Although we’re firmly progressing through the roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions, there are still many people that feel the way we act will be changed forever. It may have been a long 15 months of restrictions and a majority of people are looking forward to holidays, seeing family and a bit more normality, but actually, lots of people are taking things cautiously too. Conversations with friends about whether they should be eating from the serve your self baked good counters at supermarkets and whether they feel safe enough to get on a train to visit are just some of the small ways that people are wondering what life is going to be like, even after restrictions are officially eased.
Over the past year and a bit, most of us have got inventive with the ways that we socialise and if we’re honest some of it has been really fun! Zoom meetings where we can wear comfy slippers to chat with friends, chatting to our neighbours over the fence and getting out into the great outdoors are just some of the new habits that many people will be hoping to continue.
However, are people ready for being packed into the cinema elbow to elbow with a stranger or sharing a sweaty dance floor with other people? The opinions are mixed! There are still people who are vulnerable and even with an effective vaccination plan in place, they may be wary to venture into places that are just too busy.
Being Entertained During Lockdown
During lockdown, in order to survive companies had to be inventive. For many, this meant looking at ways they could operate remotely while they were forced to close. For example, many who made regular trips to their local bingo hall had to settle for alternatives, like the bingo sites at Compare.bet. Pubs started to deliver cocktail masterclasses via online video and the number of eateries that offered delivery in most towns increased massively. This was a great way to keep cash flow coming into a business and ensuring that customers’ needs were met.
However, with people now knowing that this is so easy to do – especially if they already have accounts set up and have been accessing it regularly for over a year – are they going to be tempted to just stay home and continue in this way?
Who Will Be Affected?
We’re not yet out of lockdown so it is impossible to know exactly what will happen but it is thought that places that cater to mostly older people will be affected the most. Traditionally the older generation won’t have bothered with digital products, so would have always visited their local bingo hall (for example). However, now it is set up and they recognise the ease of being able to play a few rounds of bingo it is quite likely that they will continue to do so.
There are talks of different variants of Covid-19 affecting us in the future, with scientists even telling us that another period of lockdown could be likely. With this in mind, people who are worried about their safety and have concerns about contracting coronavirus are likely to do what they can to stay as safe as possible – including staying at home.
What Does This Mean For Establishments?
In a similar way to when we moved into a period of lockdown, businesses are going to need to adapt in order to keep their customer happy – and safe. Currently, there are regulations put in place for businesses that are allowed to open and these are likely to be in place for some time.
This means changes such as encouraging social distancing, supplying cleaning products for customers and limiting the number of people in a building at one time. Places such as bingo halls will need to ensure they offer things like pens and bingo books for one use and clean down any devices, tables and seating after they have been used. Encouraging facemasks to be worn as people move around the establishment is something that should be done too.
How Do We Move Forward?
One of the best things any business can do is communicate with its customers. Firstly they should be reassuring their customers of the measures they have put in place and just how safe they will be when they decide to visit. Using social media, e-newsletters and the actual company website is a good place to do this – after all, we know that the trend of accessing company information online has increased over recent months.
However, to be truly successful they should also be listening to their customers. Asking their target audience the reasons why they may not visit will give valuable information as to what a company can change in order to adapt to the needs of their customers. Any business needs to evolve depending on customer demand and needs and this is more important now than it has ever been before.
Even when restrictions have been removed, the events of 2020 are likely to stay with us for a long time; after all, there isn’t anyone that hasn’t been affected over the last year. When such a big, long term event takes place it stands to reason that it is going to have a long term effect on how people think and feel. The reluctance to visit busy establishments isn’t something that will only be felt by a certain set of people and it isn’t something that will go away overnight.
Yes, there will certainly be some people chomping at the bitt get back out there again and get their hands on some bingo dabbers for a night of striving for a full house. However, there will also be plenty of people that are frightened to take such a big step; after all – we’re all a bit out of the habit of getting dressed up and leaving the house for an evening, aren’t we? It is these customers that need to be targeted and encouraged gently back out of their houses if places such as bingo halls want to be successful when they eventually re-open.
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