In times of crisis, innovation saves the day
The old adage “necessity is the mother of invention” couldn’t be more true today as the world reacts to living through a global pandemic. And this isn’t the only time we’ve had to get creative as a society.
According to Hubspot, the following companies were created during the 2008-09 financial crisis:
These companies were all created to help people and businesses navigate a difficult time. While popular opinion is that starting a company during a global crisis is a bad idea, providing the market with a resource that solves a new and unmet need may make for perfect timing. And it’s what’s happening right now as a result of the pandemic.
What technologies will define the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic?
There have been numerous inspiring ways that communities and businesses have stepped up to make life easier during a time when there are so many unknowns. Technologies that were just beginning to gain acceptance have quickly become mainstream and companies that had already invested in these technologies found it easier to transition from life as we knew it to life with social distancing. That’s because they made contactless experiences possible so that employees and customers could be safe and protected from the coronavirus.
One of the biggest heroes to come from the pandemic has been curbside delivery and pickup. This offering has been a huge saving grace for many consumers who want to support their local restaurants and shops without putting anyone at risk. Companies with established programs have also benefited as consumers have shifted their usual shopping habits to the outlets that help them get what they need safely.
In addition to curbside delivery, we’ve witnessed many other digital innovations gain speed as the pandemic continued to put limitations on in-person interactions, such as:
And we predict we’ll see even more inventions as the months roll on. Companies that don’t have their own mobile app are finding that customers are turning to apps like Instacart, DoorDash, and UberEats to get what they need. And while all of these experiences are good, business leaders have the opportunity now – while we’re deep in this global pandemic – to stand out by solving their customers’ unmet needs.
But what completely new technologies will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic?
While we don’t have a crystal ball, past experience tells us to look to the points of friction to understand where we’ll see the birth of new technologies and companies. Think about the biggest issues stressing consumers and it’s likely that new businesses will emerge to solve them. These include but are definitely not limited to:
All of these challenges open a new set of opportunities for businesses to be the hero for their customers.
What innovations will you implement to provide great customer experiences?
If you’re starting to think about how you can get innovative during the global pandemic, let’s talk. Mobiquity’s experts spend their days thinking about digital strategies, creative innovations, and transformations that will make consumers’ lives easy. Reach out today to get the conversation started.
Mike Welsh is the Chief Creative Officer at Mobiquity, leading a team of experience architects, experience designers, and conversational designers to deliver engaging and compelling solutions in collaboration with engineers who bring these solutions to life. He has been doing this for over 27 years, having joined Mobiquity near it’s beginning. Mike notes that what originally drew him to his role is the ability to transform experiences for companies and their customers. What keeps him and the team engaged is the opportunity to find out what truly transforms human experience and then bring it to life. He’s a firm believer in the power of a team and its ability to create impact derived from insights. Mike makes no special claim of expertise or experience because every engagement is a team effort. Each time he and the team engage with a client’s challenges and opportunities, good things can happen. Curiosity and a core belief that some of the best work comes when a team understands the humans behind their work is central to understanding the role that technology can play. Mike’s time spent with clients and teams includes work within creative, business, and technology fields, bringing many skills to the table including: experience strategy, experience design, product strategy, and product design. His industry knowledge within these functions spans healthcare, retail, ecommerce, and financial services and he has lectured on these topics at University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Moore College of Art and Design and various conferences. In addition, Mike holds a Nielsen Norman Group UXC certificate working toward master certification. While no one is a bigger Mobiquity champion than Mike, much of what fuels his passion comes from the time he spends away from work. He is a father of three, an avid runner, traveler, cook, and outdoorsman. A voracious consumer of audiobooks, Mike is always learning and drawing connections about how we can make a difference today for our future selves. When thinking about what’s to come, Mike believes that artificial intelligence, immersive storytelling, and machine learning will play a significant role in defining experiences humans have with technology.
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