Tracing shopping trends, popular shopping modes, consumers’ concerns, expectations & shift in buying behaviour, and the overall 2021 holiday shopping landscape.

2020 was an overused but true phrasing — unprecedented. 2021 brought in some hope of returning to “normal” but the newer waves of covid washed away all those hopes and kept many from seeing their loved ones in person or from shopping in physical stores for some more time. Nevertheless, things started to get under control and people moved towards ‘normalcy’, which brought a shift in the mindset of consumers and retailers as they looked ahead to the holiday season. Shoppers have formed new habits, events of the past several months transformed their spending behaviours, new concerns emerged and raised several questions, however, the Omicron wave seems to have further impacted the shopping behaviour.

• Did shoppers flock to stores or stay away?
• What do consumers expect from their shopping experience in-store and online?
• How has 2021 impacted lifestyles, priorities, altered purchasing preferences, and implications for holiday spending?
• The key behavioural insights that can help brands meet and exceed changing consumer expectations?

To decipher these, Borderless access surveyed over 3000 shoppers across 10 countries (US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, India, Singapore, South Africa, Nigeria, UAE) to help retailers and brands understand how consumers planned their shopping for the 2021 holiday shopping season.

Understanding the market landscape of electric vehicles, intenders’ perception, barriers to adoption & marketing opportunities.

"The only constant in life is change!" When it comes to the automotive industry, one of the most significant changes that we have seen in recent years is the introduction of EVs. We are in the midst of an automotive revolution since Tesla revolutionized the industry with its first mass-produced highway-legal electric vehicle (EV) powered by a lithium-ion battery. As a result, automakers of all sizes have been rushing to launch their electric vehicles in order to provide consumers with an alternative to dealing with environmental concerns, rising fuel prices, and shifting consumer preferences. 

Considering the alarming stage of environmental hazards and soaring fuel prices, EV sales are steadily infiltrating the transportation industry. Are these concerns, however, enough to bring in a complete EV adoption worldwide? 

Even though the EV adoption rate is on a rise, they still constitute a small proportion of all vehicles on the road. But that could change very soon. Many industry observers believe that marketers have already passed the tipping point where EV sales will quickly outnumber those of gasoline and diesel vehicles. With technological capabilities improving and societal demand for sustainable solutions, the EV's time has come. However, it begs the question of whether challenges faced due to various infrastructural issues, high cost and limited options can impact the pace of global EV adoption.

Borderless Access examined the current EV landscape, barriers to adoption, brands to watch, and opportunities to market to potential EV buyers. 

Remember the ‘Foodarackacycle’ machine from an episode of the 1962 animated series ‘The Jetsons’ that produced any food item at a click of a button? Back then, the home technology featured in the series was considered absurd. Around five decades later, even though we are yet to see floating buildings or flying cars, smart home technology has arrived and is thriving.

Emerging trends, rising desire for convenient lifestyles, tech-savvy consumers, as well as increased acceptance of cloud-based technologies have made the smart home market appear promising. On the flip side, there exist factors that might slow down the otherwise accelerated adoption rate for smart home devices.

In an ideal world, the topic of automobile safety standards would be a non-contentious one, with the highest possible universal safety standards across all vehicle segments. Unfortunately, vehicle safety standards have been lower than desired in several developing countries for a long time.

Shops and stores have been mostly open across Germany and the UK since the last few months when lockdown measures were relaxed. However, it has not been business as usual for most shop owners. As per a report, there were “no lines” and “no crowds” when an Ikea branch in the Germany city of Cologne opened. According to experts, consumers’ mindsets have changed from a “gain” to a “maintain” mentality during the pandemic. In other words, people are avoiding stepping out of the house unless necessary to lower the risk of catching the virus.

In the United States, the response to the coronavirus has varied from state to state. Over the last 6 months, most stores and shops have opened up for businesses but subjected to change based on the situation, as explained in this report. At the same time, the pandemic has also had an impact on how people shop.

In several European countries, the worst phase of the pandemic is over. But while for the society go back to pre-COVID normality will take a long time, across Europe lockdown measures are being lifted gradually. In Germany, businesses have started to gradually open up but with caution, with Chancellor Angela Merkel stating that in case of a surge, ''emergency brake' would be applied. Meanwhile, across the English Channel, in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced new rules about social gatherings and operation of businesses in a bid to keep the pandemic contained.

The global economy, accustomed to continuous growth has been caught unawares and unprepared by the suddenness of these unprecedented circumstances. Like most industries, the market research space is also facing hardships and uncertainty. However, as market researchers, we have the unique capacity and capability to understand the world. At a time of uncertainty, market researchers are in a unique position to contribute towards helping others rebuild.