On today's episode, we discuss Amazon's current size, how much more of the market it might swallow, and whether others could ever compete. We then talk about Best Buy's new membership program, Instacart, DoorDash, and Walmart getting into financial services, and how much in-store foot traffic has recovered in 2021. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer analysts at Insider Intelligence Daniel Keyes and Blake Droesch.

That’s because more consumers took to online grocery shopping and leaned more heavily on apps like Instacart and meal kit companies like HelloFresh and Blue Apron. “While we do expect grocery app user growth to decelerate this year, to 5.8%, this is a reversal of our previous predictions for 2021,” said Cindy Liu, eMarketer director of forecasting at Insider Intelligence.

But Walmart and Instacart are the real forces to watch with their huge footprints of in-store sales data. Walmart can gather information on cross-category purchase behavior in its nearly 5,000 US retail locations, and Instacart can collect insights from its partnerships with more than 400 grocery chains across 30,000 stores in the US and Canada.

With the US rapidly approaching the one-year anniversary of its pandemic shutdowns, consumers have had time to hone their new habits, such as making purchases on the likes of Instacart, FreshDirect, Shipt, Cornershop, Postmates, and Blue Apron. According to an October 2020 study by Acosta, 58% of US grocery shoppers reported being comfortable using digital tools to assist with grocery shopping.

Business Insider Intelligence research analyst Daniel Keyes and eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Andrew Lipsman discuss the future of grocery and why Instacart is leading the charge. They then talk about lululemon's magical Q2, what Amazon's latest wearable can do that others can't, and how Peloton's new equipment fits into its overall strategy.

Loblaw has invested in digital capabilities for click and collect and delivery via a partnership with Instacart since 2017. Empire Company Ltd. announced further expansions of its ecommerce capabilities for 2021. After launching an online grocery service called Voilà in the summer of 2020 in partnership with the UK’s Ocado, the company saw massive uptake.

And many issuers are considering taking similar steps—JPMorgan Chase has reportedly partnered with Instacart to offer a new card, and several issuers are bidding to develop a card with DoorDash.

But Walmart and Instacart are the real forces to watch with their huge footprints of in-store sales data—Walmart with cross-category purchase behavior in its nearly 5,000 US retail locations, and Instacart with its partnerships with more than 400 grocery chains across 30,000 stores in the US and Canada.

Over the course of the pandemic, retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, Kroger, Target, and FreshDirect have kept up with increased demand. Many opened up more delivery windows, offered express delivery, and expanded their online selection of grocery items.

The ecommerce ad channel includes other players we don’t (yet) break out, and one getting significant buzz this year is Instacart—another major beneficiary of pandemic-related trends. Instacart is beta testing an ads application programming interface (API) allowing buying through other technology platforms.

Costco has maintained a partnership with Instacart for several years, which it has recently expanded to include click and collect on top of its same-day delivery offering. Macy’s.

eMarketer principal analysts Andrew Lipsman and Nicole Perrin discuss what consumers expect, and don't expect, from advertisements during the pandemic and provide some examples. They then talk about the Amazon and Instacart protest implications, the United Nation's call to creatives and how bad the retail store closures picture could look this year.

As advertisers struggle to connect the identities of users across channels and match marketing touchpoints up with conversions, ecommerce marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Instacart will be able to make these connections directly within their own platforms.

But despite the rise of players such as TaskRabbit (home services), Postmates (courier) and Instacart (grocery delivery), the sharing economy is still dominated by transportation- and home-sharing. In 2020, nearly 95% of participants in the US sharing economy will use some sort of shared transportation, with the majority being Uber and Lyft customers.

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.

Key Winners/Losers: Amazon and Instacart are the biggest beneficiaries of the rapid shift to online grocery buying for delivery. As the ultimate stock-up store, Costco was a key player during the panic-buying period and will likely benefit as it transitions more of its customers to online ordering.