I think that we can all agree that the Covid-19 pandemic has been a  very, very bad thing. 

Just about every business was shut for a period of  time and every product manager had their carefully created product  development definition disrupted by the events that were caused by the pandemic. However, things are slowly starting to get better even as the pandemic is still with us. 

Product managers  who work in the fast food business are among the ones who seem to be getting back on their feet the fastest.

The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a lot of different  changes that have swept through many industries. 

Many have had to shut  their doors and even more have lost customers as people have been forced  to stay at home. However, out of all of this madness, there have been some companies that have actually been able to use the pandemic to prosper. 

One such firm is in the business of connecting people who may live next door to each other.

Let’s face it, everyone has been impacted by the arrival of the Covid-19  pandemic. 

Even those stores that you would have thought could have made  it through an upheaval like this seem to have been impacted. A good  example of this is Starbucks.  The Starbucks product managers, like everyone else, have had to close  their stores for a while. 

Now that they are once again able to reopen  them, they need to revisit their product development definition and find new ways to generate money for the company in a world that has completely changed.

I can only speak for myself, but if I was a product manager who was put  in charge of a marijuana product, I would be very, very happy. 

Think  about it, what does every product manager want: we want our customers to  want our product. When it comes to the product development definition  for marijuana, there is no question that it is a very popular product.  In fact, with the recent change in laws that has made marijuana legal for a number of different activities,  more and more new products that have marijuana in them are being  created and introduced. One of the biggest growth areas is drinks that  have been infused with cannabis (marijuana). 

There is only one problem  that the product managers of these products will have to deal with: cannabis tastes really, really bad.

I have a dog. I suspect that many of you have pets also. 

I can only  speak for myself, but I sure seem to spend a lot of money on food,  leashes, toys, clothes, etc. for my dog. You would think with this need  to keep buying things in order to take care of my pet, pet store product  managers would have a very easy life. It turns out that you would be  wrong. 

So what’s going on here – why are pet store product managers struggling and do they need to change their product development definition?

So how do you feel about eating meat? 

For that matter, how do you feel about eating meat alternatives that are made from plants?  Plant-based meat product managers are racing to update their product  development definition and fill in for missing cuts of traditional meat  in supermarket meat cases, after the coronavirus disrupted operations at  meatpacking plants. 

How are product managers going to seize this  once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make their products more successful?

Just in case you didn’t know it, Hermès is a company that makes ladies’  purses among other things. 

Hermès is a French high fashion luxury goods  manufacturer established in 1837. It specializes in leather, lifestyle  accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and  ready-to-wear. Just like every other business in the world, the arrival  of the Covid-19 virus has affected Hermès. Their customers have had to  stay home just like everyone else and have been unable to go out and  shop for Hermès products. 

How has this impacted Hermès?

Restaurant product managers are facing one of the toughest times that  they have ever had to deal with. The arrival of the Covid-19 virus has  changed everything for them. 

Most restaurants have had to shut down for a  while and customers have been told to stay at home and not go out. Many  restaurants are reporting that their sales have fallen by up to 48%  from a year ago. However, not everyone is suffering. In fact, business  is booming for some restaurants. 

What can product managers learn from  the changes that are sweeping through the restaurant industry?

So when you walk into the space that you live in, what’s the first thing  that you do? 

For many of us, the first thing that we do is to shout out  “Hey, Alexa turn on my music” or “Hey Google, turn on the lights in the kitchen.” These virtual assistants who are always there waiting for our next  command to them have become a part of our lives. As powerful as they  are, the product managers who make them understand a dirty little  secret. 

They’ve started to hit the wall in terms of what they can do for us.

Let’s face it: that Starbucks coffee sure does taste good. 

You know it, I  know it, and all of those people who are currently standing in line  waiting for their next cup of coffee know it also. Since it is so  popular, it may come as somewhat of a surprise to you to learn that Starbucks is currently dealing with slowing foot traffic in their stores – not as many people are visiting them these days. At the same time, a  lot of other companies have realized that people are willing to pay a  lot of money for good coffee and so competition in the coffee shop  business has shot up. 

The  product managers at Starbucks are going to have to get creative and  make changes to their product development definition if they want to  keep their profits up.