Connecting The Dots

Connecting
the dots
Consumer trends that will shape 2020
Like the world at large, data can seem intimidating
and indecipherable. But it can be made easier to
understand when you spot the connections. Hence
the new identity for our end-of-year trends report,
which encapsulates how we approach research and
forecasting at GlobalWebIndex. Finding order in
complexity, identifying related trends, and above all,
delivering clear, powerful insights to our readers.
Contents
1 Intro
Human
touch 30 Privacy 16
58 Travel
Digital
health Economy
4 50 70 Nostalgia
40 80 On-the-move
commerce
Retail
reinvented
Social
92
gaming
Intro
Click the dots to navigate
Intro.
In recent memory, a lot of predictions have Perhaps the biggest lesson from the his-
been made about the innovations and trends torical predictions about 2020 is that
we’d see by 2020. Some of these must have the underlying themes that drive trends can
appeared a little outlandish at the time, but be predicted with more certainty than their
have nevertheless proved pretty accurate. We exact manifestations. That’s true even of the
are indeed seeing AI and automation threaten stories we picked a year ago for 2019.
job security, for example. And yes, we’re wit-
nessing industry tie-ins and funding rounds Naturally, we’re thrilled that some of them
for flying cars. were spot on. We said esports would enter the
mainstream; our latest research shows esports
Other predictions have remained further from viewership has increased by 50% year-on-year,
the mark. Thankfully, we’re not having to com- with China and South East Asia continuing to
pete with intelligent apes for manual labor be the engine for the trend’s global growth.
(as envisioned in 1967). Nor do we all have
our own personal helicopters (as anticipated We’ve witnessed the Fortnite World Cup
in 1951). and the now-millionaire prize-winner Kyle
Giersdorf appearing on The Tonight Show.
The Washington Post started hiring dedicated
reporters, and esports even made its way onto
The Simpsons.
We also suggested that the ”social” aspect

of social media would continue to become
less important; as we covered again recently,
it is indeed evolving into a one-stop-shop
for many other daily needs, while personal
communication continues its migration to
dark social.
1
Intro
But there were also places in our 2019 For 2020, then, what’s the biggest theme that
trends where we backed the right themes, we should be keeping on our radar?
but over-anticipated the speed of change or
were perhaps a little too prescriptive. Like many other trends forecasters, we could
say that we will find ourselves in an increas-
So, while unease with data privacy remains ingly complex and transformative world. We
pertinent, data monetization for consumers could point out that technology will con-
is yet to be realized. Similarly, more inter- tinue to extend its influence into every part
net users now own a cryptocurrency and its of our lives. But none of that would be terribly
investor base is more gender-balanced than original.
ever, but growth has been more modest than
we might have anticipated. For us, it’s the consumer’s struggle between
optimism and pessimism which will take
Voice technology has had another year of center stage in 2020.
incredible growth, but is yet to become ubiq-
uitous in our lives, or have an obvious path In a world of near-perpetual connectivity, a
to monetization (not that this has stopped growing tech-induced anxiety should not
anyone trying, with Amazon’s spate of recent come as a surprise. Clearly, though, there’s
hardware announcements underlining its an expanding consumer segment who feel
commitment to making Alexa your go-to like they’re being left behind by industry
interface). innovation.
Technology is a double-edged sword. And it’s
“
this struggle between positivity and negativity
which recurs throughout our report – whether
that’s in the economy, in healthcare, in the
Technology
digital space, in privacy, or in anything else
with a future focus.
is a double- “
edged sword
Jason Mander
Chief Research Officer
2
Intro
15
2013
%
17
2014
Tech angst is growing
% % of global internet users who say they
just don’t understand computers and new
technology
20
2015
%
20
2016
%
21
2017
%
21
2018
%
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex 2013-2019

(Averages conducted between
24
Q2 2013-Q2 2019)
2019
%
BASE: 1,659,246 internet users aged 16-64
For more information on the question

wording for all the charts in this
document, please refer to the Appendix
on page 104
3
01
Katie Gilsenan
What’s
up, doc? 4
01
How digital technologies and AI are changing healthcare

