COVID-19 has unfortunately affected the health and well-being of the people worldwide.

Most of the businesses are already feeling the effects of the virus. As governments make
important interventions in response to the coronavirus, businesses are fast adjusting to the
changing needs of their people, their customers and their suppliers.

As people are being encouraged to wash their hands to prevent the spread of germs, there
has been a shortage of alcohol, hand sanitizer, bleach, cleaning wipes, and other similar products.
Hardest hit will be airlines, travel and tourism are most likely affected as our government
temporarily bans travel to certain places where cases of the virus are high. As business activities
run slow, some companies are seeing lower revenue resulting in less cash flow. During the
economic uncertainty, managing cash and liquidity positions may be crucial in the weeks ahead.

On the adverse side, businesses nowadays are wiser than we think. They find innovations
and interventions to keep their business going. They keep in mind that the impact of the actions
they take today will probably outlast the pandemic and will define the loyalty that the people
have in their products. If they can earn customers’ trust this way, they’ll build a connection today
and in the future.

For example, as all retail businesses in China had been shut down due to coronavirus,
people were craving their usual comforts, including hot pot dining — traditionally a communal
experience in restaurants. So a restaurant chain began delivering the ingredients for the cherished
meal to individual apartments, with no physical contact, enabling people to have their comfort
food and deepening its bond with customers. Here in our country, Jollibee also started offering
ready-to-cook Jollibee items like marinated chicken joy which are available on some selected
stores and online. Through this, businesses and customers creates bond even on these uneasy
days.

We all become more human when we’ve gone through pain, and we all become more
deeply connected when we’ve suffered together. Those emotional realities are also valid when it
comes to relationships between business industries and consumers. If we suffer together and yet
support each other, those bonds will only strengthen over the long term. They can even form a
new basis for how brands and consumers can connect in the future.