Women have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting them to adapt to new realities. A survey of 10 countries with more than 100,000 respondents shows that they are now focusing more on their health, learning new skills to find safer jobs, and adopting digital technologies more quickly to stay safe and connected at home and at work. As a result, they are leaving low-paying jobs, prioritizing the benefits and flexibility they want, and spending more of their time and money on what is important to them.

The Oliver Wyman Forum’s research has identified eight new types of consumers that have emerged from the pandemic, already exerting huge influence over business and society to shape the years ahead:

Wellness Protagonists

“While the pandemic evoked a universal focus on wellness, Wellness Protagonists are those who took it to the next level and used every new and existing technology to enhance the full spectrum of their wellbeing. Their behaviors will permanently alter our understanding of healthcare and encourage society to integrate self-care into daily life.”

Digital Boomers

“Digital Bloomers are those over 45 who entered the digital ecosystem due to Covid-19. Until now, they stuck with analog ways of doing things because the old ways worked well enough, and there was no compelling reason to change. That calculus shifted quickly. The Digital Bloomers adopted a variety of new digital behaviors, from ordering groceries and banking online to connecting with loved ones via video chat.”

New Collars

“New Collars are blue-collar workers who used the pandemic to learn new skills so that they could find better jobs. Their transcendence of single-collar careers is helping lead a labor revolution. While the entire world felt the effects of the coronavirus to some degree, the impacts were not equal. Many blue-collar workers lost jobs as the pandemic began. When working, they clocked hours in person—putting themselves and their loved ones at risk—while they watched white-collar employees migrate to safe remote setups, with their jobs and pay protected. Rather than accept this fate, many New Collars set their sights on new horizons. More optimistic, community-oriented, resilient, and risk-taking than the general population, they reinvented themselves.”

Climate Catalysts

“The Climate Catalysts don’t believe businesses and governments are taking adequate steps to address climate change and have taken activism into their own hands. Time is short, and inaction is catastrophically unacceptable. Climate Catalysts skew older (35+) and are those who have been committed to recycling, buying carbon offsets, and writing to their government representatives since awareness of climatic shifts first appeared as a blip on the collective radar.”

Metazens

“The Citizens of the Metaverse (Metazens) are people willing to participate in the metaverse without hesitation. They are ready for the next iteration of the internet, poised to dive into the immersive and integrated parallel world it will forge. Buy a piece of real estate that only exists in the ether? Yes, please! Curate a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and make friends you’ve never met in person? Sure! Wear a device in your ear that tracks and analyzes your every move? Why not!”

Hivemind Investors

“The Hivemind Investors are those for whom social media drives investment decisions. On the surface, they appear to have a penchant for chaos and disruption. They’ve generated an entire retinue, rife with a culture of self-deprecation and a hyperbolic anti-establishment sentiment.”

Virtual Natives

“The Virtual Natives graduated during the pandemic and have since joined the workforce in an almost exclusively remote capacity. They are redefining the very nature of white-collar employment and office structure — they work from their bed, their living room, a rental in Costa Rica. They spend their days glued to laptop screens, and — though inured to the routines of online life — they feel slighted, having missed out on celebrating milestones and fostering relationships in-person.”

Psychedelic Explorers

“The Psychedelic Explorers are those intrigued by and willing to try psychedelics in a clinical or experiential setting. They are curious and open-minded, and as more of these therapies move closer to market, they will be in the vanguard of early adoption. As such, they will be at the forefront both in further destigmatizing mental healthcare, and in transforming the outdated perception of the 1960s-era “hippy tripper.” This group places a high value on validated scientific research.”

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Source: Oliver Wyman Forum