A new global survey from Accenture reveals the ripple effects of the pandemic illustrates the need for consumer-facing companies to be more agile, resilient and responsive to change.
After a year of lockdowns, 95% of survey respondents said they made at least one change to their lifestyle that they expect will be permanent. Working from home, changing travel patterns, and a growing desire to shop locally are challenging industries to fundamentally rethink how they cater to the pandemic-adapted consumer. The latest survey of more than 9,650 people in 19 countries supports Accenture’s previous findings that many changes in behavior will likely be long-term.
More specifically in the travel space, the report finds close to 50% of Americans are more than likely to travel in the next six months. Here is a recap of some more travel-related findings:
The rise of the third space
79% of respondents said they’d like to occasionally work from a “third space,” a location other than their home or place of employment, such as a café, bar, hotel, or retailer with a dedicated space.
44% said they would be willing to pay up to US$100 per month out of their own pockets to work from one of these “third spaces.” This highlights a potential opportunity to grow revenue for the hospitality and retail industries.
Consumers indicate support for travel passports
More than two thirds (62%) said they support the use of a mandatory “COVID passport” that would provide proof of a recent negative test, and/or proof of vaccination against COVID-19
The following situations ranked at the top in which a “COVID passport” should be shown:
- Traveling internationally (84%)
- Attending large events, such as sports events, concerts or festivals (67%)
- Traveling domestically (67%)
“The pandemic has forced ‘creative pragmatism,’ especially for travel and hospitality firms grappling to find additional revenue streams during the crisis,” said Emily Weiss, managing director and head of Accenture’s global travel industry group. “Some hotels turned rooms into pop-up restaurants while others experimented with offering temporary office space to customers seeking a ‘third space’ to work. While there has been experimentation with innovation in select pockets, companies need to scale these new services and address travelers’ renewed focus on health and safety, for example, by using the cloud to help enable fully contactless interactions.”