Publisher’s note

WE’RE ALMOST THERE! After two years of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that the end may be in sight. As I write this, many restrictions are being lifted, case numbers and hospitalizations are coming down, and things are starting to open up again. What an unimaginable ride this has been! While we all want to move towards some sort of normality, if that is even possible, I think we can all agree that what we once perceived as normal has evolved and will continue to evolve.

Over the past two years, online shopping has increased from 30% pre-COVID to 65% and climbing with studies showing half of the world’s population to be shopping online by the end of 2022 – spending a whopping 3 billion dollars.

Many believe that technology has progressed much faster during the pandemic, saying that in the past two years it has jumped ahead the equivalent of five years. Advancements in AI (Artificial Intelligence) are moving faster that anyone imagined and are on trend to continue that upward curve.

All of this rapid change means we will all have to do things a little diferently in the future and of course, that future starts right now.

Due to the bombardment of social media, fake news and online reviews, keeping loyal customers will become a new challenge. You will need to try to stay on top of trends and work all that much harder to maintain your customer loyalty.

Retails brick and mortar stores are not going anywhere soon, but many of you will be working a lot harder to get your clients back into the store on a regular basis. Get innovative, stay on top of emerging trends in technology, go that extra mile for your customer and provide the best sales experience that will keep them choosing an in-store experience over one online.

The good news is that all indications point to this being over soon. We will learn to live with COVID as it becomes part of our future. Keep that smile on your face and that enthusiasm up front and centre, and things will look great going forward. Oh, and don’t forget to go to Cosmeticsmag.com to vote for your favourite service provider for the Beauty’s Best Awards (formerly COSA Awards) and your favourite product for the 2022 “I Recommend” Beauty Awards. Cheers,

Jim Hicks, DIRECTOR, BEAUTY PUBLICATIONS AND AWARDS @JIMHICKSTWEETS