More US consumers than ever say they aren’t spending on the holidays: The expected rebound in holiday shopping hides the fact that many consumers are keeping their wallets closed, while others are turning to buy now, pay later plans for gifts they can’t afford.

As retailers explore new strategies in H2 2021 and beyond, they will need to gain greater understanding of which consumer behaviors have shifted permanently, which will revert to those of pre-pandemic times, and which will settle somewhere in the middle.

The pandemic boosted retail ecommerce sales across the world and fueled double-digit gains in France and Germany in 2020. This year, both countries will see single-digit growth, as physical retail begins to recover.

Ecommerce monetization opportunities for publishers are expanding. Publisher revenues from ecommerce now include commissions and fees generated from affiliate or partner marketing content, curated ecommerce marketplaces, and branded merchandise.

Even before the pandemic, the direct-to-consumer (D2C) space was heating up in Western Europe. But the side effects of stay-at-home orders helped accelerate D2C’s popularity, and the landscape looks to be permanently altered.

A majority share of consumers are now taking to marketplaces first when shopping online. According an August 2020 survey from ecommerce ad agency ChannelAdvisor conducted by Dynata, 53% of US adults said they began product searches at Amazon when planning to make a digital purchase.

If the coronavirus pandemic has produced any winners in the retail sector, digital merchants are among that number.

Mundane concerns like getting a quality product or service at a good price are still the biggest drivers of brand loyalty for US internet users.

Digital plays a bigger role in UK retailing than ever, but the physical store isn’t dead. Rather, consumers want a seamless experience that allows them to switch between channels, devices and locations at will.

Amazon will claim nearly half of US retail ecommerce sales in 2018. Sales will be driven by Amazon’s marketplace, which will account for 68.0% of business.

Consumers are taking advantage of online travel deals more than ever. This year, digital travel sales globally will increase 10.4% to $694.41 billion.

Retail ecommerce sales in Western Europe will rise 11.6% to $381.58 billion in 2018. Amazon is planning to capitalize on rebounding markets by building 1,300 warehouses across the continent.

Retail ecommerce platforms in China will total $1.53 billion in sales this year. Over 58% of these sales will take place through Alibaba’s digital storefronts.