Even before the coronavirus pandemic, people had shifted the way they purchased goods and services in radically transformative ways. Where we once hailed a cab, we learned to use a ride-sharing app. Groceries and other packages are delivered to our homes on a regular basis. We can hire people to mount televisions or put together bookshelves while we work. You used to have to live in Manhattan, New York, to get anything delivered to your door — now, you can even do it in Manhattan, Kansas.

By the beginning of 2019, more than one-third of us reported using apps to hail cars. During the shutdown, millions of us learned to enjoy our favorite foods courtesy of a handful of competitive restaurant delivery options. As a result, thousands of small, family-owned restaurants are in business today that would not have been.