We've dabbled in a few lockdowns here in Melbourne. No strangers to remote working, home-schooling, Zooming, social media scrolling or a 5km radius, we've weathered over 200 days of unsolicited me-time. The upside? We've just about thought of everything you can do to upskill, stay healthy, keep connected and turn a pivot into a graceful pirouette.
If your brand, like many others, is struggling to find its place in lockdown 6.0's climate, here's a list of innovative solutions by local heroes to inspire your next lightbulb moment.
"We asked restaurateurs to change the way they think and to create a package of food that can be finished at home so that the quality is maintained." — Shane Delia, Providoor founder.
From the owner of Middle Eastern eateries Maha, Maha East and Maha Bar, Providoor is a platform that delivers a lot more than a chef-prepared meal. Partnering with restaurants at half the commission fee of other third-party delivery services, it assumed a key role in the hospitality ecosystem of 2021. Both restaurants and customers were kept busy during what could have been a very dull time of year.
'Instead of travelling hot — and slowly deteriorating on its way to you — each meal is designed to travel. Say goodbye to lukewarm, soggy deliveries, and hello to restaurant-prepped, finish-at-home dishes.' — Chynna Santos, Broadsheet.
"We did our best month ever in April compared to running two studios full-time with classes." — Guy Vadas.
With a healthy 11k following on Instagram and two chic Melbourne-based pottery studios, Guy Vadas' Céramiques received a warm welcome from locals ready to roll up their sleeves and re-enact Ghost's iconic scene to 'Unchained Melody'. When Home Delivery Clay and Tool Kits became available online, Guy circumvented lockdown blues — selling over 4,500 unused clay kits within only 6 months. His secret? Social media marketing with free Instagram tutorials and an increased ad spend.
"A lot of the orders have been from buyers that wouldn't have been able to reach the studio, like Geelong, or quite far out west — it would be a two-hour drive. Going online let me access them." — Guy Vadas.
"A few years ago, a world-famous sommelier, a tech genius, and a total wine newbie walked into a bar." — Good Pair Days on their humble beginnings.
Admittedly, Good Pair Days were positioned perfectly in time for lockdown. At a time when Australians looked inwards into their pantries, fridges and local producers for a silver lining, Good Pair Days showed up. With a fun online quiz that generates unique taste profiles and custom recommendations for wine pairings, they met the latent needs of Netflix-and-chillers around Australia. They also released an app offering tasting notes, food pairings, winemaker stories and custom recipes for every bottle.
Truth be told, this is not necessarily the story of a successful pivot — but one of market agility, successful customer segmentation and a bold, full-bodied rebrand. It's the story of a lockdown touchdown... wine love edition.
"Specialising in product discovery and tailoring, they couple expert curation with tech-based personalisation to pair their customers with the perfect wines for their palates, which makes them the most advanced wine retailer in the market." — Universal Favourite.