Loss Prevention Research Council Weekly Series - Episode 65 - Vaccination Race and Traveling Internationally During COVID
With Dr. Read Hayes, Tony D'Onofrio, and Tom Meehan
The Race Towards Full Vaccination
https://www.statista.com/chart/24663/share-of-the-population-fully-vaccinated-against-covid-19/
The top countries in the race to full vaccination are Israel with 60% of the population vaccinated, Bahrain at 59%, Mongolia at 49%, United States at 47%, Germany at 38%, Italy at 33%, and France at 31%. This data is as of July 3, 2021 and is from Statista.
The global consumer: Changed for good – PwC’s June 2021 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey
https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/consumer-markets/consumer-insights-survey.html
The covid-19 pandemic has been one of the greatest health crisis in modern history. As consumers pivoted and adopted new habits, business leaders wandered whether these changes, which accelerated trends already in motion, would be fleeting or permanent. The PwC’s June 2021 global consumer insights survey confirms that the changes are sticking – signifying a historic and dramatic shift in consumer behavior
Consumers are now more digital, more health conscious, more eco-friendly, more price sensitive, and are shopping more local. 56% of global consumers are more price oriented. 54% are focused on saving, 51% are digital, 50% are more eco-friendly, 49% are more healthy, 46% are more data conscious, , 43% want to shop more local.
36% are more optimistic about the economy, 31% see no change, and a surprising 29% are less optimistic about the economy.
In March this year, 41% were shopping in physical stores, By June this year, this increased to 47%. The number of consumers shopping online daily is also increasing to 23% in June, up from 19% in March. Fast and reliable delivery plus product availability, that is having the inventory, remain the consumer top priorities.
Most shoppers put health and safety concerns ahead of environmental concerns.
The top three reasons driving brand loyalty in June were:
- Reliability as defined the brand always delivers what I expect – 46%
- Products that are widely available – 31%
- Exceptional customer service and loyalty programs - 26%
The top 3 categories where global consumers are planning to spend more in the next six months are grocery (37%), Takeaway Food (32%), and Home Entertainment (30%)
What’s it is like to travel internationally during COVID-19?
I am actually recording this podcast from Italy after having traveled to Spain this past week. Let me take a few minutes to share my experience of what it is like to travel internationally now, July 2021, during COVID-19.
USA / Italy / and Spain are all considered Amber Countries which means to travel there you need to follow a defined set of rules.
It starts by researching what are the requirements for entering the country you are going to. Delta which is the airline I flew to Europe made it easy as they will tell you exactly what you need.
For Spain, I had to fill out a form online with the focus on identifying the location I would be staying in case they needed to get a hold of me. The form generates a QR code which you need to show at the port of entry which in my case was Madrid. It’s the first thing they ask you prior to boarding in USA, plus they want to see your CDC issued vaccination card. This is addition to your passport of course.
Not all countries use the same forms. In my case I was traveling to Italy and needed a different form with a different QR code to enter that country. Again the airline website should be able to help you. Just look for COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Be prepared to wear a mask from the time you enter the airport in your hometown to the time you arrive at your hotel in the foreign country. In my case this meant wearing a mask for 19 hours. You can take it off to eat, but they will quickly remind you to put it on. This includes even if you are trying to sleep on the plane.
The food and services are starting to improve on international flights, but it’s not the same as pre-COVID-19.
On landing you are routed to what looks like a medical station. They will take your temperature, scan your QR code and closely inspect your vaccination card before letting you pass to baggage claim.
As I have stated earlier in my notes, most European countries do not have a heavy portion of their population vaccinated, so expect the mask culture to continue everywhere. This includes in building, offices, taxis, hotels, etc.
The rules are changing constantly so it’s important before you travel to get current. I was actually still in Spain when I prepared these notes. In Italy I was surprised that no checks took place at all. No temperature checks, no QR codes, no vaccination cards inspections, etc.
The most strict country right now seems to be the UK which is announcing their updated rules on July 19. Ironically that is where we are launching LPRC Europe on July 21. It will be interesting to see how challenging it will be to get into the UK starting July 19.
In short, if you are planning to travel internationally, do you homework on restriction, be prepared for long wearing mask sessions, and be flexible in how you approach the challenges you encounter. Everyone around the world, at different levels of vaccination rates, are trying to figure out how to safely get out of this pandemic.
