COVID to INNOVATION

Innovation really at a time like this?

Absolutely, we owe it to ourselves to look beyond today, tomorrow and the next few months to ensure that businesses, economies, communities WILL re-ignite the worlds engine and move forward into a new era.

As with all defining moments in history we are tested beyond our means, imaginations and resources to get around the challenges and inevitably overtime come out stronger.

Our time-lapse or window of opportunity this time around may not present us all with the comfort of an extended period as the entire global community is facing the same challenges which means a rather competitive landscape to retain our position or market share.

So, the following areas is where I see considerable innovation either happening already or will be prevalent within these environments:

Communication:

Remote, Isolation, Social Distancing, are some of the familiar words of our present time and these may well define how we actually communicate with our colleagues, clients and with each other, within all communities. What innovative language will be used to motivate, calm or inform will decide how to get the best out of the situations moving forward.

Working & Social Habits:

No physical contact is now the normal and, on the surface, it is incredibly necessary at the moment. Will this continue in the future or will human habits revert back to its usual self. I think that will depend on specific cultures where this could be accepted as shaking hands may move into more distant greeting gestures. With potential limited contact via electronic communication, there will be a new form of gestures (Emojis) that could emphasize the same sentiments, zoom call, online etiquette. In the online community, the media habits of each generation have dramatically changed through COVID-19 and the WEF has illustrated this poignantly. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/covid19-media-consumption-generation-pandemic-entertainment

Engagement:

We have moved into a new realm of segmentation even in engagement at retail level, where for example, Medical Staff are presented unique and dedicated times to shop. Engagement strategies may become focused in key segment markets based on location, demographic or purchasing power to potentially achieve a higher ROI. Online engagement and data infrastructure have been tested considerably with more users online throughout this period and our engagement patterns have also adapted accordingly.

Tech Usage & Adoption:

All forms of Technology usage and adoption statistics have been blown out of the water during this period and we are discovering the real winners, Ecommerce, Video-Conferencing and Entertainment. Even 3D-Printing has accelerated its applications with the movement of goods, especially in the medical sector where Plastic Face Shields are being produced at local source markets. The imagination and innovation of AI on Apps and ICT in general has demonstrably changed the game and there is no turning back. From Communication, Health, Education, Logistics to name a few, AI will innovate this ecosystem. In future AI can play a huge role in predicting an outbreak and minimizing or stalling its spread.

Global chart for video downloading apps for android and iOS

Business Cycle:

Every ‘norm’ has been challenged and you could say that this has been the most ‘disrupted’ cycle of business the world has ever experienced. Will it go back to traditional business cycles, very few people feel positive about that. So, we are in an unprecedented period where you will see these economic cycles changing and moving in a very dynamic way. Industry will adapt to ensure that any future disruption to local, national or global trade can be managed or measured more effectively. The massive disruption of the Supply Chain will innovate this ecosystem to weather any future bottlenecks with more localized and regional Distribution and Manufacturing Economic Zones being established.

Product & Market Dynamics:

This is where the biggest disruption has had a profound yet positive impact on some of the industries. Each brand known for its specific market has dynamically innovated from, YSL making Face Masks and Gowns for the medical sector, Amazon utilizing Alexa to provide Covid-19 Prevention Advise all the way to Church of England having virtual sermons that attract over 10million on a Sunday, the average attendance of the UK churches on Sunday as advised by the Archbishop of Canterbury is circa 1million. These industries alone have showcased the beginning of this innovation wave and this will only spread further a filed through other sectors.

I’m very confident that these changes that have been thrust upon us all will encourage us to react positively and through this the engine of innovation will prevail. So, let us look beyond today, and take stock of what is happening now and what will inevitably be our defining moment for the future that is ahead of us all.

For the moment ‘Stay Home’

For Family and loves ones ‘Stay Safe’

And for the future ‘Stay Innovative’