5
What’s up, doc?
Having an appointment with your doctor Technology can play a key role in addressing
online will become as normal as making a these challenges. It has the potential to rede-
payment on an app or booking a taxi through fine the healthcare system; offering greater
Uber. That’s the future of healthcare. preventative and precise care, an improved
patient experience, and considerable efficien-
With the advent of new technologies such cies across the board.
as Artificial Intelligence (AI), telehealth, and
robotics, not to mention non-traditional There’s plenty of conversation around health-
entrants like Apple and Google, healthcare care from an industry point-of-view, but
– as we know it – is changing. consumer perspectives are relatively limited,
and that’s where our research comes in.
But this change isn’t happening in a vacuum.
Tech in healthcare is solving a problem.
According to the World Health Organisation, 70% of internet
global healthcare spending reached $7.5
trillion in 2016, representing 10% of global users in the U.S. and
GDP. There are several factors contributing to
healthcare costs, such as growing and aging the UK believe technology
populations and the increase in chronic dis-
eases, to name a few. As a result, hospitals and will play a key role in
physicians alike are under immense strain.
managing their health
and wellbeing in the
near future .
6
What’s up, doc?
It’s time to
take control
of our health
Consumers are increasingly expecting the Researching health issues is a key reason for using the internet
same digital experience in all aspects of their % of global internet users who say researching health issues is an
lives. We’re able to use our mobile phones important reason for using the internet
for banking activities and to shop online
without stepping outside our front door, so
why should healthcare be any different? With
Age
healthcare spending escalating, it’s now more
important than ever to empower consum-
ers to manage their own health. Our global 16–24 31%
research reveals 36% of consumers are using
the internet to research health issues and
healthcare products, jumping up to 42% for
users aged 55-64, where a focus on health
25–34 37%
becomes even more crucial.
We’ve also found three-quarters of consumers

use information or recommendations found
35–44 36%
online to help them decide which medicines
to buy. This isn’t restricted to younger internet
users either – 66% of 55-64s rely on online
medicine information/recommendations. This
reinforces the vital role the internet plays in 45–54 38%
healthcare research and education across all
age brackets. Access to relevant information
helps consumers make more informed deci-
sions and ask the right questions, which are 55–64 42%
both essential measures in fostering preventa-
tive and efficient care.
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex Q2 2019

BASE: 115,963 internet users aged 16-64
7
What’s up, doc?
Conversations
turn digital
For years, healthcare has traditionally oper- We asked consumers whether they’ve tried
ated as a reactive bricks-and-mortar model, a digital health service that allows them to
which makes sense because they’re very com- consult with their doctor via video or phone
plicated systems with many moving parts. call, and while 55% said they haven’t tried
it yet, they’d consider trying it in future. A
But consumers are now ready for change and further 13% said they’ve already tried it and
they’re eager to embrace digital technolo- would recommend it to others. This shows
gies. We asked consumers in the U.S. and UK significant appetite for “digital” appoint-
which digital technologies would help them ments. Interestingly, the ability to consult with
manage their health more effectively, and our a doctor by phone or a video call is less sought
findings indicate accessibility to doctors and after by 16-24s (36%) compared to 55-64s
their health information are most in demand. (50%). The main benefits for consumers who
have used or would consider using digital
One of the most exciting developments in appointments are that it’s more convenient
healthcare for 2020 will be telehealth. (63%), it frees up their time (55%), and it offers
more flexibility with appointment times (52%).
Half of U.S. and UK consumers say the ability
to consult with a doctor by a phone/video call
instead of in-person would help them manage
their healthcare more effectively.
8
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex August 2019
There’s strong demand for digital health technologies
BASE: 2,705 (U.S.) & 2,933 (UK) internet
% of internet users in the U.S./UK who say the following health
users aged 16-64
technologies could help them manage t heir health more effectively
51% 45%
The ability to find doctors and A symptom checker to help
make appointments online decide if I need to see a doctor
50% 43%
The ability to a
ccess all of my A wearable device that connects with
health information online my smartphone to monitor health
50% 42%
The ability to consult with a A health tracking app to
doctor by a phone/video call help manage my health
49% 36%
The ability to complete any paperwork A digital health assistant (e.g. chatbot)
online in advance of my appointment that can offer health advice and information
48% 34%
The ability to orderprescription refills A digital health coach that c ould help me
through a smartphone app manage chronic disease/pain
48% 6%
The ability to communicate I don’t think any of the above could help
electronically (e.g. texting, email me manage my health more effectively
or social media) with my doctor
What’s up, doc?
Half of
U.S. and UK
consumers say Babylon Health is a notable disruptor in the
the ability to
digital health space. The UK startup, which
works in partnership with the National Health
consult with
Service (NHS), offers 24/7 access to medical
professionals through video or phone calls,
a doctor by a
and has an AI-based symptom checker that
offers guidance for patients. The company
recently achieved unicorn status with plans to
phone/video expand into the Middle East and Asia, so we
call instead of
can expect these kinds of services to become
more mainstream next year.
in-person would Our research indicates digital health services With digital health services, consumers don’t
help them
could help alleviate consumers’ frustrations have to wait weeks to get an appointment
and issues that plague the healthcare indus- or spend hours in a waiting room. This also
manage their
try. In the UK, the major frustration consumers has benefits for the healthcare system more
have with their healthcare experience is that it broadly. By handling minor patient issues dig-
healthcare
.
takes too long to get an appointment; this is itally, it helps to free up doctors’ time to focus
largely because most consumers use public on more urgent cases in-person.
more effectively
healthcare like the NHS, which is under seri-
ous pressure. In the U.S., meanwhile, the biggest frustrations
among consumers are expensive treatment
options and the rise in health insurance costs.
Consumers’ frustrations aren’t surprising given
the average annual healthcare costs in the U.S.
were $10,739 per person in 2017, according
to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid in the
U.S., and these costs are rising. Digital services
can help reduce these frustrations and offer
cost-efficient healthcare that’s more accessible
for everyone, even those that live in remote
locations.
10
What’s up, doc?
As with everything, digital health services

