COVID-19: What Changes Should You Make for the Post-Crisis World?

We know it: the health crisis we are currently living through is profoundly changing society and the habits of everyone.

The French are hoping for many changes once lockdown is lifted.

YouGov conducted a study for Society magazine to highlight French people's expectations for the post-crisis period — giving you some idea of the adaptations your business may need to make in order to continue meeting the needs of your clients and prospects. Indeed, this disruption is forcing businesses to adapt their models to anticipate and weather future crises, but also to turn these exceptional circumstances to their advantage.

One thing is certain: the French want change.

Ecology is taking on a very particular importance for the French, who consider it crucial to place environmental concerns at the heart of France's priorities.

The French are choosing to change their habits — primarily their consumption habits — in terms of both quantity and quality. This desire to consume less, and to buy local, echoes a need to return to basics and the simpler things in life.

It is worth noting that 58% of 18–24-year-olds wish to exercise more after the crisis, compared with one in three French people overall.

And nearly one in six people aged 35–44 wishes to change career — a figure twice as high as the national average.

Consumption is the third area set to confirm recent changes. Since 2009, the habits of the French have changed greatly. They have become more rational.

The era of hyperconsumption and materialistic accumulation should be firmly behind us. Better informed and sometimes more expert, the French demand more transparency, more health guarantees, more quality.

There is no doubt that this crisis will make consumers even more demanding. The shift by brands and businesses towards greater "responsibility" will therefore accelerate in the years to come.

The new normal

It is not unreasonable to believe that certain aspects will become the new standard for businesses:

• Social distancing will become a new social norm

The habits formed during lockdown will likely endure. It is therefore essential to think about mobile or contactless payments, e-commerce for everyday shopping, and more general-purpose online retail sites (find an article explaining why having an online sales site is important here). Remote working could persist and see mass adoption — it is our responsibility to implement it as effectively as possible.

If your business has not yet made the digital shift, you need to start thinking about your transformation in order to be visible but also, and above all, to be viable online.

• Cities, shops, and workplaces will need to be completely redesigned

The new virtual habits (remote working and learning, e-commerce, etc.) formed during weeks of lockdown could reshape the way we use physical spaces.

With the introduction of simple tools and adherence to social distancing guidelines, it will still be possible to welcome the public in the spaces we were accustomed to frequenting before the coronavirus arrived.

Looking further ahead, it is possible that, on a larger scale, an alternative urban model could take shape, prompting us to redefine the role, form, and user experience of enclosed spaces in particular.

In the longer term, we could even witness an urban exodus. The entire economy therefore needs to be rethought, in order to deploy a more inclusive and more homogeneous range of services across all territories.

• The collective interest will become real and tangible

COVID-19 has shown us that we are all highly dependent on one another: individuals, businesses, and governments. No one can weather the crisis if other countries are suffering badly from it.

This sad episode demonstrates the necessity of amplifying and maintaining collaboration and cooperation between businesses and governments for the good of society and the environment.

Examples are already visible: a sharp drop in pollution, consortia set up within days…

If the globalised consumer society has shown its weaknesses, our shared responsibility will be to ensure we combine a growth model with greater inclusion and sustainability.

• As a business, making the right calls for the short and medium term will be decisive

Given these new paradigms, businesses will need to balance short-term and medium-term priorities in order to ensure their recovery:

• In the short term, react to preserve the current business model and assets as much as possible;
• In the medium to long term: strengthen differentiating factors or create new ones in order to seize emerging opportunities and sustain the model — and the capacity — for long-term growth.

To achieve this, it is important to reflect on the 5 value-creation pillars identified by Fabernovel in order to adopt a systemic approach:

• Talent: how, for example, can new organisational models be deployed to better integrate remote working and continuous remote learning?
• Their ecosystem: how can relationships with governments be developed and sustained after the crisis?
• Their social and environmental impact: how can environmental and societal commitments be maintained and amplified despite significant budgetary constraints?
• Their infrastructure: how can their supply chain be made more resilient through greater agility and a change in partner sourcing?
• Their clients: how can they continue to engage clients and meet their needs in a considerably more virtualised environment?

We do not claim to know all the changes that will unfold in French society once lockdown is lifted. We only hope that this article has given you some answers and avenues to explore in order to survive these changes and keep your business in the best possible shape.

Take care of yourselves.