Pandemic Behavioral Shifts Could Benefit Mobile Payment Growth. Hygiene concerns first motivated customers to shift toward contactless payments during the pandemic, but the number of contactless transactions expanded even as lockdowns eased this year, per August 2021 BBC reporting.

Almost 57% of employers say they’ll consider having an on-site clinic by 2024, marking a rise from the 44% of employers who said the same when the pandemic began, per a Business Group on Health’s survey of 136 large US employers. Primary care entrants like Crossover Health and One Medical could see an influx of new employer partners this year. They both offer both on-site and virtual options.

Rising inflation and the slowdown of pandemic-era economic growth could make it harder for Hims & Hers to meet sales expectations and membership growth milestones.

Since the pandemic, digital grocery adoption has risen significantly: We forecast grocery ecommerce sales will grow by 20.5% this year to reach $147.51 billion. A January 2022 study from Acosta found that 68% of respondents currently shop online for groceries at least occasionally, due in part to pandemic-related concerns as well as financial considerations.

US physicians experienced an average drop of 32% in revenues due to the pandemic and loss of patient visit volume. Telehealth helped cushion their financial woes and provided a steady stream of revenue. 2. Care coordination tools.

Like many regions around the world, Southeast Asia experienced an ecommerce boom in 2020, as various pandemic-driven social lockdowns encouraged more shopping from home. According to our estimates, ecommerce grew by 35.2% collectively in the region last year, and our newest forecast projects 14.3% growth this year. However, traditional retail is still overwhelmingly dominant.

Beyond the chart: Carvana steered into the top 10 list in 2021, propelled by new consumer demands amid the pandemic. Its socially distanced business model and generous return policy led sales to soar by 128.0% that year. The global chip shortage has further fueled demand for its inventory of used cars.

CMOs’ Pandemic Adaptations. The pandemic was an opportunity for CMOs to highlight marketing’s unique value for banks at a time when customers were going through unprecedented financial and personal hardships.

Through customer experience and community focus, M&T Bank is growing more than just its business. Watch Industry Voices: Spotlight on Financial Services with M&T Bank’s Francesco Lagutaine, chief marketing, communications and digital officer, to hear how M&T Bank is succeeding by combining large-bank advancements with small-bank values.

In Baltimore and Syracuse, billboard ad prices are still more than 50% below their pre-pandemic levels, according to AdQuick. But in Miami and Nashville, billboard CPMs are more than double what they went for before the pandemic, per AdQuick. Prices bounced back in states with fewer COVID-19 restrictions.

Post-pandemic social conditions, a slowing economy (especially slower retail growth), and a renewed focus on brick-and-mortar will lead to slower ecommerce expansion in China in 2022. Consumers are tightening their belts amid long-term economic uncertainty. Although China has handled the coronavirus more successfully than most countries, GDP growth is expected to slow in both 2021 and 2022.

Article: Spotify deals with brand safety issues amid COVID-19 misinformation controversy. Article: Advertisers can now run clickable podcast ads on Spotify.

At-home listening was already the primary location for podcast listening prior to the pandemic, but the pandemic further bolstered its prevalence as fewer people commuted. In Q4 2019, 58% of podcast listening happened in people’s homes, per Edison. A year later, that shared jumped 10 percentage points and has stayed there.

Virtual care visits are effective for managing hypertension for over 75% of patients during the pandemic. 77% of patients experienced an improvement in either systolic or diastolic BP. Over half (55.7%) achieved a stable BP of 140/90 by the end of the study period (1 year).

The opportunity: The pandemic has driven many shoppers to rethink the way that they shop. While online food and beverage sales are growing, they remain a small share of overall sales.

The mental health crisis is only getting worse, and there’s a dwindling workforce of mental health specialists. 4 in 10 US adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression during the pandemic. That’s up from 1 in 10 who said the same in 2019. And while there's high demand for mental health services, there’s also a dwindling workforce of specialists.

The effects of the pandemic and increasing prices and inflation are key motivators for unionization, as is the growth and global influence of Big Tech. Last week, thousands of Etsy sellers went on a weeklong strike to protest a recent hike in transaction fees and other changes. What’s next?

Why it’s worth watching: Virtual diabetes programs have a massive consumer audience to market their tech. 11% (34 million) of the US population has diabetes, according to the CDC. And that number is growing. There are 1.5 million new cases of diabetes every year in the US alone, per the American Diabetes Association.

Zooming out on the telehealth and RPM markets: The pandemic-induced digital health boom drove a higher need for hospital-at-home solutions—now, they’re primed to have a permanent seat in the future of healthcare.

Despite the pandemic, consumers have a strong urge to shop and love going to the store, Furner said. He noted that Walmart has reported increased store traffic in recent quarters (though that may be thanks in part to the retailer offering COVID-19 vaccines and testing).

Why it’s worth watching: College students have a high prevalence of mental health conditions, but access to the right care isn’t always there, especially during this pandemic when many classes have been remote:. 85% of college students said they were experiencing more stress and anxiety because of the pandemic in June 2020, and up to 44% of college students reported symptoms of depression or anxiety, per

Media consolidation has dramatically increased during the pandemic. In the last several months alone, several major acquisitions have been announced or completed that could face newfound scrutiny under the bill. Microsoft’s historic $67.8 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Amazon’s $8.45 billion deal with MGM, WarnerMedia’s merger with Discovery, and more could all be on the chopping block.

More on this: Shein’s sales have soared throughout the pandemic thanks to consumers’ evolving behaviors, its partnerships with creators and celebrities, and its unique business model by which it steadily pumps out small batches of items every day, then ramps up production based on their popularity.

About 30% of the US population and more than 54% of adults 65+ have received a COVID-19 booster shot.