aren’t perfect. One of the potential down-
sides is it removes the face-to-face, personal
interaction a patient has with their doctor. It’s
clear from our research consumers’ first pref-
erence for communicating with their doctor
in future is still in-person. This highlights that
even though digital services will become a
core part of healthcare moving forward, the
human touch can’t be replaced.
Being able to communicate with doctors dig-

itally is just one piece of the solution though.
Half of consumers say the ability to access
their health information online would be ben-
eficial in managing their health. Additionally,
around 7 in10 of consumers are happy to have
their health data made accessible through
their smartphone. Having a cloud-based, cen-
tralized and secure electronic health record
could be key in helping consumers actively
engage in their own wellbeing and provides
a sense of reassurance and ownership. Apple,
Google and Microsoft are working toward
giving patients access to historical health
insurance claims from their devices, providing
users with more data portability and choice in
how they access their own information.
11
The benefits and drawbacks of AI in healthcare SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex August 2019
% of internet users in the U.S./UK familiar with AI who say the following BASE: 1,974 (U.S.) & 2,053 (UK) internet users
are the top benefits/challenges of AI applications in healthcare who are familiar with AI aged 16-64
Benefits Concerns
52% 51%
Ability to detect hidden Privacy and

patterns that humans miss security concerns
47% 48%
Ability to automate Doctors might become

routine tasks for staff too dependent on them
46% 47%
Reduces the rate Concerns with

of human errors accuracy of AI
45% 46%
Ability to perform with Might reduce personal

greater precision face-to-face interactions
42% 46%
Ability to predict future The cost of building and

occurences based on data maintaining machines
What’s up, doc?
Did someone call for an AI doctor?

AI is positioned to reshape the healthcare For consumers, privacy and security issues are
landscape in areas like early diagnosis, their biggest concern overall (51%). AI and
automation of tasks, development of new machine learning require huge amounts of
medicines, and precision surgery. One of the data to learn and improve, so ensuring patient
most prominent and exciting applications of privacy is essential. Additionally, close to half
AI is machine learning and deep learning, of consumers worry doctors might become
both of which can analyze enormous amounts too dependent on AI and have concerns with
of data, learn from it, and make entirely new its accuracy.
predictions.
To test this, we outlined a thought experi-
To really understand the role of AI in health- ment that said the consumer was due to have
care, we analyzed consumers’ perceptions of a minor surgical procedure and they have
AI in this space, and what they think the main two choices of surgeons, a human surgeon
benefits and challenges are. or an AI-driven robot. They’ve heard the AI
could perform the surgery more precisely
Around 6 in 10 of consumers agree AI and than the human could and we asked them Around
machine learning will reshape the healthcare which they would choose. We found that 45%
environment within the next 10 years. of consumers would still choose the human two-thirds
to perform the surgery, while 28% remained
Tech giants and health providers alike are unsure. This demonstrates consumer confi- of consumers
already utilizing the power of AI. For example, dence and understanding of AI in healthcare
the UK’s NHS announced plans to invest £250 has a long way to go. agree AI and
million in a healthcare AI Lab, and Google
is applying AI across all parts of the health While consumers’ concerns with AI are valid, machine learning
industry. it’s important to note that AI isn’t expected to
go it alone. With the appropriate applications will reshape
Our research reveals that the perceived across healthcare, AI might have the power to
benefits of AI among consumers are mainly free up doctors’ time when it comes to admin- the healthcare
centered around its ability to offer greater istrative tasks and perform greater precision
preventative care and generate greater effi- surgeries, but it will always need some form environment
.
ciency. While AI has many potential benefits, of human input. In an ideal world, AI and
implementing it also comes with its own set humans will work together and complement within the next
of challenges, and not just from a cost or infra- each other, and that’s where we’ll really see
structural perspective. the capabilities of AI shine. 10 years
13
What’s up, doc?
Tech giants are

