The pandemic effect: As people’s pandemic-related precautions fade into the rearview mirror, nearly all food delivery companies are seeing their growth slow significantly for a variety of reasons, including more people returning to in-person dining, and rising inflation leading some to cut back on discretionary purchases such as food delivery.

The news: PC sales are slumping now that the pandemic-driven buying spree is over. Why it’s worth watching: The International Data Corporation noted that global PC sales have declined 5.1% YoY in Q1 2022. The news comes on the heels of two years of double-digit growth, per The Register. The decline is a reflection of rising costs and market saturation after unprecedented demand.

Tripadvisor used conversational AI technology for a campaign executed on voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant with the goal of maintaining engagement during the pandemic, according to Adam Ochman, global head of marketing at Tripadvisor.

The share of food and beverage ecommerce sales in the UK will rebound to pre-pandemic levels in the coming years.

Lockdowns, online shopping, and fear of germs during the pandemic have hastened the shift toward all types of digital payments. As a result, Gen Z has fully embraced electronic wallet services, contactless payments, peer-to-peer (P2P) payment apps, and digital uses of credit, including buy now, pay later (BNPL). A Rapid Rise of Contactless Payments. Gen Z’s use of cards and cash is declining rapidly.

Interest in extended reality (XR) is rising as Gen Z increasingly views these environments as an extension of real life and a way to enhance social, gaming, and shopping experiences. Because Gen Zers have grown up in a hybrid online-offline world, they see the blending of in-person and digital experiences as more seamless and natural than older generations do.

The global pandemic has had a profound impact on Generation Z’s well-being and is setting the stage for how they interact with and navigate the healthcare system.

The Pandemic Is Wreaking Havoc on Gen Z’s Lives: At School, at Work, and at Home. Despite some pandemic-related speed bumps, Gen Z is on track to become the most highly educated generation in US history.

The 2020 US holiday season, set amid the backdrop of a pandemic-driven consumer economy, will see an unprecedented shift to ecommerce.

US click-and-collect sales more than doubled in 2020, driven by the coronavirus pandemic, and will sustain double-digit growth rates over the next four years. Over 150 million people will make a purchase via click and collect at least once in 2021.

Retailers have long had an eye on augmented reality (AR), but it still has unrealized potential for shopping purposes.

Before the pandemic, 84% of US adults shopped for groceries in stores, but as of June 2021, that number's slipped down to 70%.

The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically altered the US retail and ecommerce landscape, with varying impacts in retail category growth.

Coronavirus effects have radically altered the US retail and ecommerce landscape, with surprising changes in consumer behavior and category and retailer performance.

The CPG industry will increase its investments in digital advertising this year as strong sales of essential goods and personal care products—particularly on ecommerce platforms—gave advertisers reasons to keep spending during the pandemic.

Global retail ecommerce sales will decelerate to a 16.5% growth rate in 2020. Even as consumers transitioned en masse to ecommerce during the pandemic, the drag caused by multiple recessions internationally has reduced the overall outlook.

Digital habits were supercharged through the pandemic. For those who had been around digital for much of their lives, however, the suddenly crowded digital ecosystem became a smorgasbord for them to snack on. And younger, more digital generations appear to be quite picky.

Walmart Inc. spent $300 million more than expected on COVID-19 paid leave thanks to omicron spikes, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company now says it will no longer offer employees paid time off for coronavirus-related absences. As labor shortages persist, the retail giant will have to reinvest in its workforce to improve recruitment and retention.