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Why are these changes permanent and not just temporary due to COVID?

Habits are extremely difficult to change, but once changed through sustained disruption, they stick. It typically takes only 21 days to cement a habit—we’re looking at multiple seasons of disruption. The longer people stay in the mode of buying online, getting things shipped to their homes, and purchasing without visiting physical stores, the more cemented these habits become. When context changes dramatically and stays changed (like during extended pandemic conditions), old habits are obliterated and new ones become the default. Major retailers are reporting sustained 79% increases in e-commerce and similar massive shifts. This isn’t a temporary spike—this represents a fundamental shift in how people buy, including how they buy art.


Asked by teaching-context · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2020-11-18