Direct-to-consumer (D2C) ecommerce growth has slowed since 2020, but the leading digitally native brands remain popular. In December 2021, the Peloton website raked in 6.7 million visits worldwide, far more than the sites of Warby Parker, Casper, and other top digital natives in the D2C space.

TikTok use is being driven by younger adults: Almost half of the app's US users will be between 18 and 34 this year, a figure that decreases as the user segment gets younger and older. For instance, just 1.8% of TikTok's users will be 65 and older in 2022.

Close to 8 in 10 branding professionals plan on allocating upfront spending to Hulu, per a survey from iSpot.tv. Peacock and YouTube TV are also major upfront spend magnets with 52% and 49% of branding professionals dishing ad dollars to those platforms, respectively.

The average number of smartphone apps used in the US will decrease over the next few years, following a pandemic-driven bump in 2020 that did not change the overall trend. This year, users will access an average of 20.4 apps each month, a figure that will drop to 19.7 in 2026.

Brand marketers worldwide are most confident in their ability to measure return on investment (ROI) in social media marketing—64% are either extremely or very confident in this. Video online and mobile was the No. 2 most effective platform for measuring ROI (59%), while search and display tied for No. 3 (54%).

Global shipments of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets will hit 16.5 million this year, up more than 5 million or 32.1% from last year. Most of these shipments are to consumers, but commercial sales are set to multiply over the next five years, driven by the opportunity for product visualization prior to purchase.

In a world of ubiquitous robocalls, brands need to differentiate themselves if they want consumers to pick up. One option could be logos. Some 69% of US adults ages 18 to 24 say they would answer a call if their phone displayed a recognizable brand logo. This figure decreases with age, and just 46% of US adults ages 55 to 62 say they'd pick up if they recognized a brand logo.

In the US, 56% of executives believe AI technology comes with either significant or somewhat significant potential risk. Another 19% view the risk as moderate, while 26% think the threat is minimal. No executive surveyed believes AI is entirely without risk.

Gamers want to see creative ads that are seamlessly integrated into gameplay. Some 41% of US gamers ages 18 to 34 would like rewards for devoting time and attention to in-game ads. Meanwhile, 32% believe ads should never interrupt a hardcore gamer’s flow.

About two-thirds of the US population ages 12 and older listens to digital audio at least once per week, up 5 percentage points from 2021. Over the past decade, that share has grown by 38 percentage points, making the weekly listenership now 192 million strong.

Across generations, retirement is the No. 1 investing goal in the US. That said, Gen Z is far more likely to focus on getting rich or learning to invest than older age groups. While 81% of baby boomer investors have their eye on retirement—no surprise as they approach that milestone—just 35% of Gen Z investors consider it their main priority.

In preparation for the cookieless future, marketers are homing in on first-party data to target consumers. Worldwide, 36% of marketing professionals expect that customer purchase history will be their most valuable source of data once third-party cookies are gone. Meanwhile, 32% see social media profiles as key, and 31% plan to rely on website registrations.

The recent influx of premium streaming services is changing the way people access movies and TV shows. In the US, 18% of US paid video subscribers purchase just one streaming service, down 17 percentage points from 2019. By contrast, 35% currently pay for four or more services, up 24 percentage points from three years ago.

In 2021, Amazon’s US average revenue per user (ARPU) for its retail media network was nearly 4 times that of Instacart and close to 9 times that of Walmart.

The number of smart buildings worldwide is projected to climb from 45 million this year to 115 million in 2026, an increase of more than 150%, as demand grows for secure, energy-efficient developments.

In 2021, cryptocurrency accounted for $6.10 billion worth of transactions worldwide, up 177.3% from $2.20 billion the year before. Come 2023, crypto transaction value will hit $16.16 billion as more businesses accept these digital currencies as payment.

Almost one-quarter of US adult Netflix users aren’t paying to use the platform. The majority, or 63%, pay full cost, while 14% share the fee with other users. Netflix’s challenge is to figure out how to get freeloaders to pay their dues.

Nearly two-thirds of US consumers would give away their email address for a $20 coupon or discount code. Some 31% would provide their full name, and 23% would enter their phone number. That said, 27% wouldn’t be tempted to hand over any of that data or their home address.

In the US, desktop computers had the highest ecommerce conversion rate of any device during Q4 2021, at 3.8%. Tablets followed with a 3.2% conversion rate, while mobile registered a substantially lower rate of 2.3%.

The No. 1 biggest source of financial stress among US adults last month was managing living expenses, with 27% being most concerned about the cost of necessities like groceries, gas, and utilities. Saving, investing, and planning for the future were the second biggest stressor, cited by 19%, while managing debt was No. 3, with 13% calling it their primary financial worry.