US retail mcommerce sales grew 41.4% during the pandemic year of 2020 and are set to double from this elevated base by 2025. This report looks at what’s driving this growth and how sellers should respond.

That shift will keep usage low, with nearly a third of global consumers planning to use cash for less than 10% of transactions post-pandemic, per an April 2021 survey conducted by Sapio Research and published by Paysafe. But cash’s decline will have a long tail—60% of US adults were against living in a cashless society, per a January 2021 CivicScience survey—for three reasons:. Consistent ATM use.

Frugality, Especially Post-Pandemic. Gen Z is feeling the financial pain from the pandemic. According to a Sun Life survey of adults in early 2021, 89% of Gen Z respondents in Canada prioritized securing their financial future more than they did pre-pandemic. Despite this priority, 74% of Gen Z respondents reported it was more difficult than ever to do so.

A semblance of normalcy will return in 2021 after a media-saturated 2020, fueled by the pandemic. But while media time will reset somewhat this year, digital’s influence will continue to grow.

Report: UK Post-Pandemic Retail. Article: 7 takeaways from Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2021. Article: Afterpay’s Black Friday results highlight evolving consumer trends.

Cardholders can leverage shopping-related benefits to enhance their post-pandemic return to retail. Consumers are looking to match quality and value shopping needs with cards that deliver digital-friendly savings, convenience, and purchasing assurance. Nearly 30% of respondents, on average, rated the category’s features as “extremely valuable.”.

Learn how the pandemic, the biggest disruption to consumer retail spending in recent years, impacted US retail—and how it will impact your planning for 2021 and beyond.

The pandemic has accelerated Gen Z’s digital buying behaviors. Pre-pandemic many Gen Zers showed a clear preference for in-store shopping and buying, despite their nearly universal use of digital tools to find products (451 Research, February 2020 blog post). The pandemic shifted more buying online among all generations.

As coronavirus-related lockdowns eased, some subsets of Gen Z were more readily able to find employment due to high demand and labor shortages. Teens and young adults continue to take advantage of post-pandemic opportunities, worker shortages, and higher wages. They’ve seen higher-than-average employment levels as the country recovers from the pandemic and employers struggle to fill job vacancies.

Related content: Check out our “Credit Cards in the ‘Next Normal’” report to further dive into how credit card issuers are changing their growth tactics post-pandemic.

While the pandemic acted as a catalyst to speed up businesses' plans to digitize, these new preferences are set to stick post-pandemic as businesses realize the broader benefits of digitization and automation: Last year, 60% of organizations said they were likely to convert the majority of their B2B payments from check to electronic methods such as card or ACH payments, according to AFP.

Digital account opening is on the rise after a pandemic slump.

Mobile proximity and peer-to-peer (P2P) payments have hit the mainstream, thanks to a pandemic-driven upswing in digital payments that is set to last. This trend is leading providers to diversify their offerings and compete for share of the market.

On the digital video side, the viewing gains will continue post-pandemic. In 2021, US adults will spend an average of 2 hours and 29 minutes per day viewing digital video, which is up 9 minutes over the previous year. The viewing gains will mostly come from our “other connected device” category, which includes CTV.

We could see telehealth firms eye an M&A deal with a virtual physical therapy startup—it could be a huge value add for them in a post-pandemic world. Chronic pain is a swelling health issue in the US: 20% of US adults experience chronic pain.

The TV upfronts look to bounce back in 2021 after a tough year resulting from disruptions wrought by the pandemic.

Post-Pandemic Adjustments. The pandemic has brought profound changes to the environment in which heads of digital operate. Some of these changes have been short-lived, and others may be permanent. These include both consumer-facing shifts—such as increased digital adoption and internal changes—including remote working and more emphasis on digital. External Pandemic Impacts.

Over 60% of respondents plan on using a hybrid model of care post-pandemic. And only 12% of respondents wanted to ditch virtual care altogether and opt for only in-person visits. Telehealth’s rise to relevance: Consumers flocked to telehealth amid the pandemic and became accustomed to its convenience, accessibility, and cost-friendly entry point.

Digital banking channels are enjoying supercharged momentum as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. US consumers’ banking behavior will continue to evolve through 2024, spurring banks to satisfy customer demands in both legacy and digital channels.