Younger consumers in the UK continue to drive the digital conversation, but older age groups did some catching up during the pandemic. And these older consumers are attractive to marketers and brands by dint of their disposable income.

Fragrances will see about $240 million in US ecommerce sales this year, following a massive 72.9% growth rate in 2021, when consumers returned to social activities but stuck with their pandemic-induced habit of shopping online.

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.

The pandemic super-charged digital habits in the UK, particularly among higher-income groups. These people are also in a better place financially as pandemic restrictions lift, but there’s pent-up desire to spend across all income brackets.

Ecommerce helped retail out of a sticky spot during the pandemic, and those habits formed during lockdowns will endure, as digital demands more attention than ever—37.5% of all retail sales this year will be ecommerce sales.

Thanksgiving store closures return thanks to shifting consumer habits: Increasing online shopping and earlier deal-seeking, plus criticism over opening on Thanksgiving Day, could lead many retailers to forgo the trend for good—Target has already committed to doing so.

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.

On today's episode, we discuss whether augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will rival the smartphone as the next big platform, the impact of 3D advertising, how in-store shopping habits have changed, whether there really is an attention economy slowdown, what to do about inflation, an unpopular opinion about video chats, which way people fold their arms, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our senior director of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti, director of forecasting Oscar Orozco, and analyst Dave Frankland.

As UK consumers settle on new ways of shopping and buying post-pandemic, retailers must keep pace and cater to these new habits.

Canadian mobile penetration and bank access have created a high-potential environment for both proximity and peer-to-peer mobile payments. But entrenched payment habits and monopolization have created a slow growth environment that will force providers to adapt.

Co-brand card issuers and brand partners have an opportunity to reimagine their offerings in the pandemic’s wake. Leaning on newfound digitization and shifting spending habits can help providers tailor their offerings in ways that widen their net, grow volume, and appeal to the maximum number of customers.

On today's episode, we discuss which “digital habits” are just myths, whether travel has reached pre-pandemic levels, whether conversational commerce can take online shopping by storm, social audio getting some new big partners, which platforms creators want to create for, what it would look like if companies were mini countries, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst Paul Verna, forecasting analyst Peter Vahle, and analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch.

Young consumers have led the way in terms of digital habits and consumption through the pandemic, but older age groups have been forced to catch up. Some old habits may die hard in these groups, but the digital future has definitely been hastened.

This report will take a look at the key digital habits and personas across age groups in Canada.

Physical retail has suffered hugely under the weight of the coronavirus. Ecommerce has benefited to the tune of a 14.7% rise in sales this year, and digital habits are forming that will last beyond the pandemic.

Listening habits have been steadily moving online in recent years. From music streaming to podcasts, there’s been a growing appetite for digital audio. While the assumption might be that the coronavirus pandemic has increased audio streaming, the picture is less straightforward. Pure music streaming via platforms like Spotify and Pandora is being eschewed in favor of music videos.

The growth of the online category accelerated beyond our previous expectations in 2020. Amid the pandemic, tens of millions of US consumers became online grocery buyers for the first time, according to our latest forecast on US grocery sales. In 2021, this behavior will go from trial to habit for many shoppers.

Latin America is no stranger to change, but consumers’ quick embrace of new digital habits grew at an unprecedented rate and scale like never before during the pandemic.

“Women hold up half the sky,” former Chinese leader Mao Zedong famously said. More than fifty years on, women in China are doing so online, driving digital trends and fast becoming a cohort that marketers ignore at their peril.

Confined to their homes, consumers now have more than the impetus of convenience to shop online. It’s become necessity for many people—a condition that will likely boost ecommerce habits for years to come. Nearly four in five adults (79%) in Canada spent 20% or less of their total shopping budget online prior to COVID-19, according to a Forum Research poll in April 2020.

Still, growth has remained positive over the past few years, and time spent online will continue to grow as internet habits developed during the pandemic, including ordering food, listening to digital audio, livestreaming, and watching connected TV, stick around. Time spent with smartphones is also on the rise in China, and much like time spent online, lockdown-related behaviors are here to stay.