getting healthy
The biggest players in the healthcare space However, these companies have a significant This poses considerable challenges for tech
aren’t traditional pharma companies. It’s the hurdle to overcome: data privacy. The large- companies. Google and Amazon simply
likes of Google and Amazon who are some scale privacy breaches and issues coming to can’t bring their health plans to life without
of the most disruptive challengers. light across a wide number of tech companies consumer data. So while they’re making
haven’t gone unnoticed by consumers. As considerable investments in healthcare, the
Using its three healthcare subsidiaries, highlighted above, the biggest worry con- biggest issue will be securing consumer
Google is gearing up to use AI and data to sumers have with AI in healthcare is privacy confidence to be able to deliver on their
tackle various diseases and illnesses like lung and security — a worry that extends to tech ambitions. Health data is the new currency
cancer and is reframing how we process and companies too. for any company or health provider looking to
analyze healthcare data. The company has make headway in this industry, so protecting
also recently hired its first Chief Health Officer. The vast majority of consumers are comfort- it is fundamental.
able sharing their data with their healthcare
Amazon is using its ecommerce expertise to provider, but this dips significantly for tech- We know technology and AI will play a key
disrupt areas like the pharmaceutical supply nology firms. Our research uncovered 39% role in healthcare moving forward into next
chain and using its voice-controlled smart of consumers don’t feel comfortable sharing year, but it’s important to recognize its limita-
speaker Alexa in medical capacities. In July their health data with technology firms, and tions. Consumers appreciate the convenience
this year, Amazon signed a deal with the NHS a further 26% are unsure how they feel. In that technology offers, but a personal human
that will see its voice assistant used to offer fact, consumers are actually more comfort- touch can’t be replaced, at least for the fore-
health advice for patients who can’t easily able sharing their data with an AI research seeable future.
access information online. More recently, firm than a technology firm. Consumers are
Amazon has started offering telemedicine less likely to be familiar with an AI firm than
services to some of its employees through a well-known tech brand so this highlights a
Amazon Care. significant trust issue.
14
How do consumers feel about sharing their health data? SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex August 2019
% of internet users in the U.S./UK who say they feel comfortable/uncomfortable BASE: 2,705 (U.S.) & 2,933 (UK)
sharing their data with the following companies internet users aged 16-64
45% I feel very

comfortable
12
13
Health providers
27
I feel somewhat
21 comfortable
24
16
Tech companies 26 I’m not sure

how I feel about
it to be honest
31
6
18 I feel somewhat
uncomfortable
15
4
AI research firms 21 I feel very
uncomfortable
15
Prefer not to say
2 2 2
02
Chase Buckle
Privacy in a
cashless future 16
02
Examining where data privacy meets digital currencies

