As we all come to grips with a global health crisis the likes of which modern society has never dealt with before, it would seem like an odd time to be talking about trends.
Wouldn’t a good trend be the COVID-19 virus being cured… or at least processes and programs in place to address the crisis and get people better? There’s a trend a lot of us would like to see, for sure.
In the real world we all live in, however, we’re going to have to settle for something a little less impactful. But here’s the thing: we’re going to get through this and on the other side, there will be business to be done and those who make and sell the products we put in our homes had better be prepared.
I remember back after Sept. 11 when all the pundits said the nation had been sobered and there would no longer be a place for the frivolous and the petty, the conspicuous consumption and the endless pursuit of more that had seemed to consume us all. Well, we all know how that turned out: the first decade of the 21st century turned into one of the most high-flying periods in American history when the country shopped until they dropped, using the equity in their homes to buy up everything in sight. That eventually ended with the Great Recession but any lessons learned from that period have also receded in time. We still want more.
So too will be the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. We don’t know when it will be or exactly how fast things will begin to restart but history suggests – indeed insists – that that’s the way it works.
And those who are best prepared for what’s to come will be the ones who will be most successful in their endeavors. We are all allowed to bury our heads in the sand (or someplace worse) but we are not allowed to do it indefinitely.
So, get a grip, see what’s happening and, oh by the way, wash your hands.
Award-winning Journalist & Consultant for the retailing and home furnishings industries with extensive business media experience in both fields.
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