The pandemic pivot to low-touch business

There are sectors that are looking beyond the pandemic to pivot from being a high-touch business to a low-touch one

Amid the global shutdown and a raging pandemic, business is having to switch from a binary mode of thinking — lockdown or no-lockdown — to building more nuanced and calibrated scenarios, as the Covid-19 threat is likely to remain with us for at least 18-24 months and perhaps even alter consumer behaviours forever.

Roughly speaking, industries can be grouped into two bundles: High touch, like travel, hospitality, tourism, fitness, entertainment, live sports and religious gatherings where demand will grow only after a cure has been found; and low touch, like food, medicines, autos, chemicals, fuels and infrastructure, which will continue to