Never has a topic been more relevant now than ever with the schools closed and many people facing weeks, if not months, of working at home, isolation and the fear that the world may never quite be the same. As couriers, even in the B2B sector, we spend a fair amount of time out in the community and we see the impact that Coronavirus – COVID-19 – has had already on both businesses and individuals, and how this could continue in the weeks ahead.
To answer the direct question, Coronavirus will without a doubt effect all industries. Some may find a positive upturn during this crisis period (we’re looking at you, Andrex!) and others will no doubt be worried about getting through, especially with no end date in sight. Smaller businesses will be the ones to take the immediate hit and even with Government support there’s no doubt that things will be tight for a while…bigger businesses in all sectors will also see the impact – particularly those in the leisure/retail sector. They will have been relying on the start of the Spring/Summer season to provide much needed revenue and now it’s unlikely that will happen.
Courier Industry
The courier industry is a harder one to gauge; obviously many people are still reliant on deliveries in a lot of different sectors including food, pharmaceutical, retail and business. Whether these will be hard hit will depend largely on how drastic our lockdown measures go as a country; if people can’t leave their homes without a permit like France, then we may see a boon for couriers as they will be seen as helping to keep the country running as workers and families try to cope at home. That said, we may see a downturn in sales of non-essentials like “posh food” orders and retail buying, which will lead to less couriers on the roads for those items.
Obviously at GOfers we’re still working at the moment. Businesses rely on us throughout the country to get their essential items and documents delivered and at the moment many are still trying to keep things ticking along as best they can whilst staying safe and distant from their fellow human beings. We will continue to offer same day delivery services as long as there is the requirement and, like everyone else, we’re hoping this too shall pass in as short a time and as painlessly as possible.
To all of our couriers, customers and partners – stay safe and healthy. Dark clouds may be over us at the moment, but the blue sky above always remains!
-Gofers HQ