The Reopening

As cities, states and countries begin to cautiously reopen, we’re examining key sectors and industries looking to bounce back, and what safety measures they will need to consider adopting to do so. After having been closed or operating at half- or quarter-measures, how long will it take the customers and consumers of these sectors to return and help them reopen at full capacity? Brands and agencies can leverage these insights to help better understand what it will take for people to feel more comfortable – and safe – when they choose to travel, dine out, exercise, buy a car or drive, either on their own or ridesharing.

Explore the insights businesses need to effectively reopen across these key industries:

• Airlines – Delayed Takeoff?
• Hotels – Cleanliness Matters
• Vacations – We Still Need Them, But Will Be Cautious
• Public Transportation & Rail Services – Pandemic Knocks it Off-Track
• Dining Out – Not Quite Ready
• Gyms – Exercising Caution
• Small Businesses – Primed for Comeback?
• Automotive – Pandemic is Slowing Car Buying Intentions

Will the Auto Industry Pick Up Speed?

With the social and economic restrictions lifting around the world, businesses are cautiously reopening their doors in hopes that they can encourage consumers to come back and start spending again. This report explores the pandemic’s impact on car buying decisions, the automotive aftermarket and ridesharing and when their customers will return. Our research reveals some important mile markers on the automotive industry’s road to reopening, including:

• Car buying intentions delayed, but consumers still intend to buy
• Older generations are more likely to have changed car buying plans
• Gen Z are not car owners today, but plan to be in the future more than any other generation
• Pandemic results in slight shift towards DIY over professional auto aftermarket
• Rideshare services have been hard-hit

The New Normal

In order to adapt to our new lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers lifestyles and work habits have evolved due to ever-changing attitudes and behaviors during this time. With many governments and businesses considering reopening and many countries settling into their “new normal,” what changes in consumer behaviors and trends are temporary, and which ones could become permanent? What do brands need to know to stay ahead of these consumer trends and meet their emerging wants and needs?

These insights identify the changes in consumer trends, to help brands and agencies discover which trends may have long-term staying power in these unprecedented times. Examine global consumer attitudes, preferences and behaviors across 11 countries, in these key areas:

• Home for Work: Will we go back to the office?
• Telemedicine: Here to stay?
• The future of “Live” entertainment
• Return to Shopping: The grocery store example
• Consumers & changing payment methods
• Returning to Work: New skills, new jobs

Our Changing Work Lives

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed our world, causing an unprecedented shift in consumer behavior across all parts of our lives, but one of its most profound impacts has been on people’s working lives. Whether they are still employed but working in a different location or have lost their jobs during the pandemic and are taking steps to return to the workforce with new skills and different industries, we all have a “new normal” when it comes to how we work.

Explore the latest global consumer trends shaping the new normal of our working lives and their impending impacts:

• Majority are working from home now and productivity levels are high – 75% report doing so at least some of the time; just under two thirds report they are just as, if not more, productive at home than they were in the office.
• People are not going back – Most people prefer to continue to work from home in the future at least some of the time, regardless of how productive they feel.
• Newly-unemployed individuals are focused on getting back to work – Those who lost their jobs during the pandemic are being proactive, learning new skills or a new trade, and considering career changes or even starting their own companies.

Telemedicine: Here to Stay?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s likely that you – or someone you know – has consulted with a healthcare professional. But given social restrictions, “going to the doctor” has become a virtual experience, conducted over the phone or video chat. Telemedicine has grown during the pandemic and many first-time users are satisfied with the experience. Discover the latest global trends shaping the new normal of telemedicine from the perspectives of consumers and healthcare professionals alike, including:

• Telemedicine is being used widely during the pandemic – Among the 39% of people who consulted a healthcare professional, two-thirds used telemedicine, many of them for the first time (84%).
• Healthcare professionals are widely split on its efficacy – Opinions on telemedicine’s efficacy vary, from 61% in Spain thinking it is mostly or totally effective to just 13% in Germany and 12% in France.
• Telemedicine is likely to stick around – More than half (55%) of consumers reported a satisfactory experience with using telemedicine; and while healthcare professionals had a less positive experience, half of those surveyed believe telemedicine use will increase.

Walking a Fine Line: Brand Messaging During the Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed nearly every aspect of the consumer experience, from what – and how – they purchase to the ways in which they respond to advertising. In this rapidly evolving environment, brands and marketers will need to balance the desire to reach consumers with being mindful of our New Normal lifestyles.

There has never been a more important time for marketers to adapt and respond appropriately with a data-driven approach. How can brands overcome the complexities of advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Leverage actionable insights, across three key areas, to ensure effective advertising strategies during these uncertain times:

• • Is it ok to advertise during the pandemic?
  • Conveying the right message
  • Corporate actions that have the most impact