The #COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the beauty and fashion industry because of the policies that have been developed by different governments around the world to control its spread. With the authorities recommending social distancing by encouraging people to stay at home, it has been a difficult month for different professionals in the beauty and fashion industry. The emergence of the Coronavirus and other societal disruptions test the ability of individuals to withstand specific issues that affect attitude towards life (Novel, C.P.E.R.E., 2020). This industry, just like many, is one among those that people have a lot of body contact, which is now believed to the means of spreading the disease. However, people who rely on the fashion industry for their identity are struggling with what they should do during this time; the world seems to have come to a halt.
Crises weaken the social bond because of their ability to focus on the inability of individuals to depend on themselves. At a time like this, many events in the fashion industry would have taken place, with others still in the pipeline. Make-up artists, hairstylists, and other professionals such as aestheticians would be working on their clients with the hope of becoming better in their craft (Meaton, J., Kruger, H. and Williams, A., 2020). However, the world appears to be fast-evolving and challenging individuals to focus on developing a response mechanism that highlights the various processes, which can be used as back up plans.
Firstly, the first aspect that features prominently in the decision-making process of individuals is how to survive. Before the pandemic, many people in the fashion industry were handling a string of gigs that allowed them to meet their aspirations. With the new policies that limit human interactions taking place, how can beauticians earn money? This question, among others, has compelled professionals in the industry to innovate and develop new tactics dependent on the internet to survive the crisis. While one can still take a break and rely on the government’s providence, it is considered a risky move that can ruin your career projections.
Secondly, do individuals still need to apply on make-up while they are still on quarantine and self-isolation? To be honest, many women do not see the need to put on make-up while at home because of the experience many people have when indoors. However, there is a need to adjust to the fast-changing world because of its impact on the outcomes that weigh down various beliefs held by individuals (Ahani, A. and Nilashi, M., 2020). While shooting a video for your YouTube channel might seem to be a noble idea, your target audience is coming to terms with one of their family members who has contracted the disease. It is unfortunate that the condition knows no boundaries and affects both children and adults. Given the fact that the death toll in many countries such as Italy, Spain, and the U.S. is still on the rise, individuals need to take the necessary precaution to limit the spread of the pandemic.
One of the approaches that can be used by beauty and fashion professionals to continue with their craft is to share key highlights of the industry that were captured before the emergence of the pandemic. Keeping people engaged across social media platforms and seeking views about the changes that should be introduced once the crisis settles is an aspect, which can have a positive impact on people’s perspectives (Gormsen, N.J. and Koijen, R.S., 2020). Social isolation and quarantining are complicated processes that interfere with the mental processes of individuals. As such, there is a need for them to be exposed to the activities they used to undertake before the pandemic. For this reason, I believe professionals in the fashion industry can identify various approaches that appeal to the public to share their beauty highlights while staying at home.
Publications such as Allure Magazines that heavily rely on events and other activities taking place in the fashion industry can come up with programs that connect their audience with beauty professionals. Since home deliveries are now supposed to be picked and drop, beauty professionals cannot extend their services to their clients at home. In this regard, adopting a model that demonstrates the different stages that people can use to understand the concept of beauty can be used as a critical highlight to combat loneliness during this crisis (Koshle, H., Kaur, R. and Basista, R., 2020). When the pandemic was first recorded in China, many governments included the U.S. downplayed the disease and emphasized the ability of the government to contain the virus. With victims demonstrating signs and symptoms of the regular flu, individuals did not anticipate that they would have to close shop and stay at home, as a way of limiting the virus from spreading.
Many people in the industry have now come to terms with the fact that the beauty industry has taken a break. Given the nature of interactions in the industry, minimal activity is currently taking place because of the measures that have been put in place by governments around the world. With everyone at home, there is almost no one who can benefit from the services provided by different professionals in the industry. Every beauty organization is evaluating the best approaches that it can use to protect its target audience and safeguard them from contracting the deadly virus. The best decision at this point is shutting down operations and encouraging individuals to review their social distancing procedures that are believed to control the disease from spreading.
Social Good
Many factories have shifted their operations to produce sanitizers that are being distributed around the world, in line with their strategies for promoting social good. It is this level of sacrifice that is demonstrating the impact of selflessness to the rest of the world at a time when everything appears to be multifunctional (Evans, O., 2020). With many corporations collaborating with the national government, the fight against the virus seems to be over, even though not just yet. Crises demonstrate the role of organizations in the modern world and how the government can benefit from its ability to establish an enabling environment that can be used to overcome difficult situations taking place in our surroundings. Helping the public adjust to their new life is one of the approaches beauty and fashion companies can be involved in to overcome the impact of boredom that defines people’s reactions and their ability to lead a normal life.
Around the globe, corporations in the beauty and fashion industry contribute immensely to the growth and development of the economy. Looking at aspects that define the identity of the fashion industry, the pomp and glamor that is associated with beauty events are now missing. For an industry that generates over $600 billion and employs four million people in North America, the impact of the virus is being felt across the region (Khan, N., Fahad, S., Faisal, S. and Naushad, M., 2020). By subjecting the industry to a halt with a business continuity plan, it might be challenging to recover from the increased inactivity that appears to be defining the business environment. Changing the business models for many corporations in the industry might seem to be a viable idea that will be explored by individuals to overcome challenges affecting them in their surroundings. Based on the nature of outcomes affecting individuals, there is a need to recognize the efforts that should be put in place to cushion different stakeholders from directly experiencing challenges caused by the pandemic.
