The year of Corona, 2020, has led to numerous sustainable changes. This has affected working and living environments as well as consumer behaviour and economic life. The world in 2021 will thus look rather unfamiliar.

The global consulting firm Accenture has identified seven trends in its Fjord Trends study that will contribute to a New Normal even after the COVID-19 crisis. According to the study, the pandemic forced companies, freelancers and workers to explore new avenues and question old entrenched ways of doing things. The result is these seven trends:

Trend 1: Collective displacement: The way we do many things, where and how we do them, changed, disrupting our usual comforts. Shops were closed, meeting places no longer worked and visits to the stadium and museum were no longer possible. Organisations had to and still have to find new ways to communicate with people and deliver brand experiences remotely in a different physical and social context.

Trend 2: Do it yourself Innovation: Innovation is not only driven by technology and devices but is also a product of the ingenuity of people in difficult conditions. Companies also need to rethink their approaches to innovation by offering tools rather than mandating solutions and by empowering people to become more creative in how they live.

Trend 3: Sweet teams are made of this: For years, technology has reshaped our relationship with work, working hours and workspaces. This change has radically accelerated in 2020, forcing employers and employees to rethink. Many employees wonder why they should still go to the office. There are many new possibilities for what the future of work could look like.

Trend 4: Interaction wanderlust: As we spend countless hours in front of screens interacting with the world, we notice a certain sameness that comes from template-like design in digital. More and more people are struggling with screen fatigue. Companies need to rethink design, content, audience and interaction to bring more excitement and joy to screen work.

Trend 5: Liquid infrastructure: Collective displacement has changed the way people experience and engage with products and services. Now supply chains are under unprecedented pressure to meet new demands, putting pressure on business models. Companies will evaluate their physical investments and refocus on points of satisfaction in the final steps before purchase.

Trend 6: Empathy challenge: Fears of inequality have skyrocketed as a result of Corona, posing a challenge for organisations and raising questions about how they should respond. How should they manage the narratives they use to shape their brands to respond to the polarities that are rapidly emerging? Companies need a new approach that combines pragmatism with empathy and that ensures they deliver on their intentions to do good.

Trend 7: Rituals lost and found: The pandemic and the associated restrictions on disease control have disrupted rituals. From big wedding celebrations to commuting in a crowded commuter train. The strong emotional bonds associated with many rituals have been turned upside down - even the ones we used to take for granted. Organisations now need to create new ways for people to cope and reconnect.