Post the rise of Covid, in a new normal world, people have a preference for crowd-free environments. Tech solutions will be key to enable even the smallest businesses to offer ‘crowd-free’ experiences. The winners will be those who stand out from their peers offering the best of the newly sought-after comfort.
In a world full of opportunities, we were often advised throughout different stages of our lives to ‘stand out from the crowd’ ‘branding ourselves uniquely’. Perhaps Einstein was one of the early pioneers of such a concept as per his famous quote: “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then, you have to play better than anyone else”. While such a concept continues to be advocated today by leadership and personal marketing gurus, yet ‘stand out of the crowd’ stands for something completely different in a post-covid world as it entails a different set of risks if not taken seriously.
It has suddenly become a typical ask and preference of people today to stay out of the crowd. Apple employees are refusing to go back to the office. For the first time populous cities and states, such as California, witnessed a drop in the size of their population. Even for leisure purposes, many are heading back to nature away from busy cities, to practice their newly learned hobbies hiking or biking solo or at least in small groups. Many no longer dream of fancy cruise trips or large group reunions. This change in consumer behavior is likely to change forecasts and reverse trend lines of stats such as expected growth of city residents’, international travel, and a number of conferences and large-sized business meetings. This definitely constitutes a golden opportunity to leverage tech developers and leverage the power of tech to give people the much-needed sense of comfort.
Tech can be used in several ways, but one common way technology is used is to empower people to choose where and when they want to be somewhere; making it easy for them to schedule time at the gym during non-peak hours, book their slot at their favorite hair salon or even attend to their governmental applications and what not during the right time. Hence, applications like Freespace, Booksy, and Boulevard allow employees to book time/space at offices. It also shows users the percentage of occupancy on a certain day reflecting the level of crowd and hence guiding employees on the level of precautions needed. The demand for such solutions drove funding of solution providers such as Booksy[1] (Beauty and wellness appointment booking apps) and Boulevard[2] (spa management solutions).
Other apps expand to other settings such as Las Vegas’s NowCrowd app. NowCrowd reflects real-time foot traffic of local grocery stores, pharmacies, major retailers, restaurants, and tourist attractions. In Europe, ‘Beach Check UK’ app provides beachgoers with information on crowd size at beaches, while the Dutch developed app ‘Avoid the Shopping Crowds’ provides similar information yet to shopping lovers. Similarly, ‘Crowdless’ shows how busy supermarkets and grocery stores are.
Clearly, people do miss their favorite beaches, beauty specialists, massage therapists, and surprisingly in some cases even their offices and colleagues. Unlike what was expected earlier in 2020 they will not continue to Work from home, shop online and DIY their personal care. Covid has enabled the rise of new tech-based experiences that fulfill innate requirements while also providing a sense of comfort. Hence, if you aspire to welcome your team back to the office or welcome clients to your gym, or salon, one of the key elements to consider would be tech. Such tech-based solutions will soon become the norm of business, very much like food ordering apps and car booking services. Linking it back to where we started; Standing out from the crowd today is all about leveraging the right tech that actually helps people stay away from the crowd and most importantly stay safe!
References:
[1] Booksy, raised $70 million in a Series C round in January 2021
[2] Boulevard announced a new raise of $27 million in funding in late November 2020
https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/las-vegas-startup-nowcrowd-launches-crowd-avoidance-app/
https://www.glossy.co/beauty/salons-and-spas-embrace-new-appointment-and-payment-technology/
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Great article Fatma, very thought provoking. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out but I agree with your point about the importance of leveraging the right tech. I believe that has been the case for many years but we’re now seeing an acceleration unlike anything we’ve seen before