As COVID-19 spreads around the world, many governments, health authorities and businesses are using technology and big data to combat the pandemic. But as these systems collect more sensitive personal information, they are also raising thorny privacy concerns.

Mark Naples, founder and managing partner of public relations firm WIT Strategy, joins eMarketer co-founder and Insider Intelligence chief evangelist Geoff Ramsey to discuss communications and leadership strategies during the pandemic. They focus on the need to provide value in marketing communications, the importance of empathy and opportunities across the digital marketing ecosystem.

With UK adults having so much time on their hands, it’s perhaps surprising to see audio struggling to hit the same, or at least similar, heights as video. However, with commuting (a key listening environment) essentially nixed, maybe this was to be expected after all.

The coronavirus pandemic has been disastrous for the vast majority of Europe’s retailers. Digital retail has benefitted, though. In Germany, we expect retail ecommerce sales to rise 16.2% this year, and total $92.33 billion.

As the coronavirus pandemic leaves many fearing for their health and jobs, consumers are shifting their time and money toward things with immediate utility in daily life. But they're not entirely closed off to companies with products that don't fall under that category — brands can still prove their value during the crisis by providing help to others.

Many US adults are standing behind any potential actions airlines and airports plan to take in response to the pandemic, according to May 2020 data from YouGov.

Originally built to attribute compensation on last click, affiliate technology is evolving toward more sophisticated monetization, such as a pay-for-outcome model that rewards influencers for their role in the consumer journey.

Retail social commerce sales in China will grow to $242.41 billion (RMB1.675 trillion) this year, accounting for 11.6% of total retail ecommerce sales in the country, according to our latest estimates.

The average time spent with subscription OTT video content in the US will surpass 62 minutes per day this year, up 23.0% from 2019, according to our latest estimates. That's an acceleration from 2019, when it grew by 15.0% year over year.

This year, US adults will spend an average of 24 minutes per day on mobile messaging apps — like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger — which is up 4 minutes from 2019 estimates, according to our newest figures.

Already No. 1 in ecommerce, China will overtake the US this year to become the world’s largest overall retail market for the first time.

Confined to their homes, consumers now have more than the impetus of convenience to shop online. It’s become necessity for many people—a condition that will likely boost ecommerce habits for years to come. Nearly four in five adults (79%) in Canada spent 20% or less of their total shopping budget online prior to COVID-19, according to a Forum Research poll in April 2020.

20.9% of US households with three or more children upgraded their broadband service amid ongoing stay-at-home measures of the coronavirus pandemic, according to May 2020 data from The Diffusion Group.

The US retail sector could take years to recover from the impact of the coronavirus, and the hit could be worse than that of the Great Recession. According to eMarketer’s latest forecast on US retail sales (which includes auto and fuel), total retail sales will drop by 10.5% this year, steeper than the 8.2% drop in 2009. Ecommerce is the only bright spot, jumping 18.0% this year, as Americans rely on Amazon and other online retailers for necessities.

As COVID-19 has spread around the world, technology and big data are being used to track outbreaks and slow the virus’s spread. But these systems are also raising thorny privacy concerns.

With most companies working remotely, many IT departments realize that they don't have the right infrastructure for this new normal.

The number of social buyers in the UK will rise to 10.0 million in 2020, a 13.3% increase from 2019, according to eMarketer estimates.

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic are turbocharging digital transformation in China's retail sector—and the country is already leading the world in terms of retail ecommerce sales and penetration.

Well into the pandemic, consumers still say they are spending more time with social media. Activities like live streaming, video chatting and gaming are drawing some of them in.

Clothing and apparel retailers will see steep declines in 2020 as spending on discretionary items comes to a near halt amid the ongoing pandemic. We forecast a drop of nearly 22% in 2020 for total sales of apparel and accessories, which equates to a year-over-year loss of over $100 billion.