Coronavirus: the remedy for a“sick” family ?

““Dear lawyer, my wife and I are doing well after one month’s quarantine and she is already pregnant with our second child. Is it possible get a refund for the legal fee for the divorce proceedings?””

This is one of the most circulated online jokes about the Corona epidemic which has resulted in varying levels of home-based quarantine across China. People find it funny because they can identify with the feeling that their personal relationships have become stronger in this time.

In the past month the nature of the average Chinese family’s daily life has radically changed.

For mothers,  the days of supervising homework for the kids and frequently absent husbands seem like a distant memory; there’s no school for kids and family’s are together 24/7. What’s more, with no helpers for household chores, no delivery services or restaurant outings, families are forced to be much more self-reliant. 

Chinese men have never been so involved in family life; they are taking a much more active role in everything from decisions on purchases, to sharing household tasks and childcare.

With little or no stress from work, and almost no opportunity for social engagements, family life has become the key focus for most people, and many enjoy this new “mode” of life. Interestingly, people are actively looking for tools re-invent and enhance the home space and family enjoyment. A few examples:

·Online solutions (apps) that enhance household management such as cooking, kids gaming

·Automated machines to reduce workload

·Creative ideas to recreate home atmosphere or organisation

This renewed focus on the family unit & bonding and the opportunity to “pause and reflect” brought about by the change of pace peoples’ daily life, has resulted in the strengthening of inter-generational ties. For family related brands, interaction, fun and convenience in the home-space are key themes to leverage. Brands should position themselves as active players that help to build a modern family not only conceptually but also in daily life scenarios.

-Sizhang Kong, Research Director and Manager of Metis Shanghai