Post-corona life – Are we going to be different consumers?
Like many other insights and consultancy agencies, ADK INSIGHTS often publishes global consumer trends to help sift through the emerging dynamics of the consumer world. However, none of us predicted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these trends.
Although we have just compiled a special COVID-19 report on global trends (if you do not have a copy – please contact us), it is difficult to predict just how lasting some of these new trends for consumers will be. But we can agree on one thing – some things are definitely going to be different and some of the global trends forecast are going to happen even faster than we thought.
How are we, as consumers, going to change after the COVID-19 period?
- THE NEW ME. We now have more time to spend at home and that has made us more independent, more self-resilient, more resourceful – and even more creative. This means brands will need to develop new and different relationships with consumers – which are more transparent and more sincere.
- HEALTH CONSCIOUS. No doubt global, national and personal Health have been the most talked about subjects across all media platforms. We have been bombarded with advice about staying safe and keeping healthy. We have never been more health conscious. To add to this – interest in fitness, well-being, better nutrition and sustainability has rocketed as a result. Companies not addressing all these issues now and in the future will certainly be left behind.
- TAKING CONTROL. Managing our home with us in it 24/7 has taught us to have more responsibility and take more control of our life – in terms of allocating time to various tasks, rearranging our work at home schedules, deciding which food we buy for all meals of the day and where we buy it, what entertainment to choose, learning how to be fit from home, making new lifestyle choices, etc. Companies nowadays are required to better listen and better understand what these new needs and requirements are.
- NEW CALENDAR. Staying at home has completely freed up our calendars – our daily schedule is now different and many habits and activities (such as going to a café or restaurant, shopping and visiting the theatre, commuting, driving a car) have been replaced by a new timetable, which is now more focused on seeking a simpler life and wishing to be the person we always wanted to be. Part of that new timetable may remain in the future. Brands need to be tuned into these new habits.
- We are forced to live in a new social context – we cannot visit or receive visitors, but we still heavily crave human interaction and affection and it is clear that an investment in friends, partners, and family is vital to our own well-being. Most of us are looking forward to going back to the old ways of socialising, but many new digital communication platforms will continue to thrive alongside, further upgrading the meaning of sharing within our social circles.
- FAMILY LIFE. Those of us who have children have never been with them so much and so intensively before. Parents and children are now getting to know more about each other and ‘Family Quality Time’ has become a daily feature. Parents are learning that experiences with the children are more valuable than just toys or objects and companies offering products and services to families need to address it.
- BEING ALONE IS NOT BEING LONELY. Many have learned that they can not only well manage alone at home, but they can also enjoy doing it alone – cooking, finding new hobbies, exercising, meditating, gaming, entertainment, self-learning – the list is long. Brands will have to learn to better address the needs of people who suddenly enjoy doing things alone (and many of them may still live in a large household).
- We cannot travel. We cannot go to places we were looking forward to visiting. So, we go back to our memories and look for them everywhere in the house – photos, videos, TV, the web, social network platforms and more. Companies who can trigger these memories will appeal to many.
Evaluating all the above, we certainly expect consumers to change. Our clients will need to adjust accordingly, and the quicker they do so – the better it will be for both sales and brand performance.
ADK INSIGHTS combines both qualitative exploration of the rational and emotional factors surrounding the COVID-19 period, and quantitative scale, including full global Social Media coverage, to validate consumers’ ideas, habits and wishes.
To find out more about our dialogue with consumers worldwide, please contact Rob, Dam or Nimrod.