Management consultancy Point B has launched a new Rapid Strategy Disruption Response offering to help clients deal with the sea change of Covid-19.
The pandemic has upended the US and global economy. Goldman Sachs projects a 34% decline in US GDP growth for Q2 2020, while one in five Americans have filed for unemployment since the crisis began.
Consumer behavior and preferences have shifted rapidly because of government policy and concerns about their health, but also because of a rapid and widespread drop in the financial stability (and confidence) of many Americans. IBM recently found shifting attitudes toward personal mobility, event attendance, retail, and remote work.
Retail will be hit particularly hard, with Forrester projecting a 9.1% sales decline in the US in 2020. Aldo and Nieman Marcus are the most recent of many retailers who will file for bankruptcy in the coming months. Walmart, grocery stores, and Amazon will do fine – but others, not so much.
Companies in categories such as events, restaurants, tourism, and travel can expect dire circumstances for years to come.
The unprecedented disruption of the pandemic means that many companies have been struggling with immediate strategy changes, such as cost cutting, business continuity, and mitigating operational impacts.
Point B’s new disruption response offering will, however, dive deeper to examine if a company’s business model is still fit-for-purpose in an altered world. “[Organizations] now must go even deeper and understand if they can make money like they used to, if their business model is still viable, and how consumer behavior might fundamentally shift post-pandemic,” said Brian Turner, president of consulting at Point B.
“Point B’s Rapid Strategy Disruption Response does just this…getting organizations back on track or developing a new path forward. The service guides strategy adaptation and creates a clear plan for execution for organizations facing disruption.”
The new offering will help clients identify new opportunities and options through rapid research and insights, value driver evaluation, scenario building, and business model review.
Based in Seattle, Point B delivers professional services in strategy, organizational change, design and creative, data analytics, and real estate development. The employee-owned firm has more than a dozen locations across the United States.