COVID-19 has been a huge challenge to society and has indeed affected many businesses across the world. As a consequence,  companies have had to adapt to this new normality in order to survive and shape the future of the economy.  The question we are going to answer in this blog today is: how does the customer behave in the new normality?

The advertising agency Sra Rushmore has launched a Post Pandemic Report in which we can understand the present of the market and how it will shape the future with the aim of helping brands understand the behaviour of the new customer. 

Starting point: before the pandemic

In november 2019, companies discussed how the economy would grow +1,5% in 2020 and also salaries 2.2% due to the decrease of the inflation rate. In general terms, the data predicted was normal and habitual. Our social order is based on wealth and individualism; we are taught to buy in order to achieve success and happiness. Since we are childs, we are taught to compete with the argument of “be the best version of yourself”. 

According to Yuva Noah Harari, he states that we haven’t been raised with values such as empathy, altruism or collaboration and now we are paying the price. 

Where are we now?

Out of the blue, we find ourselves in the middle of a pandemic and a world-wide crisis that has not only affected our present but will also shape our future. Why didn’t we think this could happen to us?

According to the study presented by the agency, the problem is the lack of attention to the warnings that the scientific community was giving. Throwback to 2020 when OMS informed that COVID-19 wasn’t considered dangerous and that international organisms had faith in the non-evolution of the virus. 

Moreover, Sra Rushmore points out the excess of optimism as another reason for our actual situation. Other studies also state that 80% of the global population live under the influence of the “optimistic bias”, that is to say, that we believe that no matter our age, race or gender we think that things will turn out good for us though the general prediction states the opposite. 

As a consequence, many daily decisions that seem impartial are influenced by this optimistic bias and believing that we have more control over the situation than we actually have. In order to avoid these situations in a future, the agency predicts that: 

We have to be more realistic and assume risks

We will learn to be more socially committed and emphatic 

We will restructure our productive necessities in order to be prepared for future events and not suffer the actual consequences. 

Changes in consumers’ behaviour

Since we have had to deal with new normality with no experience: confinement has definitely changed the way we see and live to 60% of people. And some of these changes have already been perceived during quarantine. 

Some of the data that state these changes are: the consumption of flour has increased 170% and even the consumption of mass through TV has increased 88%. Board games have also experienced a growth: monopoly has had 327% more sales!

All in all, we have to face covid and adapt to the pandemic since we are still battling through the virus: the future is uncertain and the population is worried. 

New concerns

92% of population is concerned about the economic consequences

60% believe that their salary will be cut

51% are afraid of losing their job

40% have freezed their investments in projects they were going to do. 

As a consequence, there are new consumer habits and behaviors:

The acquisition of food has increased 73% as its considered a basic necessity

There has been a 60% increase in laptop sales 

There have been significant changes n the way we consume media:

The media that has increased the most is Gaming (271%)

The digital platforms that have also increased are Youtube (+55%) and Message apps (61%). 

And of course the use of WIFI has increased 57% due to remote work. 

Having been able to be at home more hours than we had ever imagined, the future will be a balance between autonomy and social welfare, we will pass from the ego-system to the ecosystem. 

The brands’ role in the crisis

The new focus on social responsibility has increased in the last months from an individual and a collective perspective. Many companies have lead by example adopting measures never seen before: 

Changes in production: companies such as Inditex have dedicated their efforts to produce materials for face masks. 

Donations: companies have donated and raised funds to battle the pandemic. 

Freemium models: other companies have given free access to their contents and services during confinement. 

The attitude and capacity of many companies to deal with the different challenges of the crisis through collaboration have reflected brand values and positioned their companies as socially responsible. From the consumers side it has been very valued. 

Rating the communication of brands during the health crisis

 80% prefer love, confidence and happy messages

60% value flexibility when adapting to changes

40% value the concerns for loneliness 

According to the study, consumers look for communication that talks about the daily situation and not focused on products, they prefer brands that talk about values. Socal innovation has become a fundamental topic for brand storytelling and strategy. Even 55% consumers think that brands have more power than the government to build a better future. 

Future trends in communication

The importance of critical thinking: thanks to the informative use of the internet and its global use, the necessity of understanding situations and developing critical thinking will be a must. 

Focus on wellbeing: there will be an increase in data to control our health and physical and mental wellbeing. But this could even be used as a tool to divide society. 

Social capital: collaboration, commitment and voluntary work will increase. 

Local presence and global relevance: we will feel a part of the global community and at the same time, the local economy will improve thanks to technology. 

At the same time, there will be microtrends due to the health digitalisation and brands’ commitment: 

Therapeutic brands: brands will be more than just product sellers, they will offer on/off experiences for users. 

Health tech: medical consultants and online pharmacies will grow to avoid bottlenecks at hospitals. 

Social media wellbeing: in order to find the balance and promote a healthy use of media, wellbeing platforms will be developed to help consumers. 

Micro learning: There will be faster courses and training to improve the users’ abilities. 

Workaconomics: there will be labour improvements linked to the reconciliation of work and family life and improvements in consideration models that will go much further than money: relaxation programs, wellbeing in order to boost productivity.