Covid-proof businesses are managing to extract every last drop of fast-thinking entrepreneurial initiative. These businesses aren’t just jumping on the face mask and sanitiser train, they’re adapting their business models for survival.
Survival is the name of the game as a 17.2% dip in the UK economy from February 2020 to June 2020 highlighted the grip COVID-19 has on businesses. With restrictions due to increase as we enter a second lockdown, businesses will need to pull out all stops to ensure they make it through the next wave.
Become invaluable to restaurateurs
Enjoying a pint after work is a social norm for Brits. But let’s face it, pubs and restaurants are some of the worst-affected business in the pandemic. As such, many have had to close whether it be temporary or permanent. While there is still confusion on work lunches and pub meetings, there’s still some room for private dining.
Sites such as Opentable.co.uk provide quick insight into the number of restaurants open in specific areas, and patrons are encouraged to book their seats through the site.
This gives restaurants a better idea of how many people to prepare for (which is a gamechanger in terms of waste management). It also enables them to keep a closer eye on safety measures.
While this is just one measure to covid-proof businesses in this industry, some ingenious inventions may increase overall safety protocols.
Innovations such as the state-of-the-art digital Maitre D that checks patrons’ temperatures on arrival and sanitation booths at points of entry do their bit to curb the spread of the virus.
Use what you have
Copper has long been used to make water vessels such as cups and carafes. Copper water bottles, however, only recently became popular with the ever-present demand for a reduction in single-use plastics.
A useful property of copper is that it’s anti-viral, which makes it an obvious choice for health care and other frontline workers. For manufacturers of these bottles, the increasing demand for anti-viral products means that business is booming.
Another product that is proving to be a great help in the pandemic is the 3-D printer. You can print anything from visors to ear-savers for regular mask users, which happen to be best-sellers on their own.
Perspex everywhere for covid-proof businesses
Restaurants have shown ingenious ways of encouraging social distancing through Perspex cubicles and dividers. But it’s not only restaurateurs that benefit from Perspex products during the pandemic.
Other client-facing businesses such as banks and grocers have seen its value too. Even parliament decided to include Perspex screens as an extra measure to keep the members of the House safe.
Make the transition to online shopping simpler
Whether you can offer the local greengrocer an opportunity to create an e-commerce website or you have developed software that streamlines working from home, it’s time to work it.
The reason is twofold: firstly there’s the increase in online sales. In response to coronavirus, many shoppers have chosen to source goods they can access without stepping out of their homes. Online shopping has increased by 102% during the pandemic. Now that shoppers have experienced the convenience, it’s likely that increased levels of online shopping will remain post-pandemic.
Secondly, there’s the need for social distancing in the office. Restrictions have as much as 60% of the workforce working from home already. Software that supports the transition to covid-proof businesses will go a long way.
