Elon Musk isn’t trying to calm Twitter advertisers: The billionaire may be taking over as interim CEO once the deal closes, which is raising buyers’ anxiety.

Half of worldwide consumers in Snap Inc./Foresight Factory’s survey said they found it frustrating not being able to try products on in-store before buying during the pandemic, with that share rising to 58% among millennials. The social platforms—as well as brands, retailers, and other ecommerce sellers—have turned to AR as a solution. The Social Platforms Are Driving AR Innovation and Evolution.

Sustainability is a hot topic, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021, most ecommerce buyers, sellers, and logistics firms are taking steps to be more eco-friendly. But commitment and progress are patchy.

The pandemic was disastrous for many retailers; we estimate that total retail sales worldwide plunged 2.8% in 2020. Though, while many physical stores were shuttered, digital retail sales soared by over 25% in a single year.

Facebook and Instagram will continue to account for the majority of those purchases, and they will account for the majority of social buyers. According to our February 2022 survey with Bizrate Insights, 43% of US digital buyers had bought goods on Facebook and/or Instagram, compared with 9% for TikTok.

The For You page and trending videos were among the top places TikTok users worldwide discovered products in the food and beverage, luxury, and automotive categories, per an August 2021 Warc survey. The #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt hashtag is a perfect example of this phenomenon.

The pandemic sparked greater global awareness of environmental issues and a renewed commitment to finding solutions. Climate change ranked as the top personal concern of Gen Z adults worldwide, ahead of both unemployment and disease prevention (amid a global pandemic), per Deloitte in February 2021.

Global marketers are set to increase social spend 53% in the next year. It will be increasingly important for marketers to understand how to navigate the complex influencer landscape to build authentic consumer connections.

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.

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.