Businesses that Sustained the Covid-19 Tide

With COVID-19 hitting the people like a bolt out of the blue, the severity and the anticipated impact wasn’t which was accounted to. The landscape of how the world operates has changed dramatically and so has that of the USA due to the virus. People across the globe had been laid off unexpectedly across various sectors, be it the hospitality or the aviation or telecom, etc. The list is endless, but there are some businesses which have not only retained their clients but have also grown during the pandemic. With people learning to adapt to the new normal, some traditional businesses which had taken a backseat earlier have also come to the fore-front yet again, for instance home-made food delivery, health-care services, etc.

      (P.C.- Unsplash, @jakaylatoney)

      Let’s take a look at some of the businesses which have sustained themselves successfully during such demanding times:

1. Supermarkets- With the pandemic hitting the habits of the people to eat outside on a regular basis, they were now looking for options to prep their meals by selves and have healthier meals to remain in good health. With the take home and delivery of food business still remaining as it is, even going up higher in terms of business volumes generated, but the super-marts had seen a tremendous increase in their revenue footfall, be it for sales regarding with purchasing of daily essentials as well as food items. Some of this was even a result of initial panic buying but people who had time in their hand, explored different avenues and tried their hands at baking or cooking exquisite meals, some items like the flourless cakes or Dalgona coffee were major social media trends during the pandemic.

(P.C.- Unsplash, @imants72)

2. Meal preparation and delivery services – With people opting for home-cooked meals or preferring food from outside which is prepared in a well sanitized and a safe environ, a demand for services related to ready to eat meals and food delivery services have risen up, dramatically. Many local food joints have seen a rise in demand of meal prep services and are witnessing a surge in orders, as well as have seen an increase in their customer base.

 (P.C.- Unsplash, @lightphonics)

3. Tutoring and online education platforms – With children being unable to attend schools and youngsters unable to attend universities for a long time, parents across USA were rightly worried about their children’s future, that couldn’t be held at stake. Therefore, the sudden rise of online education portals and hike in the demand for private tutors didn’t come as a surprise. With the demand in safety and precautions on the rise and avoiding public interface being a priority for people, the preference has risen for limited contact amongst people. That’s why parents prefer at home tutors who can supplement the virtual education being taken by their children. Many at home tuition services have hired tutors who can teach young children at their homes.

 Virtual education platforms like Chegg etc. are also offering education-related services to help children on various aspects to overcome the lag in education which rose up due to the pandemic.

(P.C. – Unsplash, @mohammadshahhosseini)

4. Behavioral health practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists, et al. – With the COVID -19 impacting people in a negative manner, i.e. people losing their jobs as a result they suffer from financial distress, suffering from depression, familial issues, societal pressure, isolation etc., therefore all these things have taken a toll on the mental health of the people, as these cases have risen across USA, they have taken re-course to psychological and behavioral counseling. To help people, many psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists have taken to virtual counseling methods. Rise in the apps like Talkspace, Betterhelp, etc. have acted as distress relievers for the people, more-so because they are convenient, economical and flexible to use.

(P.C. – Unsplash, @anthonytran)

5. OTT and Entertainment Portals- With people staying at home for long and WFH becoming norm for the day, modes of entertainment had been limited to a few due to obvious reasons. As people couldn’t venture out for even a walk in the park, use of entertainment portals like Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. have seen a spike, with the latter adding 16 million new subscribersduring the first quarter of 2020.

(P.C. – Unsplash, @molliesivaram)

6. Sports and Fitness equipment Industry- As people were confined within the four walls of their house, fitness in general had taken a backseat, and was even a harsh time for fitness enthusiasts and regular gym goers, as any such public centre was closed, and still haven’t returned to the Pre-COVID levels. People across USA have turned to home gyms, wherein they are ordering fitness equipments like yoga mats and other products, demand for which are on the rise.

Fitness companies are offering virtual classes to people where they can watch recorded or live sessions as per their convenience as well as there are rising tech start-ups that offer internet-connected fitness equipment for instance, Mirror, Fightcamp, etc.

(P.C. – Unsplash, @krakenimages)

7.  Delivery Services- With people hardly stepping out of their homes or only when it was needed the most, delivery services of both essential and non-essential goods had picked up. There has been seemingly a hike in the professional delivery services across States, especially in the food and corporate retail delivery services, for instance, delivery of groceries, medicines, etc.

8. Sanitizer and Mask Production – Though, the last on the list but probably the most important sector which has skyrocketed, be it in terms of sales or identity; irrespective of the company size, all companies engaged in this business have seen a visible jump in their production capacity and resultant revenues, as well as, there has been an opening for new entrants as well, who tapped the market at the opportune time.

 As per the claims of Chicago based Terraboost Media’s they have emerged as an objective based OOH Media advertizing agency, which successfully created a network of more than 72k hand sanitizing billboards, which dispensed sanitizer and wipes, along-with displaying messages and advisory to the consumer, who entered Super-marts, pharmacies, groceries, etc. These high engagement figures indicate the essential need and demand of the sanitizers; As per Terraboost Media’s CEO Brian Morrison “In today’s current environment, people are using them everywhere they go. Its guaranteed engagement; almost every person uses a wipe. The engagement is almost equal to foot traffic,” Morrison added. “The hand-sanitizing billboards reach a vast audience, and 94% of shoppers have positive opinion of company sponsoring them.”

The mask making industry has also picked up steam, till a while ago, the usage of the same was restricted to emergency and other healthcare services, prominently, but with COVID virus being transmittable, masks have come as a first shield of defense, which are indispensable; therefore, not only are big companies from across the globe are manufacturing masks, but even small tailors, boutique owners, fashion designers are coming up with specially designed masks, to suit the tastes of the customer, since nowadays it has become an essential need, which is mandatory to be carried at all times.

(P.C. – Unsplash, @taiscaptures)

We have seen examples of such businesses that waded the COVID waters successfully, there are many more to the list, but successful management of the business depends on a carefully thought out process, as well as proper implementation of marketing strategy. Though the pandemic has now come down from what it was from the starting of the year, it’s never too late to pick up and race ahead, because that’s what business and entrepreneurship are all about.