The 2021 holiday season saw the highest retail growth in 20 years, setting the stage for a solid 2022 holiday season.

While biometric payments may be compelling for consumers who value security and frictionless commerce, it could be a hard sell for privacy-focused consumers who are reticent about sharing biometric information. Thirty-six percent of global respondents said they were at least somewhat uncomfortable with biometric payments—nearly split with those who said the opposite, per a Mastercard survey.

Click and collect sales in the US will see an acceleration of growth amid the coronavirus pandemic, rising roughly 60% to $58.52 billion this year, according to our estimates. That’s a considerable increase from our previous estimate, when we anticipated a 38.6% growth.

Frictionless commerce, a trend permeating many facets of the customer journey today, leverages technology to improve the retail experience by saving people time and hassle. And arguably the most competitive battleground in frictionless commerce is in fast and free ecommerce delivery.

eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman and senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Cindy Liu speak about innovations in ecommerce and how technology is creating a frictionless experience for online shoppers. They discuss the jump from fast to free shipping, what drone deliveries could potentially look like, and dive into the many facets of click and collect. They also explain the downsides of frictionless commerce and how businesses can overcome those hurdles.

We had predicted that Thanksgiving Day would become the ultimate “couch commerce” day, with most big-box retailers’ stores closed that year, driving early Black Friday shopping to smartphones and other ecommerce channels. Thanksgiving Day fell nearly 30 percentage points below of our predicted growth rate of 49.5%, while Black Friday ended up nearly 20 points shy of our 39.4% growth expectation.

For occasions where physical checkout is necessary, the experience should be as quick, frictionless, and contactless as possible. Amazon is rapidly advancing the technology and customer awareness of frictionless commerce. The rollout of Amazon Go, the cashierless convenience store concept featuring its patented Just Walk Out technology, is well underway.

A new paradigm of physical retail, created and accelerated by the pandemic’s disruptive forces, is ready to emerge. In the coming year, the “retail apocalypse” will reach a crescendo as many teetering legacy retailers close hundreds of locations. In their place, frictionless, digitally enabled retail experiences will dot the landscape.

The 2019 holiday season posted modest retail sales growth amid a strong consumer economy but challenging calendar. With more economic risks ahead, the 2020 season may be even more challenged for growth.

Insider Intelligence research analyst Daniel Keyes, principal analyst Andrew Lipsman and senior forecasting analyst Cindy Liu discuss how the coronavirus changed retail and ecommerce. What are our base, best and worst cases scenarios? They then talk about who frictionless retail is for and what Americans' online grocery experience really looks like.

That’s frictionless commerce. One thing we see on the logistics side is consumers needing to have control over that last mile. Whether it's to reschedule a package because they're on vacation, or they want to redirect it to a retail location so their child doesn't see it before Christmas. That's another element of creating frictionless commerce: putting that choice in the hands of your consumer.

Amid TikTok’s meteoric rise, many marketers may be wondering whether YouTube is still relevant. The short answer is yes. But YouTube will need to carve its own niche in creators, commerce, and short video to stay relevant in 2022 and beyond.

Embedding transactional functionality into advertising, engagement, social, servicing and loyalty moments means the consumer can make purchases in a more frictionless way than ever before.

The news: US-based Olo, a software as a service (SaaS) restaurant commerce provider, launched Olo Pay, a solution that helps streamline online payments for restaurant customers, per a press release. Here’s how it works: Olo consolidates orders originating from several digital channels directly into restaurants’ point-of-sale (POS) systems so they can view and manage orders in one place.

Download the Linnworks Total Commerce Guide to Automation to learn more about using automation to drive business growth. —Jason Stuckey, General Manager, North America, Linnworks.

“We'll continue to see more and more frictionless experiences, whether it be through a virtual wallet; or in a brick-and-mortar store, the ability to just pick up goods, scan them yourself; or via in-store scanning mechanisms, and you can just walk out with them,” said Pete Stein, global lead for experience and commerce at Merkle. “That trend of contactless is going to continue in a pretty big way.”.

How to make online and offline transactions more frictionless. The benefits of embracing a first-party data mindset. How to turn cross-channel experiences, like click-and-collect and returns, into competitive advantages. Techniques to improve discoverability through AR and remote video. Plus!

Together with NovoPayment, we are delivering frictionless payments experiences for tens of thousands of delivery drivers that work for Rappi, the Latin American on-demand delivery platform. With Rappi, we are also partnering to expand financial inclusion through the RappiPay contactless Visa card, which can be easily topped-up in a number of ways.

Providers that allow customers to complete frictionless transactions can expect to generate new leads from positive referrals. Insurers, insurtechs, and other providers with strong digital capabilities can offer a faster and more streamlined purchasing journey, with largely automated applications, smart contracts, and seamless payments.

Omnicom Commerce Group (OCG). Tug.

It’s part of providing a frictionless checkout experience, whether on social or elsewhere—another important trend for 2021. Learn from abroad. Social commerce (including checkout) is already a big business in China, thanks mainly to the popularity of catch-all app WeChat.

A discoverability solution creates a frictionless experience that helps ensure buyers can find what they need more quickly and with less effort. This results in increased conversions and more satisfied customers, which ultimately drives business growth, profits, and sustainability. Use AI to understand and engage your buyer.