In the last few months, most of our routine had stopped working at worst or will never be the same at best.
Isolation is our new life: instead of grocery shopping, we use delivery services. Instead of going out to see a movie, we browse Netflix or YouTube. Owners of small and medium businesses now have to ask themselves what will be the next big thing in this new world ― and how can they be at the forefront of it.
Entertainment Content
Since most people are now at home, we have more free time and a very passive lifestyle on our hands. There would be no better occasion to consume as much content as possible in all of its forms. Movies and TV shows, audiobooks and articles, video games, VR — the content is endless and available during isolation in its entirety. Most companies focusing on content creation kept their business during the crisis and even grew tenfold. And this isn’t theory: in April, Disney was overthrown as the most expensive company by Netflix, which witnessed an all-time peak of their stock market price.
Content creation is the biggest flavor of the month for every business amid the pandemic. Since most companies can’t provide services to their clients, they ensure people are still engaged with their product through content. Not much else to do while at home and on the Internet.
Online Education
A lot of people prefer other ways of spending their time besides consuming endless entertainment. Many turn their heads to education because it’s now or never. Self-isolation is the perfect time to acquire new skills, and all the possible educational platforms are now in demand ― from art lectures to Python programming courses.
People need to spend their energy somehow and if you think there’s something you would like to teach them in the process ― then go ahead!
Communication
Right now, the only way of communication with clients is the Internet. Because of that, most businesses will soon turn much more digital if they haven’t already. We have spikes of demand for hosting services, web design studios, social media agencies. On top of that, most freelancers and self-employed specialists in design, SEO, and copywriting now find themselves getting more and more projects in their fields.
New Offline Services
The delivery services have been all the rage over the past few weeks. Even though people continue their self-isolation, they still need to obtain the essentials somehow: groceries, clothes, medicine, hygiene products, documents, letters, books, household appliances, accessories, gadgets, kitchenware, pet products, contact lenses, batteries, light bulbs, and millions of other things. Soon we’ll see more delivery services than there already is ― for all types of people with different approaches to service, something similar to the taxi industry.
Tourism
For many people, self-isolation feels like torture, to the point where they’re ready to risk their health (and breaking isolation restrictions) because it’s impossible to cope with staying at home. A lot of companies provide safe and lawful options for leaving the isolation. They include open-air spaces, spas, gyms, parks, and other places that we haven’t seen in a while. It is a tricky business because there are all types of legal difficulties that arise in the process, not to mention disinfection and safety precautions. But those who can streamline the process will definitely see a lot of success.
Today, any business has to do three things: not panic, take a look around and start adapting to the new environment. It is simple and imminent ― you cannot lose any more time.
