A Little Qual, A Little Quant…Something for Everyone

First off, I am grateful for the continued good health of my family, friends and colleagues. Trying to find some good out of this tragedy, I am also thankful that the pandemic has given (read, forced) some of my colleagues and clients to see the up-side of online community work. Without the opportunity to do in-person qualitative work or the ability to travel, more have warmed to the idea of working with the online community team to deliver insights and many have been pleasantly surprised by the results.

Education is in a state of flux as school systems scramble to establish a remote learning model that effectively supports the students and families they serve, as well as the staff and teachers they employ. There is much to learn from the struggles and successes from last spring and it’s clear that improvements are needed to enable a true learning environment that works for all.

MarketVision worked with a large public school system to better understand the issues.

Over the past months, much attention has focused on how consumers are changing the way they shop as a result of the pandemic. Research suggests they are narrowing the range of grocery items they typically purchase, increasing the quantity of those they do purchase, and trying to spend less time in stores.¹ Now that we have an understanding of how consumers have changed their behaviors, the next logical question is what we can do to better meet customers’ needs. One particularly popular option in recent discussions with clients and industry colleagues is limiting the options available at the shelf.²

With the COVID-19 pandemic, people were thrown into a new “normal.” Ways of living, working, and socializing changed and consumers were forced to quickly adapt. But what about shopping? How far out of their normal routine did people go to fulfill their shopping list and, more importantly, which parts of the new routine will “stick” as more states open up? We took a look at consumers’ current and expected shopping behaviors before, during, and after the pandemic to find out.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, state-mandated stay-at-home orders forced many patients to consult with their physicians remotely – for the first time. This type of telemedicine takes advantage of easily available online platforms that allow visual connection, such as Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime, all of which grew in popularity during the pandemic, fostering comfort and familiarity for many people, including new users. But there is a big difference between visiting with grandchildren, book clubs, or colleagues online and experiencing a doctor visit this way.

The looming consumer debt crisis

In Waiting for Godot, the playwright leaves the audience wondering why the characters continue to wait for someone, including answers or help that never comes. In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, the last thing financial services companies can do is wait for a solution from the modern day Godot – the Federal Reserve.