Trends after a year of pandemic: the “homo home”, the consumption that comes and why companies should do more and say less

Mariela Mociulsky, CEO and founder of Trendsity (Adrián Escandar)

Just as worried, but much more tired. This is how the start of 2021 finds Argentines, according to a recent study by Trendsity, the consultancy that heads the specialist in market research and trend analysis, Mariela Mociulsky.

It is not for less: after a 2020 that changed everything and the hope of renewal and change that holidays usually generate, news of second waves of coronavirus around the world and some household doubts about outbreaks and vaccines, they make anxiety grow and the uncertainty of millions of Argentines hit by a health crisis that very quickly deepened a very adverse economic context. Everything in times of permanent changes and reconfiguration: from the way of working and life at home, something that gave rise to what Mociulsky called “homo home”, to new forms of consumption and the way in which these “neo-consumers” are linked to brands.

Trendsity’s latest research – conducted online in the second half of December for 1,020 consumers across the country through the Offerwise panel tool – reflects that, compared to a similar survey carried out in May, there are fewer Argentines than they consider adapted to the context (from 18% to 11% these days), although the “hopeful” grew, from 16 to 20 percent. “22% recognize themselves as changing and with ups and downs. Anguish (20%) and anxiety (22%) do not give ground (they do not show significant variations with respect to the beginning of quarantine) although a growth in hope is observed, “he detailed in a report.

In the different measurements of 2020 we saw that the main concerns of Argentines have to do with the economy, the fear of unemployment and inflation. Then comes the topic of health

“The new year marks a continuity of global and local trends. Although the change in the calendar sows new expectations and the desire for completion, 2021 begins with intensifying trends and habits that were consolidated. Both in the business world and in the personal sphere there is a need and various attempts to build certainties that allow to anchor business strategies and have horizons that restore tranquility and security ”, said Mociulsky in dialogue with Infobae.

– How do you define 2020 in terms of changes in paradigms and trends?

– It was unpublished. The health crisis came in the middle of a stage of digital and cultural transformation, which was in different stages according to each sector. Everything changed: consumption, the way of buying and learning, work and personal ties. It is not just an economic crisis because you cannot migrate, for example: you have to adapt. In our studies we see that people are worried, but we also detect anxiety, fatigue, anguish. Vulnerability, in the case of the elderly and young people who feel sadness and frustration at not being able to handle limitations. They were supposed to be the best prepared for this digital life, but at times there is a glut of screens. It is difficult to do everything with technology all the time, even if it is something that both solves and helps. In the different measurements of 2020 we saw that the main concerns of Argentines have to do with the economy, the fear of unemployment and inflation. Then comes the issue of health.

The home as a new axis of normality in the midst of the pandemic (REUTERS / Eva Plevier) 

– And this year what things will change?

– Last year was one of surprise and changes in habits and some future plans. Therefore 2021 is going to have to be the year in which the solutions appear. There is continuity of new habits, such as social distancing, masking, digitization, distance education. Of course, e-commerce too. Now, going to a physical store is really going to have to be a rewarding experience, or it won’t go away. Not to mention artificial intelligence, already integrated in many cases into everyday life. A culture also emerges with new paradigms in education and the world of work that incubate opportunities and entrepreneurship. As a counterpart, there is a great digital gap that is now more evident, and that hides other gaps, of labor inclusion, gender, geographic, and education. There are many opportunities, but there will also be more polarization between those with the most and those with the least. Among those who have children of school age and in the range between 16 and 25 years old, a worse evaluation of the quality of internet connection is observed: 43% say they have a bad or regular connection to work or study from home.

Now, going to a physical store is really going to have to be a rewarding experience, or it won’t go away.

– You introduce the concept of “homo home”. How would you define it?

– Homes began to be multifunctional and there is coexistence for a long time of different age groups, something that did not happen so much before. This can go on and increase if there is a second wave. Work and education are not going to return exactly to the previous way, then the home begins to be a center for supplies, meetings, study and work. Houses that, to the extent possible, will be better technologically provisioned. That is the realm of the “homo home”; also, an unconditional friend of nature who seeks to stay in good physical shape, eat products of certified origin. All forms of establishing new certainties.

