The pandemic has been devastating to many businesses. The shelter at home orders caused most businesses to lose customers and, therefore, profit. Even when restrictions were lifted, the social distancing requirement made businesses reduce their capacity.
Millions of businesses had to close down during the pandemic. A still unknown number will never reopen again. But, not all businesses struggled. In some cases, COVID-19 created an unexpected boost in demand.
There are businesses that are thriving despite or because of the pandemic. While others had to lay off some of their workers, these businesses have to hire more people to respond to the deluge of new customers. While even the biggest companies had to file for bankruptcy, these businesses are posting a remarkable increase in profit.
Landscaping and Gardening Supply
The lockdowns only further emphasized the importance of having an outdoor living area at home. Those who are lucky enough to have a backyard could enjoy a time under the sun, with no mask and while being safe from COVID-19.
That is why a lot of Americans found themselves wanting to give their backyard a makeover. Many of them needed a skilled landscape architect to design and execute a plan for an outdoor living space.
Landscaping has always served as an escape from everyday stresses. Being around nature has the capacity to lower levels of cortisol in a person’s body and wipe worry out of their mind. During the pandemic, a perfectly-manicured backyard was also an oasis for many homeowners.
Businesses selling plants and gardening supplies are also seeing renewed interest. Gardening has a meditative effect that improves one’s mental health and plants provide a quiet companion for those who live alone in their apartments. Moreover, because of the pandemic-induced economic downturn, people are turning to gardening to put fresh and healthy food on their table.
Cleaning Services
When COVID-19 started spreading around the world, health experts were very adamant about the importance of handwashing to avoid infection. The virus can enter a person’s body by touching a contaminated surface and then touching the eyes, nose, and mouth.
So, to protect themselves, consumers hoarded alcohol-based sanitizers from grocery shelves and e-commerce platforms. Many American households and businesses also had to employ cleaning services to disinfect high-traffic areas such as tables, chairs, doorknobs, etc.
Some cleaning services say they had to double their staff to respond to the increased demand.
Meal-Prep Deliveries
Although offices had to shut down, work continued for many adults. While they are at home, with no commute to worry about, a lot of them do not have the time nor the motivation to come up and cook meals multiple times a day.
That is why meal-prep delivery services found themselves flourishing during the pandemic.
On April 11, 2020, customers of the meal kit service Blue Apron spent around $100 million, nearly double of the company’s sales from the same period in 2019. Competitor Hello Fresh also saw its customer base and profit increase significantly throughout the year.
Puzzle and Board Game Sellers
In an age when almost everyone owns a smartphone and can access endless entertainment through the internet, is there a space for puzzles and board games? The answer is yes. Throughout 2020, consumers distracted themselves from the ongoing chaos of the political landscape and tragedy of the pandemic by doing puzzles and playing board games.
Ravensburger, a company that makes puzzles, saw their sales rise by 370% beginning March. Hasbro, the company behind classic board games such as Monopoly and The Game of Life, also posted a favorable first quarter in 2020.
Tutoring Services
Schools also had to close down because of the pandemic. Although the virus does not affect children as badly as older folks, they can still transmit it to their classmates and then their loved ones at home.
Many American children experienced what it was like to be homeschooled. Their parents help them through their lessons, and they see their teachers through a computer screen.
Some parents were worried that their children are not learning because of the remote set up. They fear that their children will fall behind when in-person classes resume in the future.
So, tutoring services are in higher demand. Many tutoring businesses are offering one-to-one and in-person sessions for children who learn better when their teacher is right in front of them.
Businesses across all sectors were impacted by the pandemic differently. While some struggled, others saw success. Most, however, experienced the challenges brought about by the public health and economic crisis in some capacity.
