Popsop Forecast: Introduction of a New Product Category
Like special products for a healthy lifestyle, gluten-free nutrition, organic food, a brand-new department will appear in stores. It will put together such things that are necessary for a safer life. Now is exactly the moment when a fundamentally new category with its own separate shelves and manufacturers should take shape. The latter will unite and create a new marketplace, a new association may appear.
Why?
The Psychological state of the Consumer during the Epidemic
Countries close borders and cities ban all the events. In any marketing activities, it is now important to distance from the grudge due to disrupted plans. It is clear that fear is growing in the society, blocking interest in something new. People focus on the basic needs of the classic Maslow pyramid, that is, on food and safety, and high-level needs are taking a back seat. Understanding these psychological aspects and getting actually involved in the situation is now a cornerstone for brands and companies.
Getting Aware of the Situation
At times of forced isolation and social distancing, many are having way more free time than usual. The word «pandemic» until today remained an abstract concept from the school geography textbook, as far from everyday reality as Masai tribe or Tierra del Fuego. But it happened, and, as it turned out, not for the first time. But for the first time serious global measures were taken: the enterprises stopped, people are staying at home.
And thinking about the situation in this isolation and looking at the world from the window, we think about what other threats could take place in future. The list of global problems of mankind by the UN experts just turned out to be closer and more real.
The History of Pandemics
In classical times, an epidemic devastated Athens, Alexandria, Constantinople and Rome. Along with the barbarian invasions, they reduced the population of the Eternal City from 1.2 million people at its maximum to almost 30,000 by the 6th century. Outside Europe, pandemics destroyed cities such as Cairo, Canton and Harbin. After conquering the New World, the indigenous population suffered huge losses from European diseases like smallpox.
Thoughts About the Future
We were left alone at home with the exact reality that we currently possess: this exact family, this dog, this old sofa, a great spacious house or an uncomfortable apartment. What kind of fortress did each of us build? Did you manage to urgently fortify it? Was it enough to stock up some more food or did you also need to change a reading light?
Global Threats
But one of the possible consequences is the acceleration of the end of the era of the metropolis. Today, 6.7% of the world’s population live in cities, and according to the UN forecast published in 2019, 68% of all people on the planet will live there by 2050.
This means that we need such means of self-protection that are working well in a highly crowded environment. Megacities are giant islands of opportunities. As well as the main manufacturers of garbage, carbon monoxide and commuting time eaters.
Over the last 100 years, developers have been cherishing the art of quick building of skyscrapers and huge cities, even in the tropics, but it seems they could not stop the revival of merry old hygiene problems. This is especially true for China, which has undergone extremely rapid urbanization. Many city dwellers live in crowded areas with poor sanitation and drinking water.
Recently, even once clean western cities passively contribute to the exacerbation of the epidemiological situation. Camps for the homeless are growing throughout Europe, but this problem is most acute in American cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. These informal settlements attract rats and all kinds of diseases, some of which, such as typhoid, are clearly medieval and perhaps much more dangerous than COVID-19.
Formation of a New Market
These are very real problems, although the situation has a positive aspect: the moment “we are all together in this” revived the fight against global problems.
So, it is important that a switch to this context has already taken place and a popular discussion of this topic has formed. Now manufacturers are to focus on the past experience (and not on possible situations in the future).
It is clear that the measures that one person takes to protect themselves are most likely to be insufficient facing a global threat. But what exactly could brands offer to help?
Safe Product Range
A safe life involves a wide variety of aspects.
Technology. These are gadgets that clean air from bacteria, exhaust fumes from the street and disinfect surfaces. For example, Casetify introduced a device for disinfecting a mobile phone: with the help of ultraviolet light, it destroys 99.9% of microbes that live on the surface of your phone.
Garbage Recycling. According to the Paris Club, the area of land suitable for living will be greatly reduced due to the climate change, and we will not have room for garbage. When a person has to stay inside the house, it must be disposed of somehow.
Personal protection items include various masks (with filters from physical and chemical pollution), protective screens. The prototype in the image below is printed on a 3D printer by the technician Dave Yasek.
Means of protection and disinfection of mucous membranes (eye drops, nose spray). Disinfection of wounds and scratches.
Water purifiers: built-in filters, stand-alone filters for drinking water, compact disinfectants for drinking bottles or glasses, shower heads.
Noise pollution control. According to the WHO standards, the acceptable noise levels is 70 decibels in daytime and 60 decibels at night. Which means that at least 70% of residents of Beijing, 40% of Barcelona, 26% of London and 21% of New York live in an area of increased noise pollution.
Fighting against light pollution: both general (blinds, roller shutters) and personal (sleeping masks).
The risk of depression. In developed countries, such as in France, depression is the official diagnosis, which affects about one in three, and is the basis for a sick leave from work. There are different types of depression that need different treatment approaches, but very often you can not do without taking vitamins and dietary supplements.
Immunity. The human immune system has the finest settings, like a musical instrument, and it’s easy to break them. So, special tea, vitamins and dietary supplements.
Sun protection. Melanoma is a frequent and dangerous diagnosis, so sunscreen and hats, rashguards and closed bathing suits.
Food safety. You are what you eat, the idea of eating clean and healthy food takes a global scale: the safety of the environment is important, where and how vegetables were grown and what the chickens had for breakfast.
Devices. Noise meter, radioactive and chemical pollution meter, thermometer and so on.
Concluding Remarks
Carlyle: «Men do less than they ought, unless they do all that they can.» The need is always a trigger for inventions and changes. The editors of POPSOP remain optimistic because we believe that the current situation will lead to some good changes. Perhaps we all needed a break and we could actually never dream of taking this break, but now it is imposed on us. This will create a big burden for business, but it’s time for everyone to stop and reevaluate, think about global problems, we have been getting away with it ignoring those for a long time and, we hope, to start a clean, safe and healthy lifestyle.