Product as protection

The global pandemic has brought a new focus on the fragility of human health and society, waking consumers up to new anxieties around the “unseen enemies” of airborne pathogens and bacteria. To relieve this anxiety, consumers look to products that promise protection, resilience, immunity, and durability—hoping to purchase a bit of certainty in an otherwise chaotic and uncertain world. In March, sales of air purifiers jumped 70 percent (Inmar Intelligence) and according to the online consumer interest tracker Glimpse, UV sanitation lights saw a 128 percent increase in searches since January 2019.