In AVIXA’s fifth weekly COVID-19 Impact Survey, survey respondents reported they’re having a difficult time envisioning how the pandemic will play out for their businesses, with greater shares citing declining revenues and slower sales. In addition, more respondents indicate their companies are resorting to layoffs and furloughs while seeking emergency funding. They are seeing a rise in conferencing and collaboration to assist remote work, which is likely not only a short-term trend, but could also indicate ways of working after the pandemic subsides.
Once again, more than 325 members of the AVIXA AV Intelligence Panel took part in the COVID-19 Impact Survey. And despite efforts by some local governments to begin relaxing social-distancing restrictions and gradually open their economies, industry uncertainty seems to be reaching a peak. The longer this extraordinary situation persists, the less clear the other side appears.
In this survey, 74 percent of AV providers, including 83 percent operating outside North America, reported experiencing revenue declines over the prior week. That is the highest percentage citing falling revenues since AVIXA Market Intelligence fielded the first Impact Survey. When asked to estimate the percentage decline in revenues, 33 percent of AV providers, including 46 percent of international respondents, pegged the revenue drop at more than 50 percent. That, too, is the highest that measure has ever been since the survey began.
Unfortunately, in order to cope with the economic challenges posed by the pandemic, more respondents say their companies have resorted to layoffs or furloughs. Nearly 44 percent of AV providers cited layoffs/furloughs as a response to the pandemic. Globally, respondents in North America are more likely to say their companies have instituted layoffs/furloughs (over 44 percent) than international respondents (30 percent).
Although the largest share of all AV providers (29 percent) is eyeing a return to project work in June, a growing percentage (19 percent, up from 15 percent) thinks July is likely. This subtle shift is due, in part, to growing shares of AV providers outside North America and live events professionals estimating July as when things start turning around. Still, a significant percentage of all AV providers (15 percent) has September circled on the calendar. Virtually no respondents claim visibility beyond that point.
On the other side of this pandemic, many continue to see opportunity in conferencing and collaboration (80 percent of end users and 83 percent of AV providers) solutions. Content distribution, to include streaming/broadcasting of content to remote audiences also rates highly.
To read the full Impact Survey from AVIXA, click here. The next survey results will be released on April 24.