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Will an ‘Innovation Renaissance’ be part of a post-COVID America?

May 15, 2020

2 min


If there is one thing that comes out of a crisis or emergency – it is opportunity and innovation. And as COIVID-19 has held the country in its grip for nearly two months, America has had to adjust and adapt almost every aspect of life. From how we work, educate, shop, socialize, stay fit and interact, just about everything has had to change.

 



With those changes comes ingenuity and innovation. And it is expected that from COVID-19 will come inspiration and a new wave of innovation.

 

The coronavirus outbreak has altered not just how people connect, but also how consumers shop. Online grocery shopping, for instance, had never really taken off, accounting for only a fraction of total sales. That trend, of course, has now reversed, with all supermarkets scrambling to meet the surge in online sales. Even Amazon, which had bought U.S. grocery group Whole Foods in 2017, was caught flat-footed in delivering fresh food amid the endless demand for home delivery.

 

Just how we will shop, eat, connect with one another and travel in the future remains to be seen. It may well be that a year or two after the health crisis, the world will resume interacting as it had before the pandemic. For Japan, though, this should be a golden opportunity to think outside the box and re-evaluate how to innovate to meet its changing needs and be a global leader in the services industries, including logistics as well as health care.

 

After all, enhancing the stay-at-home experience through improved connectivity and enhanced distribution mechanisms would be a boon to an aging society as well as to people who are hesitant to venture out as much as they once had. At the same time, discerning consumers can choose their online experiences from across the world, in which Japanese retailers’ attention to detail is particularly attractive.

 

If you are a journalist looking to cover the role innovation will play in a post-pandemic era, then let our experts help with your stories.

 

Dr. Ashely Gess, a leading expert in innovation and an associate professor of STEAM education at Augusta University, is available for interviews. Click on her name to schedule a time to speak with her.

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