It’s been a long time coming. After years of dragging themselves out of bed at the most ungodly hour to then sit in traffic that backs up for miles, and being forced to spend 8-10 hours sitting in a plastic chair where they dutifully complete 3-4 hours of collectively productive labour, things are finally starting
It’s been a long time coming.
After years of dragging themselves out of bed at the most ungodly hour to then sit in traffic that backs up for miles, and being forced to spend 8-10 hours sitting in a plastic chair where they dutifully complete 3-4 hours of collectively productive labour, things are finally starting to shift in favour of the office worker.
Every major crisis presents an opportunity for someone to thrive; that’s just how it is.
When the bubble bursts in a stock or housing market, it exposes overinflated valuations and poorly managed finances. The dream of winning big from a sure-fire investment entices many to part with their cash, and when the walls begin to crumble, the wise are waiting mercilessly to pounce.
Today, as we live the nightmare of the Covid-19 pandemic, there’s another group of people who are eyeing up an opportunity. The aforementioned heroes of the 9-5 daily grind are starting to see how their lifestyles were painfully dictated by an ideology that was about as stable as a block of francium.
As they get a taste for working in their pyjamas and having the heating just how they like it — not stuck at 120º because Margaret in accounts suffers from rheumatism — they are experiencing natural levels of productivity that allow them to complete the bulk of their work in the mornings, with perhaps an hour or two after lunch to tie up any loose ends from the day.
All this has allowed for free time that some have never truly experienced before during their working lives.
What are people doing with all this extra time?
Given that many parts of the world are unable to move around freely to perform any outside activities, coupled with the onset of the cold winter months, the most natural reaction is to sign out of the work email and launch yourself directly at the sofa, watch TV, and shop til your heart’s content!
From there, arguably the most important invention in the world is ready to transport you wherever you need to go. Unfortunately, teleportation hasn’t arrived yet — no, we’re referring to the internet.
The biggest winners, in terms of exposed sales potential, have been companies who are able to offer convenience and/or entertainment within the home.
Delivery companies like DHL have been able to capitalise on the soaring demand for home deliveries during the lockdown. 2020 has seen the firm handle an incredible 40% more parcels than the year before, and profits have skyrocketed along with it. The delivery experts are so confident that the trend is set to continue throughout 2021 that they are said to be investing $17.5 million USD in expanding their network over the coming months.
Online gambling is another sector that has seized the opportunity with both hands. Some reports suggest that the industry has experienced a 67% increase over the last 12 months and it looks set to continue in that direction for the foreseeable.
Casino gaming has also seen a significant rise through online platforms despite the fact that many venues closed periodically throughout 2020. On the other side, tons of new online casino sites have launched. These have kept fans entertained all over the world during the year offering punters the chance to get in on the action whenever it’s available.
The biggest winners from 2020 were undoubtedly those involved in e-commerce. Not only did the delivery companies, like DHL, make a tidy profit, supply chain giants Amazon saw their figures fly through the roof as stores were shuttered and everybody relied on internet shopping instead.
Revenues began to push nearly $100 billion USD each quarter as the year went on, making enormous profits and sending CEO Jeff Bezos’ personal fortune hurtling towards $200 billion USD. Not bad when you consider the fact that he also paid out $38 billion USD to his ex-wife in their divorce settlement the year before.