TOP 25 Industries That Will Boom After Coronavirus
The restrictions on the spread of the coronavirus (covid-19) caused an economic slowdown. It focused on certain types of activity. There are also industries that have largely achieved spectacular increases in use and sales. The development on these markets and the business changes caused by the covid-19 pandemic also make new companies present their activities. Restrictions encompassing social distancing, remote work, and even the closure of some companies, result in operational challenges we have to face. Over time, as the situation has stabilized a bit more, the increase in benefits in various industries continues. Analysts’ forecasts indicate that in many of them the trend will either continue or increase even after the pandemic.
Below we present a list of these industries:
1.Personal Protective Equipment
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was and is one of the most discussed resources of the pandemic. Despite the fact that demand has disappeared from the charts, and countries that rely on importing these resources from other countries (such as China) clearly lack them. When the waves of infection return and in light of the damage caused by covid-19, hospitals will be urged to have stocks in case of similar crises in the future. Personal protection products have expiry dates, therefore continuous supplies of fresh equipment are needed to ensure good stocks. This means that producers will continue to operate in this area if they want to meet new demand.
2. Food Delivery
Closing or limiting the operation of many restaurants and cafes around the world was associated with the possibility of deliveries and take-away services only. Only this option of ordering forced the premises and bars to establish cooperation with companies providing food or finding their own suppliers. Some food delivery companies like UberEats have waived delivery charges for independent and smaller restaurants. In order to help you stay in the market crisis in this way. A particular success in this supply sector is the Finnish startup Wolt, which in 2020 recorded a threefold increase in revenues to USD 345 million, and currently operates in 23 countries, including Germany and Japan. It has since raised $ 530 million and plans to go public in 2022 thanks to such tremendous success Closing or limiting the operation of many restaurants and cafes around the world was associated with the possibility of deliveries and take-away services only. Only this option of ordering forced the premises and bars to establish cooperation with companies providing food or finding their own suppliers. Some food delivery companies like UberEats have waived delivery charges for independent and smaller restaurants. In order to help you stay in the market crisis in this way. A particular success in this supply sector is the Finnish startup Wolt, which in 2020 recorded a threefold increase in revenues to USD 345 million, and currently operates in 23 countries, including Germany and Japan. It has since raised $ 530 million and plans to go public in 2022 thanks to such tremendous success
3. Cybersecurity
The demand for activities and working from home requires being online and on the web. And thus ensuring the safety of users and protection against cyber criminals or loopholes. Cybersecurity will always be in high demand as long as there is internet and data on the web. The coronavirus has also become a major threat to user safety as fraudsters use clever user ignorance or pretend to be organizations providing covid information. Thus, attaching malicious links with malware that would allegedly lead to pandemic information. During the first blockade in the UK, hacker attacks against home workers accounted for 12% of malicious email traffic. Just 6 weeks later, the number of attacks rose to 60%. A large number of stationary enterprises rushed to move their activities online in a hurry, which means that not every company has taken all the necessary steps to ensure full protection of customer data, which should be strictly observed. Companies’ budgets for cybersecurity grew from year to year before the outbreak of the pandemic. Currently, they are growing even more, therefore this area will certainly continue to develop.
4. Online Meeting Platforms
Virtual meetings have become an element of normalcy in our remote work from home and living at home. A leading company in the Zoom industry experienced an incredible boom when the crisis hit. It saw 100% stock growth in just two months. Google decided to take the initiative and release the premium features of its Hangouts platform for free by the end of September, and Microsoft saw the number of users skyrocket in March. Even as everyday life returns to its pre-pandemic form, it is very likely that these platforms will not disappear. When most companies had to adapt to allow employees to work remotely from home, remote work is becoming so popular that it is likely that there will be more flexibility in the field of remote work in the future. A significant proportion of people have their own home offices for private projects, and others may have occasionally asked their employer for financial help to create a in-home workspace. No need to travel to the office saves a lot of valuable time and satisfies many employees. According to estimates by Global Workplace Analytics, by the end of 2021, 25-30% of the US workforce will be working from home many days a week. Therefore, platforms provided by Google, Zoom, Microsoft, and others may still be necessary to keep colleagues connected.
