THE ‘NEW NORMAL’

OPINION

WHAT WILL THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ LOOK LIKE?

COVID-19 IS CHANGING THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT – BUT WHAT DOES THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ LOOK LIKE? WE INVITED KAM MEDIA’S BLAKE GLADMAN TO OFFER HIS THOUGHTS.

Last week Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab stated that the UK must find a ‘new normal’ to ease lockdown. We’re all aware how much the world has changed in the last few months but what is this ‘new normal’ and does it mean convenience retail has changed for good?

The phrase used by Raab struck connections between businesses, competitors and consumers. It’s a unique situation in which a virus that has forced us to stay apart can, in some ways, bring us closer together.

We are seeing amazing examples of this, from local retailers working together with local charities to ensure the more vulnerable members of their a particular chord with me as KAM Media published an insight whitepaper just a few weeks ago with the very same title: The New Normal: The Post Corona Consumer.

“Businesses and brands will be remembered long after this crisis is over by their words and their actions now.”

The Covid-19 pandemic is not just impacting our health, it’s impacting the very fabric of our existence. From how we shop, how we work, how we socialise and how we interact with other people. The report highlights six trends which will impact the consumer when lockdown ends. One of them is the increase in collaboration and communities are looked after, to the larger companies such as Bidfood and Brakes working together, sharing information and processes, to ensure their joint supply chain is stronger in order to get the necessary foods to their customers and local communities.

The ethics and ethos of a company have been a megatrend for some years already, with consumers looking to connect with brands and retailers on more than just a straightforward transactional level. Just as with our friends, we want to associate with people, businesses and experiences that share the same values. This really could be one of the most impactful trends to come out of this crisis. With the greatest challenges come the greatest opportunities. What moves can you make now to serve your customers, employees and partners better for the longer term? Which growth avenues could you pursue? What new partnerships could you develop?

Businesses and brands, just like people, will be remembered long after this crisis is over by their words and their actions now. The key is to not think of these changes as temporary but as an evolutionary change towards a new normal. What was an exception will soon become an expectation.

BLAKE GLADMAN, RESEARCH & STRATEGY DIRECTOR, KAM MEDIA.