17
18
Privacy in a cashless future
The phrase “online privacy” most likely con-

jures up thoughts of cookies, targeted adver-
tising, data breaches and possibly even
democratic manipulation. Under this para-
digm of privacy, big tech monitoring our every
online move has been firmly in the spotlight.
We have our individual online identities,
A tale of
composed of everything from our social
media profiles, our “likes”, “follows”, video
two tech hubs

views, and playlists, to our every click, ad
impression and online purchase. We recog-
nize that these seemingly mundane actions
have value to the companies who track them Two major new cryptocurrency proposals are
to improve their services or sell ads, and on the horizon that sit at the heart of this trend.
to some extent we can control our online The first, Facebook’s Libra, is emerging out of
identities. Silicon Valley.
In 2020, the spotlight might begin to move The second, the Chinese government’s aptly
from what we’re looking at online, to what named Chinese Central Bank Digital Currency
we’re paying for in our day-to-day lives, (CBDC), will be tested in the world’s upcoming
whether that’s offline or online. It might soon tech hub, Shenzhen in Southeastern China.
be the case that we’ll also be increasingly
conscious of controlling our financial iden- Both could improve the lives of countless indi-
tities too. viduals and inject much-needed convenience
into a traditionally cumbersome industry.
They’re already beginning to dominate

conversations surrounding surveillance,
anonymity and privacy, leading consumers
to become more wary of how they choose to
spend their money.
19
The move to cashless societies

% of internet users in the following markets who have done the following on their mobile in the past month/who own a cryptocurrency
Global Key:
47% 27% 7% Transferred money to family/friends Used a mobile payment service Own a cryptocurrency
Below global Same as global Above global
Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Brazil

28% 18% 10% 45% 17% 5% 27% 23% 7% 44% 15% 5% 41% 27% 9%
34 th 29th 4 th 20 th 31st 28 th 36 th 17th 15 th 21st 39th 29th 26 th 10 th 8 th
Canada China Colombia Denmark Egypt

40% 17% 4% 62% 37% 6% 38% 16% 9% 69% 32% 5% 17% 12% 3%
29th 32 nd 35 th 5 th 3 rd 20 th 30 th 36 th 9th 1st 6 th 30 th 44 th 43 rd 41st
France Germany Ghana Hong Kong India

22% 11% 3% 20% 22% 4% 41% 10% 8% 48% 41% 5% 51% 35% 7%
41st 44 th 42 nd 42 nd 22 nd 36 th 27th 45 th 11th 18 th 1st 31st 13 th 5 th 16 th
Indonesia Ireland Italy Japan Kenya

51% 26% 10% 44% 21% 4% 26% 17% 4% 4% 17% 5% 58% 17% 6%
14 th 11th 5 th 22 nd 24 th 37th 37th 33 rd 38 th 45 th 34 th 32 nd 7th 30 th 21st
20
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex Q2 2019 BASE: 139,658 internet users aged 16-64
Malaysia Mexico Morocco Netherlands New Zealand

57% 21% 8% 41% 23% 7% 19% 16% 3% 49% 13% 6% 55% 18% 3%
9th 23 rd 12th 28 th 16 th 17th 43 rd 37th 43 rd 16 th 41st 22 nd 11th 28 th 44 th
Nigeria Philippines Poland Portugal Romania

49% 12% 12% 50% 25% 16% 42% 28% 7% 42% 19% 8% 26% 14% 9%
17th 42 nd 2 nd 15 th 14 th 1st 24 th 9th 18 th 25 th 26 th 13 th 38 th 40 th 10 th
Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore South Africa South Korea

62% 25% 2% 37% 26% 4% 56% 31% 7% 58% 15% 10% 63% 30% 6%
6 th 13 th 45 th 31st 12th 39th 10 th 7th 19th 8 th 38 th 6 th 4 th 8 th 23 rd
Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand

24% 23% 6% 66% 16% 6% 25% 23% 6% 33% 36% 4% 64% 38% 11%
40 th 19th 24 th 2 nd 35 th 11th 39th 18 th 26 th 32 nd 4 th 40 th 3 rd 2 nd 3 rd
Turkey UAE UK U.S.A. Vietnam

53% 19% 8% 32% 22% 6% 44% 22% 5% 28% 19% 5% 48% 24% 10%
12th 25 th 14 th 33 th 21st 27th 23 rd 20 th 33 rd 35 th 27th 34 th 19th 15 th 7th
21
Cryptocurrencies
are yet to deliver
People know that their financial transactions
leave a trail, but they can rest assured that
this information is only accessible by strictly
regulated companies and national authorities.
Even for those who remain skeptical of the £ibra