5. Online Fitness
The fitness industry, valued at nearly $ 100 billion before the coronavirus hit, shows just how much it was already developed. Ongoing restrictions meant that virtually all gyms and fitness studios had to be temporarily closed, and those that could offer their fitness services benefited. Views and subscriptions of sports channels on YT and on TV increased. A large number of sports enthusiasts returned to the gym after the first lockdown, and on the second and third they had to train at home again to maintain their exercise schedule. Opening gyms and clubs does not encourage everyone to train among people. A large proportion of people who value the privacy and flexibility of exercising at home will rather stick to online fitness services. Developing habits suggests that, on average, one to two months is required to maintain a regular training and exercise schedule. And this provides the online fitness industry with new users who will use the service for longer.
6. Online Teaching and Schools
The fitness industry, valued at nearly $ 100 billion before the coronavirus hit, shows just how much it was already developed. Ongoing restrictions meant that virtually all gyms and fitness studios had to be temporarily closed, and those that could offer their fitness services benefited. Views and subscriptions of sports channels on YT and on TV increased. A large number of sports enthusiasts returned to the gym after the first lockdown, and on the second and third they had to train at home again to maintain their exercise schedule. Opening gyms and clubs does not encourage everyone to train among people. A large proportion of people who value the privacy and flexibility of exercising at home will rather stick to online fitness services. Developing habits suggests that, on average, one to two months is required to maintain a regular training and exercise schedule. And this provides the online fitness industry with new users who will use the service for longer.
7. E-learning Resources and Classes
Online knowledge resources are used not only by students and people studying at a school. The lockdowns and restrictions have prompted many people to learn new skills to pass the time. The popular Duolingo app saw a 148% increase in US registrations. The enthusiasm for improving skills may linger longer after resuming normal life, and thus the success of e-learning companies. The ease and low cost of pursuing new hobbies from home is very attractive. Additionally, platforms full of virtual workshops, e.g. MasterClass, where you can learn cooking with the best chefs, have been created. Websites with on-line workshops are gaining high popularity even before they are made public and officially premiered.
8. Entertainment Streaming Services
The most famous movie streaming service in the world after 20 years of operation reaches 200 million subscribers, it is Netflix. It has come a long way starting as a DVD rental company in 1998. The success of this platform was not obvious until the time of the coronavirus pandemic came. Closing theaters around the world and staying home has garnered a lot of subscribers. The remaining platforms created at the end of 2019 by the end of 2020 gained tens of millions of subscribers. Analysts, considering this trend, predict that on-demand services will increase by 81% in five years
9. Video Games
The extra amount of free time or having a computer at home gave current and new players a chance to improve their gaming skills. In March 2020, at the premiere of Nintendo Animal Crossing: New Horizons, sales were higher than in all previous games in the series combined. And the streaming platform Twitch saw a 10% increase in global usage in the same month. Game sales are steadily increasing, and players will likely continue to enjoy this form of entertainment when the world returns to pre-pandemic conditions if they get involved.
10. Virtual reality (VR)
Massive growth opportunities for VR have been on the horizon in previous years and interest is growing steadily. When so many people want to improve the quality of time spent in their private space, the use of VR becomes more and more frequent. VR technology appears among those who want to make museum spaces, art galleries or historical places available to visitors. Industry experts also advertise VR as a solution to some canceled events, corporate meetings, and conferences when companies want to keep their employees and partners safe. Looking to the future: the size of the consumer VR hardware and software market will almost triple in the next three years. By contrast, sector growth may also be hampered by supply chain disruptions, as is the case with Apple’s iPads and Facebook VR headsets, which are currently missing due to COVID-19.
