections.

Panic buying aside, we’re seeing daily the bonding of humans around the world. COVID-19 strips away race, sex, and age. It’s a human threat that has forced us all to put aside other differences and work together. It’s made us re-focus on the elderly, a group of people so often forgotten and yet so much at risk. Isolation and self-quarantine is in place to protect the vulnerable and people are embracing this.

Many liken the human spirit in this instance to the blitz in World War 2, where you just had to make the best of the situation and keep calm and carry on. This is evident in the beautiful videos of Italians entertaining each other with music and song on their balconies. It’s made us use our phones to actually talk to people, but also encouraged us to use social media in the manner that it was originally set up, to connect.

There are hundreds of examples of Facebook groups and neighbourhood apps with people all offering to help walk dogs, get groceries and look after each other. One apartment building in Melbourne have set up a WhatsApp group to all stay connected and talking whilst physically being alone in their apartments. The recent Guinness St Patrick’s Day ad is a great example of bringing people together when you physically can’t. (You can watch that here). With other big events looming such as ANZAC day how do we observe national traditions but in a different way. Will people still get up at dawn and stand at the end of their driveway (Nice idea by Tess in my office!), united with their neighbours but still observing social distancing?

After this ends, we will have all learnt to be kinder, more resilient and more connected. As a brand what can we do in this space to facilitate these attributes or continue to bring people together?

The Economy

It’s going to get bad, we’ve all read this. But every huge economic disruption leaves its mark. I read a great Bloomberg article here about the legacy these kind of events leave. The great depression created a consumer mindset of waste not want not that spanned decades. The habits we get into now will shape consumer spending as we move forwards. Will people always want to have a stockpile of food and shift purchase behaviour? This might be fine if you’re on a middle to high income, but what does this mean for people on lower incomes or who live pay check to paycheck. A new thrift mindset may come to fruition. The global supply chain already impacted by Brexit and The China trade war will need a new framework. Relying less on one or two other countries and looking inward at production.

How can businesses and brands work together to alleviate some of the friction for small businesses or less fortunate people. Many brands and consumers came together in the bushfire crisis to help fire fighters, or strip fees, amend finance terms. ‘Buy from the bush’, ‘Spend with them’ and ‘Empty eski’ campaigns are still going strong to stimulate local business.

Tourism

There are some interesting things happening in domestic tourism. With no international travel, the camping and caravanning industry have recorded a spike in bookings as people rebook their holidays in local areas where they can be outside and still observe social distancing but also be able to drive rather than fly. This is great news for bushfire affected areas, stimulating the local economy.

How else will consumers diversify their travel plans and what can we do as brands to support this?

The workforce

The huge move by businesses where possible to a working from home network will reset the workforce forever. It will prove that a working from home and flexible model can exist and will shift expectations of productivity outside of the normal 9-5 model. More people may move to a consulting or contract based approach especially when some businesses will not survive the year. A more flexible workforce could save small businesses money. Payment systems will need to adapt to a different infrastructure.

The office of the future may become smaller to allow for split teams, sharing at home and in the office time to stay connected and reducing overheads. Already there are job losses which will put further strain on the welfare system. But at the same time, there is growth. Coles are desperately trying to fill jobs to cope with demand, receiving 36,000 job applications in one day after announcing new jobs. Many people in the hospitality industry that can’t work from home are adapting to the different jobs that are and may arise.

What products and services does a more flexible and homebased work force need and how can we plan for that?

Climate recovery

Already we’ve seen carbon emissions drastically reduce over Wuhan based on the halt to production. China reported a 25% reduction in energy use over a 2 week period. As manufacturing slows down, people drive less, no one is flying, public transport is reduced, emissions naturally go down. But with various global stimulus packages to come emissions will no doubt go up again. China will ramp up its production to stabilize the economy at a far greater rate than before.

Despite that, this global reset has given many people time to pause and think about their contribution to the climate problem. 

In the slow down it’s an ideal opportunity particularly in Australia to look at sustainability policies. How can we align to a cause or really help make a change this year when appropriate?

Healthcare

The healthcare industry has been the hardest hit with incredible dedication by people to keep working under extreme conditions. Most GP’s have fast-tracked their move to tele-sessions with no patients allowed into their surgeries if they are exhibiting any symptoms at all. Even if you just have a cold. The virus has highlighted how infrastructure needs to change to cope with the influx of patients.

One thing everyone has learnt is better hygiene in slowing the spread of the virus. This can only be a good thing for the future as we adopt these healthier habits. Perhaps this winter the flu season won’t be as bad or future transmissions of any virus. Mental health, already a focus for Australians has also come to the forefront to ensure people can cope in isolation. 

Loneliness is a huge growing problem in Australia, how can we as brands work towards connecting people better as we move through the rest of the year?

Education

Universities have suspended classroom learning and suffered from the lack of international students, which started with the bushfire crisis. And whilst the schools remain open for now, some parents have taken their kids out of school to home school. Homeschooling in general in Australia has been on the rise, with many parents now sharing their approach as more and more schools close. The education sector will have to adjust to better online learning models to keep open. Education is our third biggest export worth $34bn and needs to make changes to succeed this year. Making education more accessible through a better online offering will also benefit the domestic market.

Where can brands get involved with education or retraining a workforce based on their specialty?

Technology & balance

We’ve never been more reliant on technology to keep us connected as we go through this process. There is an interesting article here about how we’re redefining our relationship with our phones! If anything reducing the amount of places we have to go, the people we need to see and the things we need to do affects not only tech we use and how we use it, but the balance in our lives. The juggle of work and family life will be easier to manage if parents are homebased more. Life admin tasks will be easier to make time for throughout a day based at home. Time saving devices or products that enable us to multitask more may not be as needed. Working from home with children off school will also be a challenge, potential increases in nanny sharing or rotating childcare between friendship groups could grow.

How can we adapt the usage of our products, what new things will people need at home. What’s the next growth product to identify?

My thoughts on potential growth areas

We are going to see increases in lots of home based activities this can help identify growth for brands, services and small businesses. Home based gyms, yoga mats, kid’s activities and craft might all see a rise. Gardening, batch cooking, baking, book reading, journaling, jigsaws (currently seeing this as growth trend all over Instagram), all activities that could see increased take up.

The alcohol market which is already moving more home based, may be one of the only categories that sees good gains in this time along with take up of subscription based services like Spotify and Netflix. If people aren’t dressing up for work or social gatherings for a while lounge wear may grow and fashion brands could shift focus.

Home delivery services through Uber Eats should grow for those that can afford it. Other restaurants and local takeaways and even cafes are now preparing more take home meals which can offset the panic buying seen in store. Combine this with many donating them to people that can’t afford it, or consumers buying one for themselves and one for another family in need like the TOMS model. Where could we bundle and combine these?

And ultimately when we all get through this together and come out the other side, the stimulus packages that need to get people spending again may see one of the biggest consumer spending spikes that we have had in years. I wonder what that is going to look like.