sanctity of their financial identities, cryptocur-
rencies like Bitcoin have recently offered them At the time of writing, Facebook’s Libra project We can see that in a handful of our tracked
decentralized payment networks more con- is in stormy waters, and its future is uncertain. markets internet users are more likely to have
ducive to anonymity. But just 7% of internet Theoretically, it could make Facebook the first a Facebook account than a bank account, for
users globally say they’re currently invested in non-state entity in history to introduce a cur- example.
at least one of the countless coins available. rency directly rivaling government-backed
currencies on the international stage. Don’t make the same mistake as others fram-
A currency is typically defined as a medium ing the Libra concept as dystopian.
of exchange for goods and services, but any This is a big deal.
cryptocurrency owner is extremely unlikely Libra is not operated by Facebook, per se.
to start using their crypto-coins to purchase Some nations, including the U.S. and China, Facebook is just one of many members of the
everyday items. Most retailers don’t accept have cited serious concerns over Libra’s Libra Association responsible for validating
them. But even if they could find one, the impact on their monetary sovereignty. user transactions, so it doesn’t own or con-
unpredictable value of their coin renders it trol that information. It’s also insisted that it
impractical for such a purpose compared Sharing its namesake origins with the Brit- won’t share account data between Libra and
to government-backed currencies, and they ish pound sterling (“£” derives from “L”), Facebook and it won’t use the data to target
could end up missing out on a lot of money Libra’s meaning of “balance” clearly sig- ads, although skeptics have pressed the com-
in the process. Even those cryptocurrencies nals Facebook’s self-expressed intention of pany for more specific details.
which are pegged to the U.S. dollar do not bringing harmony to the international finan-
have a use in everyday transactions. cial order. There are many upsides for such a concept.
For example, Facebook could become an
That’s where Facebook has hoped Libra could Convenience is one of the main weapons in important commerce platform and ensure
change things. Facebook’s armory – such a currency could people remain within its ecosystem when
seriously improve the cost, speed and sim- they’re purchasing products, just like WeChat
plicity of money transfers and transactions, does in China. This could pave the way for
and could even improve financial inclusion social commerce to reach similar heights as it
in underserved areas of the world thanks to has in China, and could even open up online
its reach. business models in micropayments thanks to
a reduction in transaction fees.
22
Financial inclusion
% of internet users in the following markets who say they currently
have a bank account or Facebook account
Have a bank account Have a Facebook account Point difference
Egypt 52% –41 93%
Philippines 71% –26 97%
Argentina 74% –18 92%
Mexico 80% –15 95%
Colombia 78% –14 92%
Vietnam 87% –9 96%
–6
UAE 75% 81%
–6
Romania 87% 93%
–2
Thailand 93% 95%
–2
Brazil 89% 91%
–2
Italy 82% 84% SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex Q2 2019

23
Made in China
In another world-first, China is soon to become Like with any other surveillance tool deployed
the first major country to issue a sovereign by the Chinese state, such as facial recog-
digital currency. nition technology or a social credit system,
the world will be taking note of the potential
Thanks largely to Alibaba (Alipay) and Tencent impact of this technology on personal liberty.
(WeChat Pay), China has moved headfirst into This will inevitably increase the scrutiny and
a cashless future – 62% here have transferred distrust around governments or companies
money and 37% have used a mobile payment considering the same technologies.
service in the past month.
To understand the challenges such currencies
Both proposed currencies state that user face, it’s important to understand what privacy
transactions will be anonymous. Although with means to those who say they’re concerned
a history of surveillance and a tightly censored about it.
internet, the ability to monitor exactly where
and how people spend money might grant
the Chinese state unprecedented control over
its populace.
24
Privacy is a known unknown

It’s said that most people fear what they don’t Internet users are now more likely than ever Yet many of these self-professed privacy skep-
understand, and this certainly seems to be the before to say that they just don’t understand tics are going out of their way to share their
case for online privacy. new technology (25% do). It’s the so-called lives, opinions and whereabouts on social
“digital natives” who are most likely to feel media. In fact, around a quarter of 16-34s with
The increasing complexity of data collection this way, because with more familiarity around strong privacy concerns say they mainly use
capabilities is causing understanding of the technology comes more of an understanding social media to share details of their daily lives.
issue to lag, and consumers also display an of how much we might not know. Tellingly, So privacy is actually quite multi-dimensional:
element of hypocrisy on the matter. when asked whether people feel in control it’s undefined, it’s contradictory, but above all
of their personal data online, internet users it’s still pervasive in the consumer conscience.
We only need to look to how people respond in the UK and U.S. were more likely to say
to opt-in consent forms when first visiting a they do not feel in control. In fact, 40% do This may move these privacy concerns to a
website to understand consumer sentiment. not feel that they have oversight of their data more emotional, rather than rational basis,
Given the opportunity, many consumers in the sharing, compared to 32% who do, and 29% and that’s an issue when we consider the
UK and U.S. will try to limit their data sharing who aren’t sure. importance of trust in new currencies.
by clicking “manage preferences” to select
which data the website can access (28%).
But 25% say they don’t think about it and just
click “accept” to proceed, and 16% just click
“accept” because they find it confusing. So it’s
only a minority of people who are concerned
enough to take action.
25
Confidence in data handling by industry

