India’s painful and ongoing struggle with the coronavirus pandemic will lead to a second consecutive difficult year for brick-and-mortar retail sales. At the same time, the public health anxieties constraining overall retail will continue pushing consumers toward digital solutions. We anticipate an extended boom for ecommerce in India, including 27.0% growth this year, for $66.76 billion in sales.

Health passports could leave travelers homesick

Learn how the leading music store plans to foster community and support across its channels to offer more than just instruments and meet market demands. See Industry Voices: Holiday Preparedness with Guitar Center’s Jeannine D’Addario, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer, and discover her approach to acquiring new customer cohorts.

Worldwide ad spend soars: Total media ad spending will grow faster than anticipated this year, spurred by strong growth in digital and the rapid economic recoveries seen in countries with vaccine access.

Whether it’s the visitors’ app or in-park operations team, Universal Parks & Resorts is dedicated to delivering seamless guest experiences. To create relevant, immersive moments, the theme park relies on its core data and an integrated customer data platform (CDP). Watch Industry Voices: Spotlight on Travel with Universal Parks & Resorts’ Leah van Zelm, vice president of global marketing analytics.

In 2021, the number of monthly Facebook users in the US will increase by less than 1% year over year, the platform’s lowest annual growth rate to date. Much of this deceleration is due to last year’s higher-than-expected growth of 3.3%, which was driven by changes in media habits during the pandemic.

As normalcy returns, Alaska Airlines pivoted its marketing strategy from heartfelt imagery to messaging with a fresher tone. By embracing humor and levity, the airline is reassuring consumers that it’s OK to start thinking about travel again. Watch Industry Voices Spotlight on Travel with Alaska Airlines managing director of marketing and advertising Natalie Bowman.

Even before the pandemic, ecommerce channel advertising was attracting a lot of attention from advertisers—especially in verticals like consumer packaged goods (CPG)—as well as retailers, which hoped to add new higher-margin revenue streams to their businesses after seeing Amazon’s success in the area. Amazon had become the No. 3 digital ad seller in the US thanks primarily to placements on its ecommerce property, and companies including Walmart, Target, and eBay had been growing similar businesses.

For the 2021–2022 TV season, US upfront ad spending will bounce back to nearly pre-pandemic levels, if not to its 2018–2019 peak, according to our latest estimates.

Travel's on the up: With US adults' demand for domestic travel on the rise, prices are following. But there are still a few ways for marketers to capture that demand among price-conscious travelers.

The consumer packaged goods (CPG) category has seen tremendous growth thanks to ecommerce. Learn how Nestlé, one of the world's largest food companies, quickly pivoted and accelerated its digital transformation by leaning into shoppable commerce to drive digital purchases. Watch Industry Voices Spotlight on CPG with Alicia Enciso, CMO of Nestlé USA.

Although the pandemic has been the elephant in the (virtual meeting) room since early 2020, it isn’t the only hurdle agencies must overcome for continued growth and success.

Mobile proximity and peer-to-peer (P2P) payments have hit the mainstream, thanks to a pandemic-driven upswing in digital payments that is set to last. This trend is leading providers to diversify their offerings and compete for share of the market.

When Blink Fitness had to temporarily close its doors at the height of the pandemic, the company quickly shifted its focus to where consumers were: online.

Although 2020 was ad spending’s most disappointing year on record worldwide, it could have been worse. In fact, the final figures outperformed dire mid-pandemic projections.

In 2020, the pandemic accelerated ecommerce sales growth significantly. Growth won’t be as high in 2021, but total sales will far exceed our pre-pandemic estimates.

In-person discovery is an integral part of a spirit marketer’s strategy. So when brand discovery shifted online, Brenne Whisky found that consumers aren’t shy about a buy-to-try purchase. Watch Industry Voices Spotlight on CPGs with Brenne’s president and founder Allison Parc to hear how direct-to-consumer (D2C) access made continued discovery possible.

From hand sanitizer and kid-sized masks to DIY craft ideas and an inclusive range of skin-tone crayons, Crayola thinks about its marketing in the context of products, experiences, and content. Watch Industry Voices Spotlight on CPGs with Victoria Lozano, executive vice president and general manager of Crayola, to learn how social media has amplified its mission.

In-store shopping will remain a crucial part of the retail sales funnel in China, even as ecommerce players continue to rack up record gross merchandise value (GMV). Pre-pandemic, ecommerce was already disrupting brick-and-mortar retail, but over the past year, retailers began to innovate more offline, leveraging new and existing technology.

Most US adults are ready for a vacation