Who is set to benefit from the COVID-19 outbreak?

For millions of individuals and businesses, the threat of COVID-19 is financial ruin, but there are parts of the technology industry that are benefiting from the considerable changes forced on society.

The FTSE 100 Index is likely to close below 5,000 today, a 27% decline in a month, while the Dow Jones is currently down (at the time of writing) 31% over the same period. Economies around the world are being hit disastrously hard, but some will see gains out of this pandemic at least temporarily, if not permanently.

Cloud Computing

The cloud computing segment has been on the rise for years, though as more employees find themselves restricted to their homes more workloads will have to be migrated to the cloud to ensure the business can function as usual.

For the cloud companies, the coronavirus outbreak is effectively forcing some organisations through a very rapid digital transformation project, to embrace the cloud and mobility trends. From an IaaS perspective it means more money, from SaaS it means more engagement and PaaS more opportunity.

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are the obvious beneficiaries as market leaders, though for companies like Oracle, who might be working with more traditional industries that have resisted evolution to date, new conversations about enabling the workforce will have to occur.

Interestingly enough, once these businesses have begun their journey towards a cloud-based business model and environment, it is highly unlikely they will go into reverse. This could be a catalyst for accelerating the already fast-blossoming cloud segments.

Video conferencing and collaboration

Although there is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting to progress and complete complicated projects, alternatives have to be sought today. Many businesses are encouraging more meetings to be conducted via video links rather than email to not only ensure effective communication but ensure well-being of employees. Contact with colleagues via video link is not perfect by any stretch, but it might assist some who are feeling the loneliness of remote working.

Microsoft is an obvious beneficiary here, it announced last week the number of daily active users for its Teams collaboration suite increased by 12 million, though there are many others who are financially better off also.

Zoom Video Communications, a remote conferencing services company headquartered in San Jose, has seen share price increase 130% since the beginning of the year, while more marketers are turning to companies like ON24 to purchase webcasting and webinar services to ensure lead generation projects can continue.

As mentioned above, some companies are being forced into a digital transformation project meaning some of the remote working capabilities might be retained in the long-term, but virtual alternatives are never going to be a complete replacement for face-to-face meetings, where we can subconsciously pick up non-verbal communication cues so easily.

Electronic payments

The likes of Visa, Mastercard and AMEX are already benefitting from long-standing trends where physical cash is quickly becoming a thing of the past, though the COVID-19 outbreak could accelerate this.

In the short-term, some shops are now only accepting digital payments, though as the total number of transactions are decreasing, so will revenues. That said, in the long-term it could force customers into adopting digital payments.

Although cash is quickly becoming a thing of the past, some from the traditional generations still resist the use of digital currency. The chequebook took years to fall out of common usage as banks and shops were still compelled to accept such payment when offered. The same could be said of physical cash; as long as some still want to use it, it will persist. But in refusing to accept physical payments, shops are forcing some individuals to adopt digital payments.

This is not a likely to be a permanent change for all, but it might be for some, both in terms of consumers who adopt digital payments and the shops who will now only accept digital currency.

Ecommerce

The more people are at home bored, the more likely fingers are going to venture towards the eCommerce apps to spend the money which has been saved from not going to the pub. Your correspondent’s household has turned into a satellite Amazon storeroom thanks to certain individuals in the flat.

Streaming, gaming and video content platforms

This is perhaps the most obvious example of a beneficial segment.

In terms of video streaming, parents will need to occupy children, while adults will also need entertaining as pubs, clubs, theatres, parks, beaches, holidays and gigs all disappear. Netflix is already immensely popular, but with more people stuck at home in the evenings, it may well become more so, but this benefit is not limited to the content king. All streaming platforms could benefit, while Disney+ is launching at a good time to capture the attention of European consumers.

In terms of video platforms outside of streaming, YouTube is enjoying particular success. Not only are there those who are trying to entertain themselves, but there is also millions of hours of information (some much more accurate than others) on the pandemic itself.

From a gaming perspective, this is back to the boredom conundrum. With the usual entertainment venues shut down, consumers will need to be entertained. The likes of Microsoft Xbox, Google Stadia and PlayStation are likely securing additional subscriptions as well as in-game purchases.

Savvy corporates

For those corporations who in a more fortunate cash position than others, the shock to the financial markets could be viewed as an opportunity. Softbank is a perfect example.

Today (March 23), Softbank announced it was selling off certain unnamed assets to fund a second share buyback programme. Combined with the first announced on March 13, Softbank will be able to retire 45% of Softbank shares which are currently on the open market.

Generally speaking, the fewer shares which are on the open market, the less exposed a company is to external influences. All you have to do is look at the conflict between Elliott Management and Twitter/AT&T/Telecom Italia to see what influence an activist investor can have on a business where share price has taken a decline. Share buyback programmes could be viewed as a way to protect a corporate strategy from short-term influences and aggressive investors.

Online grocery delivery

With the rush on supermarkets persisting as the days turn into weeks, online grocery delivery companies are seeing a surge in popularity.

Online shopping delivery service Ocado suspended its website last week, telling customers demand exceeded its capacity to deliver. The firm has said it would fulfil its orders and will soon reopen, with rations placed on certain food items. Share price for Ocado has surged this month, though it did decline once it announced it would temporarily stop taking orders.

The telecommunications industry

The telecommunications industry is critical to today’s society functioning seamlessly, though it has traditionally been ignored. Consumers have simply expected the internet to work without appreciating the importance of the telecommunications industry. Telcos are viewed as boring companies, paid little attention in everyday life.

Thanks to the number of people attempting to entertain themselves, work from home or access educational resources the telco industry has been thrust into the limelight. Authorities are putting in measures to protect these valuable assets, not only to ensure consumers are able to continue their daily lives but so emergency services can continue to function, or research labs can collaborate to create a vaccine.

The telco industry underpins the success of almost every element and facet of society, and now the networks are under pressure, everyone realises it.

Get the latest news straight to your inbox. Register for the newsletter now