Are people going to local shops more since COVID?

Are people finding going to local shops and restaurants more meaningful since COVID?

We decided to ask in our March Monitor, but wanted to look at the impact more broadly. We asked about all kinds of interactions including virtual visits. While half of people have had a healthcare virtual visit, people are having virtual visits elsewhere: banks, travel, home improvement, home shopping and retail.

We also asked about their likelihood to use all the different shopping and delivery choices moving forward, and instead of seeing some choices like Mass Retail decrease, they all increased. We then asked given all the new options for shopping and delivery, did they find interactions with different types of companies more or less meaningful. Again, most people found all the types of shopping and delivery more meaningful. We think it is because people are reflecting more on what matters to them and appreciate things more.

How people interact with companies changed in 2020 along with their expectations. Delivering experiences that not just show you care about your customers, but you want to help strengthen their lives and the lives of their family through time saved, spent, or invested is going to be even more critical in the future.