Digitization In The Post Covid-19 World

A research conducted by Singapore University of Technology and Design used data-based estimations and digitization technologies to predict the end of COVID-19. The research predicts that the ‘end date’ for coronavirus throughout the world will be February 15, 2021. That means that coronavirus is here to stay for more than 1 year. But the truth is that coronavirus will continue to exist for 100 years. It will alter the structure of our world completely.

During the lockdown, organizations were operating from remote locations and are now realizing that they do not need an office. They do not need to pay millions of dollars in rent when their employees can work from home. Technology giants, such as Google and Facebook, announced that their employees can work remotely until 2021.

International lockdown in the past couple of months has affected our economic and social behaviors and is continuing to do so, even after the lockdown easement. People and businesses are now realizing that by using the right technology, they can perform their daily functions without getting out of the house. Online grocery deliveries, pivot to digital classrooms, and online consultation services have opened new possibilities for people. According to research, 75% of people using digital methods will continue to do so even after things return to “normal”. So, that is why COVID-19 will continue to exist for 100 years. The virus will disappear soon, but its effects will stay here for a long time.

Due to COVID-19, organizations are accelerating digital strategies to cope with the changing environment by optimizing their business processes. These advancements will open a window of opportunities for businesses in the future along with freelancers. It will restructure the way organizations operate and survive. Here’s our best guess on how digitization will be changing the outline in the post-COVID world.

The impact of COVID-19 stay-at-home laws has pushed customers to shift their behaviors entirely, even after the lockdown easement. The pandemic has given a rise to the “Age of Contact-Less Customer Experience”. With airlines quickly reinventing the flying experience and restaurants providing contact-free deliveries, numerous industries are determined to refocus their digital efforts towards the evolving customer expectation. So, the question that arises is:

The answer is YES! COVID-19 has affected the long-term behavior patterns that will continue to alter the economic structure in the future. According to a CMO Survey, 85% of marketers report an increased openness among customers to their online offerings, even the brick-and-mortar customers, who were previously stuck to the traditional ways.

According to a study by Enterpreneur.com, 86% of Americans and 81% of Canadians agreed that COVID-19 will have a lasting impact on our behaviors. Today, most people are seeking comfort in a sheltered environment they have created for themselves-their homes. This has caused a long-term psychological shift in how to do things and changed the entire landscape of consumer behavior. According to a study by Sensor Tower, business apps attracted 1.4 million new downloads across IOS and Play Store in January, which jumped to 6.7 million in March. Brands are responding to this increase in app usage by pivoting their marketing app strategies to deliver a sense of safety among the larger community. Online deliveries with new contactless features, digital payments, and virtual marketing apps have opened a window of opportunities for enterprises to market their product through digital platforms.
There is very little debate that the pandemic has changed the marketing landscape forever. SEO is now the focus for most of the business in order to grow their online presence and platform trend, which is expected to prevail in the post-pandemic era. So, the question that businesses are asking is:

Brands are expected to reimagine their marketing app strategies as “digital” is the new spotlight. To survive in this environment, companies should adopt digital capabilities that will allow them to go online in the future. Moreover, investments in technology, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, automation, and data analytics will give businesses an opportunity to implement best digital practices and therefore, survive in the competitive marketing world.

“Rightsize the IT cost structure to new demand levels and reinvest the freed-up resources into customer-facing digital solutions and critical decision-support systems, first and foremost”
~ McKinsey’s advice

The pandemic has changed the focus of businesses on the digitization of concepts and immediate plans of actions. Greater use of digital communication channels and electronic documents is expected to change the landscape of the post-pandemic era. The increasing need for brands to develop faster and more efficient apps has given rise to “The Age of PowerApps”. PowerApps has been proving to be increasingly popular due to its advance mobile capabilities, data security, better compliance, and out of the box components.

From an enterprise perspective, PowerApps provides them the opportunity to build apps due to its increasing advantages; responsive design, minimal coding, and most importantly, the ability to transform manual processes to automated business processes. From an employee perspective, PowerApps helps them to report on the work they are doing and communicate with their online customers at the same time. And from an administrator perspective, PowerApps has adequate features to send relevant information to stakeholders. It also helps administrators update the emergency contact data of all employees, and maintain real-time insight into inventory.

Due to COVID-19, the main goal companies have for themselves is; TO THRIVE. To achieve this goal, companies are required to reimagine their digitization strategies and modernize their resources. Low-code platforms, such as PowerApps, will help businesses achieve their objectives quickly and more efficiently. We must realize that the future is digital, and even after the pandemic ends, there will be long term implications of COVID-19. All we have to do is adapt to a better and more digitalized future.