Personal Care and Holistic Wellness is the Post-COVID Theme: Kanwaljit Singh Founder and managing partner of Fireside Ventures believes consumers will be more focused on health in the post-pandemic era and brands should reposition themselves accordingly

As economies world over are opening up after several months of lockdown, new trends are emerging in the consumer space. This also means that brands need to re-position themselves to be relevant in the "new normal' and cater to the new demands.

Healthcare has emerged as one of the few themes where consumer demand has concentrated due to the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown. "The rising theme for post-COVID world is personal care and holistic wellness," Kanwaljit Singh, founder and managing partner of Fireside Ventures, told Entrepreneur India during a webinar.

It is important then that brands focus on personalization and credibility to suit the changing needs of customers. Singh believes that currently most businesses are trying to solve the immediate problems but not focusing so much on overall adaptability to the ne conditions.

"Certain brands are leveraging the whole concept of community building of creating affinity with their humble customers through better content and vitality. That is a leadership stance, which is not so much of a business pivot but a great way to build your trust and your brand with the consumer," he said, adding that this will go a long way in associating with consumers when things are back to normal.

Here are some of the new trends that Singh believes will lead in the post-pandemic world in the consumer sector.

Sustainable Food and Beverage Industry

The pandemic has shifted consumers focus to holistic well-being, of which healthy eating habits are a major part. As people look to boost their immunity as a way to protect themselves from COVID-19, they are increasingly turning to healthier diets, "healing foods', or immune-boosting vitamins.

Branding of commodities, home cooking, home and YouTube chefs, pop-up kitchens and increase in takeaways are the new trends for the food and beverage industry to account for while making business decisions.

Singh also points that the pandemic has made vegetarian diet more appealing.

Address Mental Health

Quarantine, self-isolation and the overall lockdown has spurred conversations around mental health, positivity and emotional well-being.

As anxiety and loneliness took a toll on emotional health of people, technology helped enable connections. But on the flipside, overdose of screen time may also push for the need to switch off. Wellness brands and apps are taking note and cheering digital detox with beauty rituals, such as home spa experiences. They are also suggesting practices focused on meditation, compassion and mindfulness.

Conscious Beauty Regime is Here to Stay

The world now perceives conscious beauty as an amalgamation of two key trends: responsible beauty and healthy beauty.

Responsible beauty is essentially motivated by an aspiration for genuine and socially responsible way of living and consuming beauty products, whereas healthy beauty is about ready access to information that can help people to set their own personal health goals, according to Singh.

Evolution of the Concept of Fitness

The onset of existing pandemic has fueled appetite for staying healthy, conveniently, at home.

Wellness and fitness has gone back to basics in the current COVID-19 world with home workouts becoming effective replacements to fancy gyms. Many renowned gyms and spas have made their online presence known and are revolutionizing the concept of virtual gym in fitness culture.

Organic Produce

Organic produce was gathering steam even before the pandemic hit the world and it has only strengthened organic case further.

Finest restaurants around the world have established a strong narrative around organic food as consciousness of consuming local products in the near future is probably going to get more accentuated, Singh said.

Local is the New Vocal

Singh points that produce local is a growing trend with a strong narrative and the consciousness of consuming local products also springs a sense of community.

The economic situation right now is not conducive as there is a pent-up demand for everyday products over luxury. Now that the Indian government has recently championed organic and home-grown brands, it has certainly boosted everyone's moral to stay optimistic in these uncertain times and it is already being reflected in the brands as well.