As brick-and- mortar retail shops and stores have been limited during the pandemic, many businesses have turned to selling digitally– potentially for the very first time. We have seen that 2020 has brought an upward rise in technology use. Among social distancing orders and fears of spreading the virus, people have turned to technology to make many of their purchases.
Not only that, social activities and work is now being done from home. Companies like Twitter, are permanently shifting their employees to work from home. Zoom is now a common term you hear everywhere. Whether it’s a social-distanced happy hour or a business meeting from home, 2020 has created a major shift towards digital technologies which may be here to stay.
E-commerce
E-commerce is defined as any transaction conducted electronically. People are purchasing more online than ever before! In fact, according to Statista, “In 2019, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to 3.53 trillion US dollars and e-retail revenues are projected to grow to 6.54 trillion US dollars in 2022.”
With that said, there has been a new entrepreneurial spirit for many people in the US. Now may be the time to start looking into starting an online business. If you already have one– it is a great time to investigate ways you can take advantage of the online trend to make the sales you want!
With the rise of e-commerce comes great new tools like DataQ or Shopify to help you create the website of your dreams and of course sell more!
Online School
Unfortunately, recess has been canceled this year. With the rise of cases, many students are shifting to online or hybrid schooling. Meaning teachers and students everywhere need to have access to an internet source and device to maintain success. As mentioned, platforms like Zoom are being used to teach bigger classes so students can still attend live and chime in if they need to.
Although this may be challenging for both students and teachers, it gives students more time to work and potentially attend universities across the world while saving money by living at home.
Emerging Technologies
Because things couldn’t always be done the same way this year, there has been a greater adoption of emerging technology like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). As a matter of fact, Ikea and wayfair have implemented an augmented reality app for you to view furniture or other items digitally from your home. This 3D augmentation allows you to see what an item would look like in your home so you don’t have to travel in-store.
Other companies are following along this trend and thinking of newer ways to help consumers shop online without having to come see things in person. A “try before you buy” motto has been considered among retailers as well. Ulta Beauty’s GLAMlab virtual makeup try on has seen a rise in numbers since the pandemic.
Big tech giants like Facebook and Apple are investing billions of dollars into emerging technologies in speculation that the market will take off. To our knowledge, 2020 has indeed accelerated the shift towards emerging technology by at least a few years.
Online grocery shopping
Many people are afraid of getting the virus at a populated location like a grocery store. It’s no wonder, as there are hundreds of people that visit grocery stores each day– and who know where they’ve been. Therefore, shopping for groceries online has been bigger than ever before. Per Supermarket News, nearly 80% of American consumers shopped online for groceries since the COVID-19 outbreak.
Eventually, if social distancing measures are (ever) lifted, people may continue to shop for their groceries online because of the convenience factor. Additionally, they may be used to doing so and will not want to ever switch back.
Digital Healthcare
Many doctors and therapists are providing access to telehealth to still see patients. Healthcare systems have had to adjust to a changing environment by evaluating patients digitally. With people worried about the virus, and overcrowding at doctors offices– telehealth is a win-win situation. While telehealth is certainly not new, widespread adoption has take place amid the rise of the pandemic.
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