The Coronavirus pandemic of 2019 has upended the lives of pretty much everyone on this planet. The pandemic’s sheer disruption to everyday life caused considerable damage to the global economy and the tragic loss of life. As the virus continues to ravage most of the world, we look to see how the world is going to be once the virus has been largely kept under control, which will happen eventually. Here are the most probable scenarios we will see once restrictions have been relaxed and most of the countries have achieved mass inoculation.
1. Off-premise dining will likely be more popular than eating in restaurants, at least for a bit
From the start of the pandemic until now, food-delivery apps have experienced a surge in revenue caused by most people wanting to stay home for their safety. The 4 biggest American food delivery apps UberEats, Doordash, Grubhub, and Postmates have collectively raked in around $5.5 billion from April through September. This is more than double their collective $2.5 billion in revenue last year, during the same period. This is not the only way consumers are changing their food consumption as drive-thru, takeout, or curbside pick up actually top the list of off-premise restaurant consumer preference with 62% of consumers preferring to get their food through the drive-thru when eating restaurant food and 46% using takeout, according to Datassential.
Whether this demand is temporary cannot be clearly determined as according to the National Restaurant Association’s State of the Industry report, “84% of customers said in April that they’re not eating in restaurants as often as they’d like” This information suggests the possibility that consumers would eventually prefer the dine-in restaurant experience. It’s difficult to know for sure but food delivery and takeouts would most likely be the preferred way to consume restaurant food soon after the pandemic is over.
2. Sustainability will be a significant factor for travelers
There’s not a lot of things on the bright side of the pandemic but among them is the demand for sustainability. The world has seen the positive effects of the lack of human activity due to lockdowns on the environment. According to Elizabeth Becker, author of Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism, travelers will want to be concerned citizens who will look after tourist spots and demand responsible travel policies. Of course, as the demand for this rises, the travel industry would respond with measures to address this situation. Consequently, most travelers would avoid crowded tourist spots for both health reasons and to lessen the harm over-tourism brings to the environment. Measures like “Fly-free days” will be common, in effect.
3. More people would permanently work at home
As restrictions haven’t been fully relaxed in most parts of the world, a lot of employees still find themselves partly working from home, with a few days in a week having to report to the office. Initially, employers were skeptical about this unorthodox idea but as everyone has been forced to adapt, employers have also seen the benefits of reducing real estate costs while maintaining the same level of productivity. Self-employed individuals or online freelancers would also consider making this their primary method of earning money.
The pandemic has forced us to rethink how we go about our daily lives and has also forced us to respond accordingly in ways we have never even thought about. While some changes might be negative, the new normal would definitely bring in some positives.
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