Paradigm Shift
Recently, college and school students have been sharing a meme where a guy shifts from 2019 to a few months
to 2022 in a blink.
Not just them but most people did not realize how the time passed so soon amongst the pandemic. But it’s not
the time alone,
how many of us could not track the paradigm shift in the mindset during this entire period.
In the current scenario, kids have become a pro at digital education, parents’ teacher’s meet takes place on
zoom calls,
and even activities are planned keeping the digital platform in mind. No one is worried about finding a
teacher for tuition or
extracurricular in the vicinity anymore, because teachers can now be teaching from another state or country
for that matter.
Quality with convenience has become the topmost priority, which is why online consultation goes beyond the
education industry.
Take a look at how many people got consulted by doctors online and got medicines delivered at the door
without missing discounts in these two years.
Don’t forget the online grocery shopping, salon services at home, and most importantly the work-from-home
trend.
One might say that it was the need of the hour but the real reason behind the changing mindset is our
priorities
because we have always had alternatives.
Flashback To Early 2020
Would you choose digital education for your kids or yourself?
Could you imagine working online for a living?
Despite the online growth most families with old parents preferred carrying monthly nearby grocery items
from
stores.
Most people were in denial because of two reasons mainly, first, inability or unwillingness to learn new
technology, and
second is a belief according to which physical presence assures effectivity, apparently. If you think of it,
Zoom was not
introduced overnight! Options were available, it was your choice then as it is now.
Evolution
Even if the fear of the Covid-19 virus goes away, how many people do you think would go back to their old ways? Don’t have to answer that, it was a rhetorical question. Did you know, some of the big MNC’s and many small startups have already planned to keep their business model like this permanently? And why not, when they can save on the maintenance costs without hampering the productivity and the quality of work in the corporate world. But, while a part of the world could adapt, another part suffered and unfortunately is still suffering. However, there is no problem without a solution. Ever heard of, “Opportunities find those, who look for them!”
Opportunities
Since opportunities start from solving problems, the most important thing is to find the cause. So, the
question is what is the real reason behind the failing businesses? Not the Covid-19 virus but customers not
being able to reach them, initially because of the lockdowns and later due to continued fear of getting the
virus from crowds and queues. Wait, there's more! By the time most businesses realized their losses,
customers
had already found alternatives.
While we have figured out the problem, let us understand the available opportunities. The new normal allows
businesses to run for a particular time period with limited staff without breaking the safety protocols
which
involve the crowd. That's an opportunity, isn't it? There's hope after all, only if you know how to design
your business accordingly and adapt with time using technology. Not all businesses need to invest to create
their digital counterparts like advanced websites and apps. There are several platforms that let you create
online shops on their platform for free. Alternatively, you can use the technology for appointments as well.
A
revolutionary example is the vaccination booking which allowed people to pre-book the service based on their
timings and date. It avoided gatherings, assured Covid-19 safety, and saved time. It also helped in
organized
service. Just imagine the entire vaccination process without the online registration and appointment
structure. Scary right?
Realization
The moral? When there's a will, there's a way.
The world today is nothing without digitization and there is definitely no going back after this.
So not adapting to it is not a choice anymore, it's your loss because the mindset of people has already
changed and so have yours.
As a consumer, would we go back to waiting in queues instead of ordering online without Covid-19? With or
without the virus,
after experiencing convenience why would we compromise! That's the paradigm shift in mindset.
It depends on you whether you want to embrace the change or ignore it.
The choice is yours!