There's great news regarding a vaccine to treat the coronavirus. Most of the developed world is likely to have access to a vaccination within the first 6 months of next year. That's still a long time away, and will mark well over a year since the pandemic officially began in March.

The months ahead may prove to be some of the most grim yet, and regardless of whether official closures are mandated, physical businesses will feel the repercussions. There were changes in consumer patterns before March and those seem likely to become exacerbated this winter.

Digital commerce is likely to surge again in the near term. Ecommerce has become a bigger component of holiday shopping every year since its inception, and the tidal waves of the pandemic-driven digital transformation will carry digital commerce to new heights this season. The detrimental effects will become more evident in physical commerce, with cascading effects.

There are many unknowns about what lays ahead in the 'return to normal'. A digital transformation has taken hold over the course of this year, and it will not merely retract. The past has shown us technological adoption rates increase over time and thus far, there's little reason to assume otherwise.