How should businesses view these global trends and events? How are behaviors and spending changing? In this report, Insider Intelligence analysts weigh in on the questions they’re being asked by both clients and the media about the shifting landscape in key areas like digital advertising, retail and ecommerce, and financial services.

Snap believes AR can transform the online shopping experience: Our principal analyst spoke with the company’s global AR product strategy lead about how Snap is helping brands increase conversions and reduce returns.

To capitalize on the opportunity, payment providers will deepen their push into the B2B space: Global Payments just acquired accounts payable automation fintech MineralTree for $500 million, for example.

We estimate that PayPal will end 2022 with 209.3 million global core users. Visa and Mastercard can draw from their myriad banking and processing relationships to connect BNPL installments to their respective 52.9 million global merchants. Apple Pay Later—set to launch in September—will likely be the biggest threat to the BNPL ecosystem.

Halting regulatory progress remains in flux and faces fragmentation at the global level. Without international agreements, a metaverse intent on connecting the world will not make it across sovereign borders. The myriad of crypto tokens must be shaken out. The metaverse is filled with tokens, and more are created every day.

Ecommerce sales on short-video and livestreaming app Kuaishou rose to $100.73 billion (RMB 650 billion) in GMV in 2021 from $59.04 billion (RMB 381 billion) in 2020, per a report from Caixin Global. It added that Kuaishou expects to reach $139.47 billion (RMB 900 billion) in GMV this year. While Douyin may look like a road map, commerce on TikTok in the US will develop independently.

Whitney Birdsall, senior forecasting analyst, worked on our latest forecast for US retail and ecommerce sales in Q2. She tells us how recent market turmoil, supply chain issues, and economic uncertainty could impact our forecast, which measures the total value of all the merchandise sold on ecommerce platforms

In May 2022, high-income households were 35% more likely to spend more on goods than experiences, whereas low-income households were 41% more likely, according to data from Deloitte’s Global State of the Consumer Tracker. Higher-income households are starting to react to increasing prices.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 threw global energy markets into turmoil, exacerbating long-standing inflationary pressures on the cost of fuel. Skyrocketing oil prices have translated to higher costs at the gas pump for US drivers and higher fuel costs for air carriers, which they have passed on to passengers in the form of increased fares.

Although retail media is not an emerging channel, the bulk of its incredible growth has happened over the last few years after the onset of the pandemic drove ecommerce sales through the roof. To better understand the trends driving this channel, Skai™ and BWG Strategy surveyed mid-level and senior-level decision-makers who spend a key portion of their week involved in retail media.

US ecommerce sales are expected to cross the $1 trillion mark and hit $1.050 trillion by the end of 2022 with an expected 9.4% growth rate over 2021. Meanwhile, total retail sales are predicted to hit $6.988 trillion this year. The healthy job market, low unemployment, and wage increases have kept US consumers spending, even in the face of high inflation.