You don’t need me to tell you that 2020 was a year like no other. Between the bushfires in Australia, the coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, to name but a few of the major events, we’ve been forced to confront the future sooner than anticipated, both as individuals and as businesses. As OMD Worldwide’s CEO Florian Adamski so aptly put it, we have seen a “turbocharged version of human evolution”.

And while it has been incredibly difficult for a multitude of reasons, we have also been presented with many opportunities, which, when unpacked, will allow businesses to understand and to build meaningful relationships with their consumers in ways that were never before possible. 

In many ways, the pandemic has acted to confirm the consumer and business trend predictions that we have been monitoring for some time now. We’ve seen an ecommerce boom; digital connectivity is more important than ever; building a brand is about more than just a strong product offering; and working from home has become a part of everyday life. It will be those businesses that understand these changes and adapt with them, that thrive in 2021 and beyond. 

Being at home is changing consumer’s attention habits 

Businesses have long been trying to master capturing the attention of their target market. And while this is a constantly evolving process, no year has seen it change faster than 2020. In the UK and globally, over the past year we’ve seen millions of people begin working from home, where they would not have been previously, and this has led to a huge change in the way they interact with advertisements. 

I, personally, have found that I’m making a conscious effort to divide my time and focus much more clearly. When I’m working, I’m totally engaged in my work. I recently partnered with Huawei on a campaign to highlight some of their creative tech solutions, like the Huawei FreeBuds Pro wireless earbuds whose noise-cancelling capabilities have really helped me to make that division. Meanwhile, once I’m finished for the day, I’m ready to focus my attention on other things. And this isn’t just personal to me; a report by the CIPD found that 38% of people reported improved focus when working from home. 

In June last year, we published a report into the effects of COVID-19 on consumer behaviour, in partnership with GlobalWebIndex. The report found that 72% of consumers in the U.S. and the UK say they’re spending more time on social media per day since the outbreak of coronavirus, with two-thirds of those surveyed saying they’re likely to continue using social media to the same extent going forward.

This indicates that while attention may be lost during working hours, when users are switching off, they’re heading online, and their attention is there. Those businesses who understand where their customers’ attention is, and when it's there, will be able to reach them in ways that we have never seen before. 

Expectations of brands and their changing role in consumer’s lives

Influencer’s report in partnership with GlobalWebIndex also found that consumer’s expectations of brands had been heavily impacted by the pandemic, with 37% wanting the brands they buy from to stand for something or to have a purpose. This ranked most highly among Gen Z who, in 2020 according to Drapers, accounted for 40% of global consumers and currently have purchasing power worth $143 billion according to a recent report from Barkley and is only going to increase as we move into 2021 and beyond. 

The businesses that win in 2021 will be those who can establish a more meaningful relationship with their customers by having a more human and personal approach, and by having a clear brand purpose and mission. A great example of this is Uber, the taxi company who spent much of 2020 telling its customers to stay at home. Through their ‘Move What Matters’ campaign, Uber pledged 10 million free rides and deliveries of food for frontline healthcare workers, seniors, and people in need all over the world. While Uber is a billion-dollar company, I am certain that we will see companies of all sizes continue on a similar path this year. Those who don’t, risk losing the loyalty of their customers. 

Social media & ecommerce

With shops closed and millions of people globally confined to their homes, 2020 saw an ecommerce boom like never before. A study by McKinsey found that in 2020, the US’s ecommerce penetration saw 10 years’ growth in just three months. And the social media platforms were ready to accommodate this development.

Over the past few years, Instagram has slowly been adding new shopping features to their platform. However, the most recent update saw the app move their shopping feature into the ‘Thumb Zone’, while the ‘New Post’ and ‘Activity’ buttons, which had previously sat there, have been redesigned into the top right-hand corner. This change demonstrates that platforms like Facebook are placing more significance on ecommerce than they were previously. 

Similarly, 2020 saw Snap make huge developments to its augmented reality and shopability, offering advertisers the opportunity to allow consumers to ‘try on’ products from the comfort of their homes. On average, more than 180 million Snapchatters engage with AR each day, providing huge opportunities for advertisers to engage with their target audience. 

In China, we are seeing huge developments in the relationship between social media and ecommerce, with content creators selling products live via QVC-style streams. A report published by the China Internet Network Information Centre found that 60 million people tuned into shopping live streams, in March alone. And tech companies are moving to integrate these features into their own offerings. Many brands are already utilising these updates, with smart marketers looking to integrate them into their strategies for 2021 to build ever more meaningful relationships with their target audience. 

Over the past year, we’ve seen the world propelled forward, with those trends that had previously been slowly taking root arriving in full force. These trends provide incredible opportunities for businesses. With the correct understanding, they will be able to reach their target audience and convert potential customers in highly creative ways. It will be those businesses that embrace the changes that will win in 2021.