ABSTRACT
Virtual reality (VR) shopping can be a new turning point for shopping. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many consumers to shop online and there has been an increasing demand for an interactive and entertaining online shopping platform. This article proposes a UX design model for virtual shopping, which can be an alternative to in-store retails during and after the pandemic. Our UX design model for virtual shopping focuses on two aspects that make shopping entertaining rather than laborious: psychological stimulation and social shopping. Even after many states eased lockdown measures in August, retail sales recovery has been slow at 0.6%. Some might expect revenues will recover after the pandemic eases, however, the impact of the pandemic on consumption is likely to be long-lasting. The time to act is now. Managers might implement solutions to innovate digital sales platforms and improve shopping-buying conversions in eCommerce. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 has affected everyone's daily lives. At least 316 million people in 42 states have been asked to stay at home to slow down the pandemic. In this aspect, businesses have been susceptible to make substantial transformations. Workplace operations of many businesses went virtual. The effect of the digital transformation on productivity and corporate culture has been studied extensively. Meanwhile, how COVID-19 has influenced consumers, and the consumption culture has received relatively limited attention. Managers often take a wait-and-see approach on the impact of COVID-19 on sales. It is often uncertain whether and how many customers will return after the pandemic passes. Consumers live through the pandemic, and some changes might be long-lasting even after the situation eases. We examine the pandemic as an accelerator of the structural change in consumption and the digital transformation in the marketplace. Managers might adapt to the digital transformation in the market to recover or even grow further the sales after COVID-19. IEEE
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 is causing a major once-in-a-century global pandemic. The scientific and clinical community is in a race to define and develop effective preventions and treatments. The major features of disease are described but clinical trials have been hampered by competing interests, small scale, lack of defined patient cohorts and defined readouts. What is needed now is head-to-head comparison of existing drugs, testing of safety including in the background of predisposing chronic diseases, and the development of new and targeted preventions and treatments. This is most efficiently achieved using representative animal models of primary infection including in the background of chronic disease with validation of findings in primary human cells and tissues. We explore and discuss the diverse animal, cell and tissue models that are being used and developed and collectively recapitulate many critical aspects of disease manifestation in humans to develop and test new preventions and treatments.