The New Normal: What will stick after COVID?

5 min readMar 4, 2021

The COVID pandemic has impacted many aspects of modern life. To minimize the spread of the virus, we had to quickly adapt to new ways of doing familiar things. We could no longer work as we once did. In order to socially distance ourselves, many of us could no longer go to our office or school. If we could, we worked or learned from home. Because of lockdowns, restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues had to restrict access or shutdown completely. New sources of revenue had to be discovered and new business models had to be invented.

Many of the business trends we describe were already in motion but the pandemic accelerated them. Technology played a critical role in their enablement. As we embrace a more digital world, security and privacy have become more urgent concerns.

Thanks to the vaccines, we can now see the slow road to a new normal. We do not see things going back to exactly what they were before the pandemic. The question we asked ourselves was “what will stick after COVID?” Some of the key areas we researched and explored include:

Work
School
Housing
Consumer Trends
Healthcare and Wellbeing
Travel and Hospitality
Entertainment

Work

Remote work has become the norm instead of the exception for many white collar jobs. We expect that remote working will continue and be more prevalent than previously. Things that we expect to stick include:

Remote work is here to stay as both employers and employees shift to a totally remote or hybrid model
Broader use of video meeting and collaboration tools
A continuing urgent need for child care and remote learning support and assistance
Companies will continue to re-evaluate their real estate portfolio; they will need to assess the space they currently have and how to best use it
Meetings and conferences will have a hybrid model with digital and sensory components
The definition of business casual has changed; comfort has become the priority for both men and women (more about this below)

School

How we think of what school is, and should be, is still evolving. Things that we expect to stick include:

New educational models will continue to be developed and hybrid models will continue to evolve
Online learning is here to stay and online educational technology will continue to evolve
Online degrees will be more widely accepted
Outdoor learning (especially at the preschool level) will be more commonplace
Broader access to Internet connectivity for underprivileged communities needs to become a higher priority

Housing

Due to the impact of remote work, many people are rethinking housing. Things that we expect to stick include:

Because of remote work, individuals will have more flexibility to move to and live where they prefer vs. where the corporate office is located
There has been an exodus from some high density (e.g. New York City, San Francisco) cities to smaller/mid-sized communities and suburbs due to financial and health concerns

Consumer Trends

Many existing consumer trends have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Working remotely and being at home more often has had major impacts to consumer behavior. Things that we expect to stick include:

Accelerated growth in ecommerce, automation, and digitalization (due to convenience and safety) will continue to drive growth in delivery services
Cooking more at home, making your own coffee (having virtual coffee chats and happy hours)
Changes in fashion trends (e.g. fashion forward masks, more focus on alt-leisure, and a major redefinition of business casual)
More takeout/delivery as opposed to dining in
Increased home improvement initiatives and pet adoptions inspired by people spending more time at home

Healthcare and Wellbeing

Healthcare and wellbeing industries have been majorly impacted and continue to evolve. Things that we expect to stick include:

Accelerated growth and acceptance of telemedicine and technology investments by the medical industry (need to share medical records)
Enhanced role of clinics and urgent care centers (especially for testing and vaccination)
Accelerated growth for e-fitness brands (e.g. Peloton, Nike), apps, and digital offerings (e.g. remote yoga)

Travel and Hospitality

The lack of business travel has had a major impact on the travel and hospitality industries. Things that we expect to stick include:

Travel will continue to lag until consumer and business confidence returns (what would it take for you to be comfortable taking a cruise?)
A major focus on sanitation and cleanliness (“Clean is the new sexy”)
New revenue models and opportunities will continue to evolve
Hotels offering remote learning assistance and support alternative housing
Restaurants offering additional outdoor eating options
Restaurant menus are smaller and simpler
No more buffets or salad bars
Virtual travel (e.g. Amazon Explore)

Entertainment

All forms of entertainment have been severely impacted and require new models. Things that we expect to stick include:

Accelerated consumption of streaming services (Netflix, DisneyPlus, etc.)
Digital access to musical performances and first run movies and more of a focus on live stream concerts and events (this will likely increase the number of upgraded home video and audio systems)
Malls shifting toward entertainment destinations vs. pure shopping destinations
Alternative entertainment venues (e.g. music concerts at drive-ins and parking lots)
Movie theatres will continue to lag

Summary

No one has a crystal ball to foretell the future but these are the trends we are currently seeing which have reshaped the business and consumer landscape. Some believe that people have a short memory and things will return to normal much faster than people realize, so it is not clear how many of these changes will truly stick. Only time will tell. What we are confident about is that those businesses and institutions who quickly pivot and respond to these pandemic motivated trends will have a much brighter future than those who remain stagnant. As the saying goes “evolve or die”.

About the Authors

Lorenzo De Leon (ldeleon@westmonroe.com)

Lorenzo is a Senior Principal in the Technology practice at West Monroe; he claims to be a geek, poet, wannabe musician, and anti-racist.

Jolanta Pomiotlo (Jolanta.Pomiotlo@pra.com)

Jolanta Pomiotlo is a Senior Director of Technology at PRA. She is a tech enthusiast, travel pro, progressive, and an advocate of loving kindness.