A dollop of optimism, a dash of courage and a drizzle of trust

It’s easy to think during times like this that everything has changed. That we’re experiencing things with a certain newness, all born post coronavirus. However, I don’t believe this is true.

We may be experiencing things in a new light, but they’re not fundamentally ‘new’. Coronavirus has simply accelerated things we’ve been talking about for years. Put them on a fast-track into society and gained widespread acceptance and uptake. These things may ordinarily have taken years or decades to achieve. From digital transformation to something as simple as videoconferencing; a post-coronavirus era has forced change with such velocity that it’s hard to believe mankind has adjusted as easily as it has. And it has.

There are many lessons to be learnt from this…

The first is that it exposes how much people, businesses and governments procrastinate in pursuit of perfection. The number of times ideas and initiatives whack the cutting room floor because they feel too ‘ambitious’ or because someone thinks consumers won’t ‘buy into it’ is all too familiar. These generational shifts that occur serve to highlight that fortune really does favour the brave; those who take action and stand for something. The brands who pivot fast, have genuine purpose and gain deep relevance in people’s lives. Inertia may well be a brands biggest Achilles heel in this crisis. As consumers forge new relationships with businesses and brands they may never have considered before, now is not the time to retreat. The full-scale rebound will come and when it does, companies need to be ready.

Secondly, this acceleration will catapult the acceptance of new retail channels, and I don't mean opening a new web shop. E-commerce has been a buzzword for as long as I can remember, and whilst some brands embraced this wholeheartedly pre-pandemic, many others were paralysed in the ‘bricks versus clicks’ argument, failing to realise that they were in the wrong battle. It’s the battle of the clicks that businesses should be concerned about as consumers pivot to online shopping for everything from frocks to fruit. Couple that with the rise of social commerce with livestream shopping and 'squad shopping' gripping markets in Asia, and you get a sense of where retail is headed in the West. It took years for people to get on board with supermarket home deliveries but after lockdown lifts fully, will people return in their droves to stores? I think not. As with everything, convenience will be king (or queen).

Finally, don't overegg consumer confidence with the early retail rebound. Yes, we've seen pent up demand (seems to the buzzword this week) unleashed at our retail parks with queues round the block. But don't let this blind-sight you. Social distancing measures will alter everything we’re used to, and as much as us Brits like a queue, coronavirus takes queuing to a whole other level of patience. From mass gatherings at industry trade shows to busy High Streets; brands need to heed the trends we’ve seen during lockdown and consider ways to extend virtual or digital innovations for the medium-term. New habits won’t die hard, even if the flouting of social distancing rules outside the Nike Store last week suggest otherwise.

"Pain has powered progress during this coronavirus lockdown and it’s now on brands to take this forward with hope and conviction."

So, as I reflect on this rebound recipe, I feel hopeful; a sense of optimism that for all the loss and pain we have experienced as a nation, we will prosper. Good times will return, and when they do, make sure your business is primed and ready to capitalise on this new normal. In one regard, things will never be the same again, too much has changed. But pain has powered progress during this coronavirus lockdown and it’s now on brands to take this forward with hope and conviction; taking their loyal consumers (and hopefully new ones) with them.