Aug 3, 2020
Trends that will remain with us post-COVID
Whether we like it or not, COVID-19 has changed our world forever. There is no going back. We are now living in “the new normal”.
Thanks to technology, we are able to keep doing some of the things that we love in ways that we previously couldn’t (or so we thought). As a follow up from my previous post, I wanted to highlight a few trends that I believe will continue post-COVID.
Online church: Previously, only larger churches had the option of online streaming for their members but now smaller churches have been forced to include streaming services in order to keep their members active during the lockdown. Personally I’ve never been a fan of online Church so this has indeed been the toughest for me however this is one thing I know will continue.
Immersive virtual experiences will become more popular. We have established fashion designers such as Hanifa who debuted her new collection in an online 3D experience and Andrea Iyamah who hosted a fashion party exclusively online featuring Osas Ighodaro as a muse. Lagos Fashion Week has also been hosting fashion talks online and I suspect the main event in October will be fully virtual. I’m looking forward to all the innovative ideas that will come out of this.
More virtual events: I cannot count the amount of events I attended during the lockdown. I have watched so many Instagram live sessions, and webinars and learned so much from the comfort of my home. You can never beat the joy of meeting and connecting with people in person however, for convenience purposes, I believe a lot more events will be hosted online.
Netflix watch parties: We didn’t realize how much we will miss going to the cinema with our friends so “watch parties” to the rescue. During the worldwide lockdowns, Netflix gained 10.1 million subscribers, and now has more than 190 million subscribers worldwide. Its biggest competitor in the U.S., Disney Plus, has less than a third of that. Netflix shares have also gone up by 58% since March. They didn’t just give us movies and series to watch, they found a way to connect us to our friends — innovation wins again!
Zoom weddings and showers: Will Nigerians spend less money on weddings? I highly doubt this because we love large and loud parties BUT things will change, they will definitely change. We all assumed that there will be no weddings during this period but so far COVID has given us the opportunity to innovate. It has shown us that things can happen solely online, including weddings and bridal/baby showers. This period has seen lavishly decorated living room weddings in Lagos, Nigeria, with less than 20 guests and everyone else connecting via Zoom. For Nigerians, this is a really big deal, and I believe that this will continue without taking away the joy of our usual “OWAMBE” lifestyles.
Remote working: More businesses have embraced working from home and flexible working policies in order to stay safe. This has given employees (and employers) the opportunity to re-evaluate the importance of being in a physical office. Now that we have seen the light, a lot more employees will demand the “WFH” life from their current and future employers.
BONUS: Social distancing will remain because bad energy needs to stay far away during and after COVID.
OVER AND OUT!
