The realities of COVID-19 have disrupted our routines, rituals, and sense of normalcy, unraveling our long-held assumptions, expectations, and behaviors as customers. Inventory stock-outs have thrust many of us into trying new products and brands for the first time. In some ways, the pandemic has precipitated an enlightenment defined by a “make-do” mentality. Long gone are the days of insisting on your favorite brand of paper towel or, as a B2B buyer, selecting your preferred case quantities. And while customers may now be less discerning about the product details, brands they buy, or suppliers they use, the pandemic will nonetheless reshape the future of the “next normal” in unforeseen ways.
