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.

eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Yoram Wurmser discusses what he's paying attention to in 2021 and why: how the coronavirus changed mobile, the importance of iOS 14, and regulation's impact on location data.

Never in the past two decades of social media history have the features, ad formats, and other business initiatives of the four major social platforms looked as similar as they do today.

During the pandemic, consumers made fewer local searches, and local search advertising dropped dramatically.

We predict reasonable Snapchat user growth of 6.8% in Western Europe this year, resulting in 76.2 million new users on the platform, or nearly 22% of internet users. However, this growth is up only slightly from our November 2019 prediction of 6.3%.

The unprecedented social and economic disruptions that affected all areas of life in the US in 2020 also skewed many of our pre-pandemic forecasts. Valuable insights can be gleaned by examining the difference between what we thought would happen as of February 2020 versus what we now project for this year and the coming years.

Hispanic consumers have endured exceptional financial volatility—mostly bad—during the pandemic. Even in normal times, this population is a moving target, with its diverse components evolving in financial strength, degrees of acculturation, and digital engagement.

The coronavirus pandemic boosted social media usage around the world, as many people stayed home for weeks or months. In 2020, there will be nearly 150 million more social network users worldwide than we expected before the pandemic—more than the entire population of Russia. That will lift the total to 3.23 billion, well ahead of our predictions in November 2019 and June 2020. As a result, nearly 81% of internet users worldwide will be social network users.

This inaugural scorecard, weighted based on responses to a primary consumer survey, ranks the four largest US neobanks by user count according to their advanced mobile banking capabilities. The report presents detailed benchmarking data on the availability of 47 mobile features, selected by analysts based on the features’ propensity to help neobanks differentiate themselves from competitors. It is a companion to the 2020 US Mobile Banking Competitive Edge Report, which ranks the 25 largest US financial institutions by assets.

In China, an estimated 889.5 million people—97.3% of all internet users—will visit social networks at least monthly in 2020.

This report describes how the pandemic, operating systems, and a new US president will affect mobile advertising.

Penny Brook, CMO of Canada Goose, speaks with eMarketer vice president of business development Marissa Coslov about looking to its brand ambassadors to provide inspirational content to consumers amid lockdowns, inviting local artists to exhibit in storefront windows, and more.

Justin Rosenberg, CEO and founder of honeygrow, speaks with eMarketer vice president of business development Marissa Coslov about flipping its dining-in model to 100% mobile app orders with the help of third-party delivery providers.

The tumultuous events of 2020—including the global pandemic, recession, and Black Lives Matter protests—have exposed deep flaws in US society and disillusioned many consumers, especially younger ones.

The coronavirus outbreak has created unprecedented challenges for deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the US. Not only have social-distancing protocols and stay-at-home orders proved isolating, mask mandates have made speech-reading difficult and stymied communication in American Sign Language (ASL), a visual language that relies on hand signing and facial expressions to convey tone, meaning, and nuance. As a result, many of the country’s 48 million adults with hearing difficulties cannot access potentially life-saving information.

Steve Lesnard, CMO and global vice president of product creation at The North Face, speaks with eMarketer vice president of business development Marissa Coslov about responding to shifts in consumer behavior trends, such as increased online searches for outdoor activities, and more.

The pandemic has had a profound impact on Latin America’s retail industry. Mandated stay-at-home orders in several countries forced retailers to close physical stores, wreaking havoc on many companies’ bottom lines.

Take heart, US retail salespeople: Despite premature calls to the contrary, it turns out the US will remain the most lucrative retail market in the world this year and for some years to come.

The number of monthly Instagram users in Western Europe will rise by 17.0% in 2020 to 132.8 million. That’s more than three times higher than the growth rate we had predicted before the pandemic (5.2%) and equates to 19.3 million new users from 2019.