Especially for younger consumers, a significant attraction of digital products and platforms has been their novelty, as opposed to their utility. But the novel coronavirus has given most of us as much novelty as we care to deal with. As the pandemic drags past Q1 and into Q2, the desire for a return to normalcy will only grow stronger, to one degree or another. This is why nostalgia marketing will likely continue to enjoy a renaissance in 2021.

In 2021, expect to see a convergence of content and commerce, led by the likes of Peloton, Lululemon, Nike and Apple. Amazon and Google are also getting into the act as well with Halo and Fitbit, and emerging services offerings.

It looks likely that apps and other service providers will pursue more varied monetization strategies this year. Traditionally, apps mostly pursued two strategies: in-app purchases and in-app advertising. Over the past couple of years, many developers have combined the two, but we’re increasingly seeing them use subscription-based models, as well as coupons or other incentives for viewing advertising, such as rewarded video. This shift will continue into 2021.

In this year’s “Key Digital Trends” report, we examine changes coming to the digital media and technology landscape in 2021—including legislation, privacy, entertainment, social media, and more—and why they matter to marketers.

The eMarketer team deliberated extensively to select the 10 key digital trends to watch in 2021 from a list of 43. Which trends narrowly missed the cut? Here’s our first in a series of additional transformative developments that ought to be on your radar in the year ahead.

2020 was a tumultuous year to say the least, but as the adage goes, in crisis there is opportunity. This idea is literally embedded in the Chinese word for “crisis” (危机): Its second character means opportunity. China’s populace appeared to have embodied that spirit. In a challenging year, entrepreneurs and regulators alike worked together to steady the ship and found ways to restore some normalcy through resilience, digital innovations, and timely policies.

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.

In this Meet the Analyst Webinar, eMarketer analysts Jasmine Enberg, Jeremy Goldman, and Nicole Perrin presented an exclusive look at our annual Key Digital Trends report.

From the growth of TikTok and of social commerce to the challenges of brand safety and the cookieless future, 2021 will be another year of big stories for social media.

Increased political ad spending contributed to a banner year for connected TV.

TV ad spending takes a hit as marketers adjust their budgets amid a recession.

In this Meet the Analyst Webinar, Andrew Lipsman, eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence, shared the latest trends in social commerce.

UK’s digital media and technology landscape is facing changes and challenges in 2020—including privacy, Brexit and more—which will impact UK digital marketers.

In this year’s Key Digital Trends report, we identify what changes are coming to the digital media and technology landscape in 2020 and why they matter to marketers.

COVID-19 has altered the relationship between TV viewership supply and advertising demand.

As more people cut the cord, viewers are increasingly tuning in to live digital video services.

Despite the hype, most US consumers won’t make a purchase via social media in 2021. Discovery and consideration, rather than direct transactions within social apps, will remain key opportunities for brands next year.

Consumers are always on the hunt for a great deal, and that’s even more true because of the pandemic—especially if it yields a serious recession. Knowing that value is top-of-mind for many, General Mills recently launched a national rebates program that lets shoppers receive cash back to their PayPal account by submitting an itemized receipt via the Coupons.com app.

How will social network ad spending and social usage change in 2020? And what will happen in hot-button areas, such as privacy, ad targeting and political advertising in social media? Here’s what we think lies ahead.

eMarketer was pleased to moderate a Tech-Talk Webinar featuring DoubleVerify's CEO Mark Zagorski and GroupM’s Joe Barone, managing partner for brand safety, Americas. They discussed the constraints and opportunities of video impression measurement, and what needs to be done to complete the video picture.

eMarketer is pleased to moderate a Tech-Talk Webinar featuring Merkle’s Sandra Swindle, senior vice president, CRM technology delivery leader, along with The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company’s Matt Wilkinson, general manager, digital marketing, and AAA Club Alliance’s Scott Lugar, CMO. They will discuss how marketing technology modernization can deliver relevant and valuable customer experiences.

Attend our webinar, exclusive for eMarketer PRO clients, on how the coronavirus continues shaking up businesses and consumer trends

With 2020 shaping up to be a chaotic year, these are the video trends marketers will need to pay attention to.

(More) digital trends for 2021: Digital fitness, telemedicine, and food delivery emerge as a new triple threat. The Digital Health Ecosystem: COVID-19 Turned the US Healthcare system On Its Head—Here's Where Players Across the Ecosystem Stand On Digital Transformation and What Healthcare's New Normal Looks Like.

eMarketer was pleased to moderate a Tech-Talk Webinar featuring Leigh Price, senior product marketing manager at Salesforce, for this live Tech-Talk Webinar. He discussed strategies based on key social trends in customer experience, including how to personalize for your unique business goals and challenges today.