How will our industry change post-COVID?

I’ve had some interesting conversations recently with a variety of people from within the industry, mostly based around how they feel the industry will change in a post-COVID world. So, I thought it would be interesting to open up the conversation for general thoughts.

Obviously, the new year hasn’t been a magic reset button and many of the COVID (and other) challenges we faced in 2020 are still with us in 2021. The vaccine is yet to be rolled out in Australia and it remains to be seen how quickly it is able to be given, and how that affects the various restrictions and border closures.

One thing 2020 taught us, more than anything else, is how much of our face-to-face business can be conducted online. I’m not suggesting one can substitute for another in its entirety but many businesses have maintained normal (or close to normal) operations with staff working from home, conducting meetings online and even conducting sales presentations and customer meetings in a virtual setting.

It’s reasonable to expect our travel – interstate and definitely international – to be restricted for the better part of the rest of this year so I’m imagining this will affect supplier reps who might normally travel from state-to-state to visit customers. Designers and builders who would normally visit clients in their homes or host meetings in showrooms have mostly been able to continue this practice – but with COVID-safe measures in place – and/or replace some face-to-face meetings with online equivalents.

Some roles are impossible to carry out from home – showroom staff or factory workers, for example. But many other office-based positions have now been proven to be workable in a more flexible work-at-home arrangement. I would expect these staff members would be in a strong negotiating position to be lobbying business owners to allow this to continue, even as we exit the COVID restrictions currently in place. Business owners who have traditionally not supported flexible working situations will probably find it more difficult to argue against a request made by a staff member if they have proven it is workable and profitable.

We’ve certainly seen a new appreciation among consumers for the comforts of home – given that many of us have spent far more hours in our dwellings than we would under normal circumstances. And, with the limitations of no holidays and no need for other investment items such as new cars, it makes sense that our industry has at its disposal a huge base of potential customers, ready and waiting to improve their homes.

It’s not rocket science to predict a rise of activity within the renovation sector in 2021 – after all, we already saw quite an increase in 2020. Where I think we’ll start to see a change is how renovation companies engage with and conduct business with customers. Businesses have seen the potential, and cost savings, in conducting initial appointments online allowing customers to reach out in a non-threatening environment to make a connection with a company they are considering.

An initial online meeting can also be time-limited – almost like speed dating – so both parties have an opportunity to see if their needs and services are aligned. But in this way, you are still able to make a personal connection with your potential client in a more meaningful way than an initial conversation on the phone.

Design and concept presentations can now also be done online – some designers with interstate clients have been doing this for some time, but I suspect we’ll see a rise in popularity as this means couples can dial in from work (say, on a lunch break) and don’t need to be in the same place or give up work time to be at home for a meeting. I’m also making a call that an online shopping appointments will be come popular with designers able to “walk” their client through a suppliers website to discuss options for fittings, fixtures etc.. and look at some of the features and benefits of specific items. As an initial discussion, this could be a huge time-saver rather than driving around to multiple showrooms.

COVID has meant that we are all now online much more than we used to be – and we used to be online a lot! This means our clients are doing more research and are more informed before they come to us and that means you all need to be online more as well, whether it’s via your social channels or with more content on your website, maybe even starting an informative series on YouTube, IGTV or Facebook Lives in order to engage.

It’s the age of online technology so that means many businesses will need to step up and really start taking this sector of their business seriously if they are not to be left behind as we head into 2022.