The Impact of Adjusting Life
Individuals are now sharing highlights of what they miss in their life before the pandemic, and one of the aspects that are featuring prominently is the ability of individuals to explore the world. Previously, the U.S. has encountered defining moments such as recession and the Great Depression, which influenced the nature of outcomes in the fashion industry. Despite each crisis affecting the beauty industry differently, corporations emerged stronger and carried along with the lessons that they could use to handle the next crisis. However, the #Covid-19 pandemic has presented a new set of challenges that are proving to be difficult for the nation to resolve (Buheji, M. and Ahmed, D., 2020). Based on the changing needs of individuals, handling different situations that interfere with the perspectives of individuals should be aligned with the nature of outcomes that influence numerous aspects hindering the growth and development of corporations. Many of the corporations in apparel and fashion are expected to negatively listed after a three-month closure.
Fig 1.0 A graphical representation of the fashion and apparel companies during the lockdown.
Some of the outcomes that have been witnessed in the offline apparel and fashion industry revolve around the decline in sales of different beauty and fashion products because of the measures recommended by various governments to control the spread of the virus. Many retailers in the fashion industry have shut down in compliance with government directives. However, the latest reports indicate that individuals should not expect normalcy to resume until the end of April or early May, depending on the ability of the government to develop innovative measures that will contain the virus from spreading (Maffioli, E.M., 2020). Even as the internet has become a standard utility, online sales are still in the plateau stage, denoting the lack of interest from consumers to purchase beauty products. However, there has been a surge in the purchases recorded in household stuff that will enable individuals to comply with the government’s directive to stay at home.
Fig 2.0 A graphical representation of Amazon depicting the changes in consumer behavior.
What should be done
Corporations should develop a Covid central point of operations that makes decisions based on overcoming the adverse effects caused by the pandemic. Notably, company managers should make decisions that are focused on improving the lifestyles of both their employees and consumers. By engaging employees to understand their needs and inform them about the status of the corporation, it is possible to create a balanced environment where both the organization and its stakeholders benefit from the resolved decisions (Ramelli, S. and Wagner, A.F., 2020). Communicating with the employee and consumers despite the lockdown demonstrates the leadership approaches and objectives that can be achieved by the corporation in its attempt to discover its desired goals. Although the procedures might vary from one corporation to the other, the decision to protect your people should be a priority because of their impact on the position of the organization before the pandemic.
Because of the low sales activity, company managers should develop policies that manage cash and distribute it evenly across those who need it. Employees and suppliers should receive their fair share to motivate them to soldier on during this difficult time. Besides, working closely with relevant authorities might prove to be worth it because of the impact of tax reliefs and other government support programs aimed at improving the lifestyles of individuals. Everyone at the moment is feeling the effects of the pandemic, and there is a need for corporations in the apparel and fashion industry to develop measures that influence the ability of the organization to overcome situations that trigger the nature of outcomes in the business environment.
Increasing digital interactions can prove to be a perfect opportunity for individuals to access beauty products on demand. Instead of relying on the offline sales tactics that have now being affected by the lockdown imposed on different countries, digital marketing is the only approach that will enable apparel companies to remain relevant in the business environment. Based on the strategies adopted by different corporations around the world, enhancing the engagement levels with consumers has a significant impact on the aspects that can define the future for the fashion industry. Different beauty companies can identify specific topical issues and identify professionals who can highlight the steps that one can use while at home to enjoy the outcomes still. For this reason, organizations should develop a come-back strategy that will be adopted after the pandemic has been resolved.
References
Ahani, A. and Nilashi, M., 2020. Coronavirus Outbreak and its Impacts on Global Economy: The Role of Social Network Sites. Journal of Soft Computing and Decision Support Systems, 7(2), pp.19-22.
Buheji, M. and Ahmed, D., 2020. Foresight of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Opportunities for a Better World. American Journal of Economics, 10(2), pp.97-108.
Evans, O., 2020. Socio-economic impacts of novel coronavirus: The policy solutions. BizEcons Quarterly, 7, pp.3-12.
Gormsen, N.J. and Koijen, R.S., 2020. Coronavirus: Impact on Stock Prices and Growth Expectations. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper, (2020-22).
Khan, N., Fahad, S., Faisal, S. and Naushad, M., 2020. Quarantine Role in the Control of Corona Virus in the World and Its Impact on the World Economy. Available at SSRN 3556940.
Koshle, H., Kaur, R. and Basista, R., 2020. Breakdown of Business and Workers in India: Impact of Corona Virus.
Maffioli, E.M., 2020. How Is the World Responding to the 2019 Coronavirus Disease Compared with the 2014 West African Ebola Epidemic? The Importance of China as a Player in the Global Economy. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, p.tpmd200135.
Meaton, J., Kruger, H. and Williams, A., 2020. Pandemic Continuity Planning: will coronavirus test local authority business continuity plans? A case study of a local authority in the north of England. Emergency Management Review, 4(1), pp.4-27.
Novel, C.P.E.R.E., 2020. The epidemiological characteristics of an outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) in China. Zhonghua liu xing bing xue za zhi= Zhonghua liuxingbingxue zazhi, 41(2), p.145.
Ramelli, S. and Wagner, A.F., 2020. Feverish Stock Price Reactions to the Novel Coronavirus. Available at SSRN 3550274.