Change or die: The post-coronavirus business landscape
Even before Coronavirus washed upon the shores of America, impersonal, electronic ways to acquire goods were being utilized by top companies. Most people, especially millennials, have ordered food online or via an app, from everywhere from McDonald’s to trendy downtown restaurants.
For restaurants and industries that have not adapted to an electronic ordering model, coronavirus proves to be a huge threat. Microbreweries that once thrived off of bar patrons must limit the amount of people in their spaces and move to a to-go model. Will people be willing to refill their growler every week during a crisis of this magnitude? You bet your ass, they will.
Neighborhood restaurants, as opposed to the mega-chains like McDonald’s and Chic-fil-a, are some of the slowest adapters to new tech. Many are already well behind the game, and must emulate the Chinese takeout model in order to survive new laws and regulations that are helping contain the spread of covid-19.
Luckily, the changes these slow adapters need to take are not huge. Sure, workers will need to be re-purposed into delivery drivers and cooks. Money will need to be spent on digital advertising to ensure people know your business has adapted to the post coronavirus landscape and is ready to serve customers in a timely, clean and safe way.
Naturally, there are already a number of services, such as Postmates and Uber Eats, that will make this transition even easier. But business owners must be willing to take the plunge and double down on this model, because the coronavirus crisis is going to get much, much worse before it gets better. Acting fast is the only option for survival.
As a freelance web designer and digital marketer who foresaw the economic damage being wrought by covid-19, there is a tinge of excitement in the possibilities presented by such a profound change in the way people are going to spend money and conduct business for the rest of 2020. There will be big winners and even bigger losers.
Small business owners should not expect a bailout (at least a meaningful one) from the government. Their survival, at this critical juncture in history, will be determined by their ability to adapt. Marketing materials and strategies will have to change. Business models will change. And customers’ expectations will never be the same.
Is your business ready to compete in a competitive digital battlefield? If you have not started the process of restructuring yet, it may be too late.
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