The pandemic effect
The outbreak of coronavirus acted as a forcing function that brought 332 million people online for the first time. This resulted in a digital transformation in shopping, socializing, and communicating. Voice and video APIs provided the infrastructure to build remote healthcare services that helped medical professionals serve their patients remotely. This also allowed children to attend school virtually and a vast population to work from home.
The pandemic fast-forwarded the plans of many businesses to come online by at least five years. Storefronts had to be closed overnight due to public health measures to avoid the spread of coronavirus; social distancing and stay-at-home rules catapulted heavyweights such as Walmart and Amazon to the front of the pack as consumers leaned on online shopping and grocery delivery more than ever before.
Platforms such as Etsy and Shopify allowed small businesses to set up e-commerce sites quickly. Shopify reported a record...
