Chrissy’s predictions for the rest of 2020!

I know I’m being bold by making these predictions, but as the resident fortune teller here I’m going all in and throwing my hat in the ring!!

If 2020 had a face, we imagine it’d look a little something like this. Years from now when students are taught about the world that was, I envisage the year 2020 getting a “the year that shall not be named” vibes around it and for plenty of good reasons (oh let me count the ways, it was a real fucker)….

So as I write this though, it’s November and numbers here in Australia of the big C seem to be dropping. Life is starting to return to a somewhat “normal” and people are out and about doing all the things – hesitantly though might I add. After all that time spent in lockdown, no one wants to head back there again, and small business owners absolutely can’t go back there, because the damage that’s been felt and endured by our business and individual communities has been A LOT!!.

Everyone wants to spend the festive season with their friends and families (where possible) and we would love to see our international staff and friends doing the same. We would of course, love to see international travel open up sooner than anticipated too.

By now you’d expect to see Christmas decorations EVERYWHERE, and people marketing and promoting the festive season. Usually, this time of the year sees most people planning their gift giving, their end of year parties and all the traits of festivness that are associated with the ‘silly season’, but this year I’m not sure if it’s coming!

Given the current economic situation, with many people without jobs and the country being at the mercy of another “what if we go into lockdown?” you can see why it’s difficult to be excited at the thought of Christmas being just 5 weeks away.

This year I expect the following will happen. This is me gazing into Chrissy’s Crystal Ball:

  • Christmas Gifts this year will be more close-knit. With people having limited disposable funds to throw at gifts, they’ll forgo the little gifts for everyone and just purchase for their immediate family/friends circle.
  • The big blow outs and company Christmas parties will not happen to the extent of years gone by. Companies have either made redundancies, have teams working remotely or they do they want to risk putting all of their team members in the same place when there is every possibility that a future cluster outbreak could happen. Smaller teams may connect or they’ll send gifts / activities to do via a team/ group Zoom, or rely on individuals to connect with one another.
  • Giving experiences and things to do will feature heavily as gifts. After everyone has spent so much time inside, people will want to encourage their loved ones to get out there and do all the things. Vouchers for restaurants, cinemas and tourist activities will rank highly this year.
  • If and where possible, people will support small businesses and friends. You’ve likely seen the quote “when you buy from a small business, someone actually does a happy dance” and that’s bloody right. I bet you’ve a number of friends that are solo business owners, freelancers, beauty and hair salons or make and sell cool stuff on Etsy. Support them, or if you don’t have the funds share and comment on their posts. An introduction to a new potential customer is always welcome and enjoyed.
  • This is the Greek in me here but I expect that “cash” will make a welcome and practical gift this year. People may need an extra hand paying their bills, school fees or groceries. Rather than purchasing a gift for someone that might sit gathering dust, why not ask them if there is a bill you can pay, purchase them an VISA debit card or just give them a card with whatever you can pop in there. Being able to spend the money on what you need / when you need it is always welcome.
  • More people will be working over the December/ January period. Before you shut up shop, do your research and see who’s going to be around and if it’s worth staying open for. It always blew my mind that businesses would close when everyone had time off and money to spend. I think this model is outdated and needs to change. If you’re managing a business, perhaps it’s best to establish when your least profitable periods are and consider taking your breaks and closing then.
  • NYE?? The jury is still out on this one and I’ll circle back shortly to see what’s happening here. But again, until dancing is a thing, I think people would rather stay home, reflect and ring the year in with their nearest and dearest. Besides, who has the money for a big harbour cruise to watch the fireworks from a vantage point with others? Of course there is spacing and such to consider here too.

Despite living in gloomier times, there is money to be made between now and the end of the year. With some smart strategies and clever marketing campaigns you could cash in on that (pun intended).

Remember though, don’t be a dick! This year has been tough and everyone has a lot going on. What you think you know about someones life is probably only 5% of what’s really going on. The festive season and holidays can be a trigger or incredibly stressful for a lot of people. Be kind, reach out to your friends and rather than go and leave a rude review on someones business Facebook Page or Google, reach out to them. Exhibit some control and self restraint and actually remember, it’s not all about you!

If you’re keen for a bit of a strategy session and action plan, drop me an email and lets book something in to get you doing all you can on that home stretch to 2021!