Nothing can be all bad for everyone, not even a pandemic that has affected the entirety of the.world. As a follow up to an article that discussed the businesses and industries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and how they were affected let’s have a look at the businesses which have been boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic and how this has happened for them.

Pharmacy

Well, this one is fairly obvious, as people scrambled for hand sanitizer and other medicines pharmacies happened to be in the right place at the right time. As people scrambled and supplies of some things became scarce prices went up, largely to the benefit of those holding stock.

Retail

Much like pharmacies, retail oriented businesses saw the bright side. With people facing lockdowns all across the world food and grocery items became the most valuable things, at least in the short term. Locally price increases hit very hard in the run-up to the lockdown and have not shown any signs of abating. Retailers are in a very strong position as things stand. With the lockdown being relaxed and manufacturing getting back on the road again supplies should not be affected.

Ecommerce

The degrees of adoption of eCommerce have varied widely but generally, businesses have done well the world over. Whether it was just businesses that availed remote ordering and delivery like Bakers Inn or complete pivots like that carried out by Thumeza we’ve seen a lot of businesses take advantage of the eCommerce space. Zimbabwean businesses made the best of the mobile money payment co convenience and internet access present in the country. While it has not been full-on eCommerce businesses have adopted it in some form and have done well to do so.

Home entertainment and content creators

Perhaps the biggest winner of all of them. It’s easy for us to quickly dismiss the idea but consider households with children and the struggle to keep them entertained at present. Or those who are at home but cannot work from home. Streaming services have recorded large boosts in numbers. Local production Wadiwa wepamoyo saw its popularity boosted during the lockdown, a credit to the quality of the show. NashTV, a local content creator presented some very popular stay at home concerts.

Social media

We cannot forget the conduits through which we consume most of this entertainment through. Social media companies have had more eyeballs on them than ever and this is a great time for those who are monetized through adverts such as Facebook and Twitter. The emergence of streaming concerts, tv shows, performances, comedy skits and more through these channels is a bonus for social media companies in terms of reach.

Cleaning

Commercial cleaning, for those businesses that have managed to remain open, has been shot to the forefront as the most important thing right now. Cleaning companies, if they weren’t already sought after, are a big hit right now if they can provide services adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not without its risks to the cleaning staff and some may find costs rising slightly because of additional precautions but they should.be more than fairly compensated.

Delivery

Delivery and courier services form the cornerstone of a functional electronic or remote commerce system. Arguably only payments have a greater impact on the ecosystem. With delivery providers like Hwindi, Vaya and Thumeza still operating they gave a lot of businesses the foothold needed to offer customers online or remote shopping. We’ve seen this development across the world as many with delivery capacity pivoted and offered it to connect businesses and customers who were locked down. South African online alcohol shop Bottles pivoted to offering groceries as that countries lockdown law strictly prohibit the purchase and transportation of alcohol.

These are businesses and industries which are seeing the best of the COVID-19 pandemic for now. If conditions continue the way they are we can expect to see online tuition providers gaining from the pandemic as well. Smaller gains have also been made by those able to manufacture cloth masks and other protective gear.