11. Children’s Toys
Staying at home with the children meant providing them with activities and fun. Children’s toys did not see the decline in sales that other industries suffered. In the US, a 16% increase in toy sales was recorded in the first six months of 2020. Board games and puzzles sold the most, accounting for 37% of the market. Outdoor toys, art materials and building kits were also popular. It is not only a boom during the pandemic, sales of toys for children are also expected to increase in the following years, according to market forecasts. Parents are looking for non-digital and more traditional forms of entertainment to limit their children’s time in front of screens.
12. Dating app
Dating apps have become a way of finding a partner in today’s reality. When they became the norm, the number of their downloads decreased in 2019 to 5.3% from over 30% compared to the initial years of popularity of such applications. However, when bans and restrictions on face-to-face meetings appeared, there was a new huge increase in the installation of applications such as Tinder, Bumble and Hinge. On March 29, 2020 alone, Tinder users around the world have viewed three billion possible matches. Which is the most in history. The trend of these applications may continue. Dating or getting to know someone outside your circle of friends or family is time-consuming. Verifying a person via the app is a cheaper, faster and more effective way to determine whether it is worth building a relationship. Even before the pandemic, forecasts and statistics showed that in less than 10 years, even more people will meet their partner online than in real life.
13. Legal services
The work of lawyers and solicitors can also take place at home, but the number of cases they will have to deal with after the restrictions are completely lifted has increased. Demand for legal services increased after the restrictions and the need to stay at home continued, resulting in a 34% higher divorce rate in the US. Lawyers were inundated with requests. Divorce rates tend to rise after the holidays, when people take holidays together, after the Christmas breaks. Now that the coronavirus has dominated not only holidays, but also the winter and early spring periods, the number of splitting up is likely to increase. Real estate lawyers will also see the demand for their services. When many people can work remotely, they decide to buy houses outside the city and move out of cramped apartments in city centers.
14. Online Gambling
The sports world has stopped, bookmakers have experienced colossal losses due to the cancellation of world matches, tournaments and games. Online platforms have become an alternative to betting and casinos, experiencing very high virtual traffic. Revenues from online casino games, including slot machines and table games, rose 30% in May, doubling from $ 24 million in March to $ 55.8.
15. Books
The time of pandemic and lockdowns has been going on for over a year and limited social contacts have resulted in seeking entertainment, also in the form of development through reading. The book market began to develop more dynamically. Book sales in the US for the first three quarters of 2020 increased by 6% compared to 2019. This impressive data was collected despite the closed bookstores, and this is because book sales in online bookstores have increased significantly and are likely to last for a long time.
16. Online Shopping
The popularity of online shopping of all kinds and home delivery services in a pandemic comes as no surprise. When people got stuck at home, online stores became the only way to buy various items. Also those less needed. Amazon’s stock soared and added dizzying wealth to CEO Jeff Bezos. The increase in his wealth is largely due to our dependence on virtual purchases. Online shopping accounts for 16.1% of retail sales worldwide and will increase to over 20% by 2023, which shows that buying with a few clicks will not stop in the coming years.
17. Gardening
The pandemic and extra time allowed people to paid attention to their gardens. This ensured an increase in sales to retailers of gardening plants and accessories. City dwellers make the most of the limited space for balcony gardens and vegetable gardens. Various garden stores have introduced online sales and home delivery which have increased their profits. This situation persists when stores have reopened. Subsequent lockdowns aroused the passion for gardening in more people along with the desire to spend time outdoors. This will provide the garden tools market with $ 105 billion by 2025.
18. Online Supermarket Deliveries
The possibility of online shopping also for food products and daily necessities began to be chosen so often that large and smaller supermarkets quickly increased their fleet or built platforms for placing orders from their stores with delivery to the door. Some platforms that experienced a budget deficit before the outbreak, in March 2020 were flooded with so many orders that they were forced to reject another ones. Virtual supermarkets have raised their profit expectations. The convenience and time saved associated with shopping in online stores meant that this industry will continue to develop. Research and surveys suggest that changes in the habits of grocery shopping are rather “irreversible”.