Thus, according to the CEO of Trendsity, the “homo 2021” will be homey. And it will have these characteristics.

– Concern about the future job. A wave of layoffs is expected in the world. In Argentina, the law prohibits them until March 31. However, the uncertainty conditions the present expenses and also the planned ones.

– You will have limited family income that changes priorities. Food, services associated with work and education are the primary destinations, while the purchase of durable goods is highly planned, in search of opportunities and also as a refuge for value.

– Privilege spending on technology so that the home is that technological refuge that all family members need.

– Strengthen routines, in search of certainties that contrast with a threatening and constantly changing external scenario.

Mociulsky is also president of the Argentine Society of Marketing and Opinion Researchers, Saimo (Adrián Escandar) 

– Take the e-learning not just something for elementary, high school or college students. It is also the means to add training that allows professional development and also that related to hobbies or new cultural knowledge.

– E-commerce is the favorite as a means of supply. Physical venues only tempt when they offer a rewarding and necessary experience.

– Eating finds new habits. Eating primarily at home marks an opportunity for products designed for the preparation of meals. It is about eating well but also healthy.

– At the time of buying, it gives a chance to local commerce, of proximity. It seeks transparency and empathy reflected in prices, but also in policies of closeness to the community where it is inserted.

– Regarding travel and tourism, your preferences will be close to the most natural environmentl, valuing ecology, and in the medium term until there are greater guarantees, nearby destinations are prioritized, safeguarded from measures that may disintegrate people without being able to meet again or return home.

Companies and brands must be more humane and concerned. They must accept mistakes, be proactive, take care of their people and their customers and follow protocols

In mid-2020, Mociulsky – a UBA psychologist with postgraduate studies at IAE and IESE – raised five megatrends of change in the midst of the pandemic: porous borders or fuzzy boundaries between life stages; a return to the roots; the egobalance; neo-connectivity; and to rethink our role as human beings and the role of the State.

“To speak of porous borders is to focus on the more diffuse boundaries between, for example, work and home, or the transitions of when the working day ends. Businesses also have to change. The acceleration of the hybridization between the physical and the digital makes the boundaries between the digital and the analog erode; between the real and the virtual. With regard to the roots, with so many changes, more than ever we need to anchor in what gives us security ”, the specialist details.

– What is the “egobalance”?

— The balance to achieve well-being, something very desired and sometimes difficult to achieve in these times. It is not news that stress and anxiety disorders skyrocketed with the pandemic. Based on our measurement of early quarantine, 45% described feeling worried, 25% had emotional ups and downs, 24% reported feeling anxious and limited, and 23% were distressed. At that time addictions increased. It is very remarkable how technology has been responsible for part of the anxiety and fatigue of isolation, but there are many who also turn to technological tools in search of well-being. These own paths in pursuit of being better in such unprecedented times also show an opportunity for brands and services that can be where consumers need it most, offering tailor-made solutions. And also prepare for what is to come. It is estimated that by the time this really ends there will be a resounding change in trends, from the need for control and certainty towards the search for freedom, new forms of expression and creativity. It happened in the postwar period.

It is very remarkable how technology has been responsible for part of the anxiety and fatigue of isolation, but there are many who also turn to technological tools in search of well-being

– Does the corporate world adapt to this complex context?

– Many consumers consider the company and the brands almost more powerful than the governments themselves, and for this reason they ask them to act in favor of social welfare. The consumer asks for more storydoing and less storytelling, wants companies to do instead of saying, to be available and stay close, trying to alleviate the feeling of limitation and concern that we have today about the economy and the virus. So companies and brands must be more humane and concerned. They must accept mistakes, be proactive, take care of their people and their customers, and follow protocols. The second brands that offer a good equation of price and quality, those that take care of the elderly and those that campaign against domestic violence are growing. And the “homo homebody” has more time to compare, to get into the backstage of companies and see if what they say is consistent with what they do. So, a lot is going to be asked of companies in the world to come.