The Covid-19 pandemic created, influenced or accelerated each of these trends.
1. Build back better: In 2021, consumers expect purpose-driven initiatives that support the triple bottom line – people, planet and profits. Nearly 70% of professionals expect consumers to be more concerned about sustainability than before Covid-19.
2. Craving convenience: There's a growing desire for the ease of on-the-go, impulse and spontaneous occasions and simplicities of pre-pandemic life.
3. Outdoor oasis: Consumers will reconnect with nature and turn to open-air venues for leisure and to safely socialise.
4. Phygital reality: People will use digital tools to stay connected at home and to facilitate safer procedures in brick-and-mortar outlets.
5. Playing with time: Consumers are gaining newfound flexibility, scheduling activities in a non-conventional order to suit individual time demands.
6. Restless and rebellious: With a distrust in media and governments, people are defying misinformation and putting their needs first. In 2020, 29% of global consumers were actively involved in political and social issues.
7. Safety obsessed: There's a rising demand for contactless services, exceptional sanitation standards and products that enhance hygiene and immunity.
8. Shaken and stirred: Consumers will reassess priorities and identities in pursuit of a more fulfilled life and improved mental resilience. Depression and mental health had a moderate or severe impact on 73% of global consumers’ everyday lives last year.
9. Thoughtful thrifters: Consumers are budgeting more cautiously and purchasing value-added and affordable products and services.
10. Workplaces in new spaces: People are finding a new work-life balance, as remote collaboration redefines the traditional office environment. More than half of global consumers previously had a strict boundary between work or school and personal life.
“2021 will be a pivotal year,” says Alison Angus, head of lifestyles at Euromonitor International. “Tailoring strategies to these emerging consumer trends will empower businesses to endure the unexpected and overcome adversities.”