19. Major supermarkets
Large supermarkets are sticking to their plans despite Amazon breaking into the activities of smaller retailers hit by the pandemic. Walmart sticks to its rules of doing business. And despite the recession of 2007-2008, it is one of the biggest winners of this crisis in retail. The availability of all kinds of products in large market halls allows you to equip the entire customer’s home. The established reputation and loyalty to the customers of large supermarkets will surely remain long after the pandemic ends.
20. Cleanliness Products
As soon as warnings about the spread of an infectious disease appeared in the media and news channels, the shelves of hand gels and soaps became empty in shops. After a month, the inhabitants of the countries hit by the crisis knew and performed thorough hand washing and disinfection. Good hand washing practices have become an integral part of our daily routine and will remain with us. Looking back at history, previous pandemics and epidemics have changed the way people treated personal hygiene.
21. Pharmaceuticals
As companies like Pfizer and Moderna create vaccines against covid-19, billions of dollars are pumped into the pharmaceutical market. The importance of infectious disease prevention research in preventing future pandemics is enormous. Stocks of biotech companies have also risen and the global crisis has shown how crucial the pharmaceutical industry is. The news of successful vaccines against the coronavirus has increased pharmaceutical share underlining the importance of the drug discovery market.
22. Remote Medical Services
Worldwide, hospital emergency departments around the world have seen a huge drop in the number of patients seeking emergency care. People avoid visits to hospitals and doctors despite encouraging them. Many patients rely on remote medical services for advice instead. In the US and Australia, governments have even approved reimbursement for online consultations to keep people out of hospitals. The Zipnosis Remote Diagnosis and Treatment service has reported a staggering 3,600% increase in its use during the coronavirus. Due to the global trend, forecasts predict this sector will grow to $ 16.7 billion by 2025.
23. Cycling
Since people avoid public transport in many cities, there has been a lot of interest in the traditional method of getting around. Walking is popular but much time consuming and the bicycle industry is already reaping the benefits of the pandemic. Many people travel by bike to work or for shopping and trips. This trend will continue for a long time, especially when government projects encourage the use of bicycles. New York closed 140 miles of streets to cars to allow cyclists and pedestrians to pass through. Seattle, on the other hand, has permanently closed 20 miles of it’s roads. In the UK, Boris Johnson has pledged to spend £ 2 billion on cycling by offering bike repair vouchers, cycling lessons for everyone and building thousands of miles of new bike lanes across the country.
24. Electric Cars
The tourism industry has been forced to a standstill and the ban on unnecessary travel has caused oil prices to plummet. The traditional automotive industry had struggled before covid hit the market due to growing awareness of the environmental impact of gasoline-powered cars. The drastic decline in air pollution around the world last spring, shown in satellite images of the European Space Agency, strengthened the desire to take care of the planet. Electric car manufacturers ex. the largest – Tesla, saw its price share rise by almost 500% in 2020, and Elon Musk is currently the richest man in the world. The Audi has even created a new division dedicated solely to bringing electric vehicles to market faster than planned. As soon as the lockdown showed us how quickly air pollution can be removed when fewer people are on the roads, this industry will definitely gain a lot in the near future.
25. Private jets
Those who would normally fly commercial are now more likely to use private flights to spend their holidays abroad. We usually associate private flights with celebrities and super-rich people. Wealthier families use private air services to keep their members safe. Along with the family-driven impulse, the private jet company PrivateFly revealed that the business started in 2019 and 20% of travelers were children.
Conclusion
The effects of covid-19 will be felt for years, some industries are and will be forced to change forever, and others, especially digital, use the pandemic as a starting point, preparing for the coming years. As in many Sci-Fi movies and novels of this genre, predict the appearance of future years, they show that the infinite virtual world is probably even closer than we think.