Many large companies sank in a sea of closed or temporarily shut businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, smaller businesses in online selling emerged.
Plants And Succulents
Brothers Sam and Aaron Rodas started their plant nursery in November.
Almost a year later Yura Vine Brothers will open its physical store in South Tampa Bay - following an increase in customers wanting to shop for plants.
When the pandemic was at its peak in the U.S., the Rodas brothers shifted to a virtual store and, when orders were placed, they delivered plants free.
Experts said selling plants is a "rare business" that overcame the devastating effect of COVID-19 on the economy.
Yura Vine Brothers is just one of the growing number of nurseries that saw success during the pandemic as many consumers in quarantine spent time gardening.
Exercise and Gym Equipment
In Minnesota, retailer of gym equipment and exercise products Play It Again Sports saw an increase of 392% in sales since September 2019.
The uncertainty of going to public gyms helped boost the retailer's sales as fitness enthusiasts sought at-home equipment and exercise gear such as weights, kettlebells, dumbbells and stationary bikes.
Manufacturers reported they experienced difficulties in fulfilling orders as the demand for fitness gear continued to soar at the height of the pandemic - especially as consumers had been using retailer websites to purchase items.
Manager at Play It Again Sports, Dylan Martin, said it appeared "no one really seems like they're in any kind of hurry to get back to the gyms." He added high demand in fitness equipment was expected to continue until team sports were completely back to normal.
Art Pieces
As more employees opt for work-from-home settings, some big companies seeking to counter losses on office equipment have started selling art pieces that used to hang on office walls.
President of Cowley Abbott Fine Art in Ontario, Canada said while some companies sell art to better manage collections, some sold because there were no more physical offices to display it.
Demand from private art collectors has been gradually on the rise as the world prepares for the third wave of coronavirus cases. There has also been increased interest in online art auctions.
Used Cars
Among the COVID-19 success stories in used cars sales that saw high demand from customers were that of CarMax, Carvana, Autonation and Shift. The said used car sellers resorted to digital displays to attract consumers.
National lockdowns kept automakers from fulfilling new car orders - paving the way for used car sales to see a boom unlike the past years when the novel coronavirus was absent.
Cars.com is another online used car seller that saw not just a boost in sales but also in its shares. The company saw its shares surged up 25% last week after it released its earnings report.
ACV Auctions CEO George Chamoun explained that the surge in used car sales during the pandemic was boosted further by the willingness of dealers to adjust to the digital setting.
Beauty Products
Despite initial struggles with a largely internet-controlled economy since the COVID-19 pandemic started, the sales of beauty products remained afloat.
Quarantine and lockdowns placed barriers on resellers and retailers as companies were forced to close down shops. However, sellers of beauty products found ways to overcome these challenges.
Avon global CEO Angela Cretu revealed that to keep the sales of beauty products rolling, "people started to use their social media," and sellers "found new ways to deliver their product to the door without bypassing the barriers."
The multilevel beauty and personal care marketing company uses a sales model that combines both digital and physical channels but owing to the pandemic, the digital medium was used even more.