% of internet users in the U.S./UK who say the following types of organizations
offer the best protection of peoples’ personal data
Digital payment providers Retail sites Device manufacturers

I’m not sure (e.g. PayPal, Apple Pay) (e.g. Amazon, eBay) (e.g. Apple, Fitbit)
32% 28% 18% 13%
Internet Service
The government Providers (ISPs)
10% 10%
Search engines Social

(e.g. Google) media
10% companies
7%
Financial service providers Healthcare providers Email services Entertainment subscriptions
(e.g. banks, insurance (e.g. pharmacies, (e.g. Gmail, services (e.g. Netflix, Spotify)
companies, credit card hospitals) Yahoo, Outlook) 12%
companies) 25% 16%
28%
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex September 2019

BASE: 2,004 (U.S.) & 2,298 (UK) internet users aged 16-64
26
In financial
services we trust
For a project like Libra to work, it needs to But trust is hard-won in every industry, and
lean on the trust credentials of a network of consumers don’t necessarily have sufficient
other companies. understanding of how each organization uses
their data to award their trust liberally. Most
Our recent research in the UK and U.S. demon- (32%) say they’re not sure which organiza-
strates why. When asked which organizations tions offer the best protection of peoples’
offer the best protection of personal data, personal data.
social media companies fall behind all other
organizations, at just 7%.
Financial service providers and digital pay-

ment providers (both on 28%) are among
the most trusted, even above healthcare pro-
viders (25%). So we can see just how crucial
the likes of Visa, PayPal and Mastercard were
to the project before they departed from the
Libra Association.
27
The collision of
payments and privacy
Governments all over the world are breaking What this really tells us is that concerns around
down the barriers to cashless economies, but data sharing remain fairly rudimental, center-
this is setting the scene for a head-on collision ing around first-party information relating to
between online privacy and how we spend immediate personal details or whereabouts.
our money. Smartphones are spreading dig- Less thought is given to data which provides
ital payments to the most remote locations. richer information or context on other data
Transaction data is also becoming more valua- (metadata). Even as far back as 2015, MIT
ble, with mobile-only banks and digital wallets researchers revealed that data on as little as
starving conventional banks of information on three purchases was enough to identify more
where and how their customers are spending than 90% of people in their credit-card trans-
their money. action dataset on 1.1 million people.
As we move headfirst into this cashless future, Perhaps spending data would not be as low
little thought has been given to the implica- on the consumer radar if they were more
tions of such a far reaching trend on how we aware of how exposing it could be for their
share information on ourselves. Online privacy identity. The shift in the privacy paradigm from
concerns are as old as the internet, but while online identities to financial identities won’t
they’re pervasive, data risks remain largely happen overnight, but it just so happens that
intangible to consumers. a global social media company defending
itself against privacy allegations, and a coun-
This is clearly the case with spending data. As try criticized for its use of surveillance, are the
it stands, data on spending habits appears as frontrunners in attempting to implement this
far less sensitive (26% are wary of sharing it) cashless future. The developments of these
than other forms of data, especially compared digital currencies in 2020 will likely be seen
to personal or financial details (43%) and as important milestones in the intersection
location data (40%). Our data suggests that between payments and privacy.
older consumers may realize the significance
of their spending data compared to younger
groups, who seem to be more concerned with
the prospect of companies having access to
their personal messages on chat apps or their
social media activity history.
28
Sensitivity around data types
% of internet users in the U.S./UK who consider the following data types to be most revealing/exposing of their day-to-day activities
My personal details (e.g. name, address,

43%
phone number, etc.)
My financial details (e.g. your income,

43%
your level of debt, etc.)
My location data 40%
My online browsing habits 33%
My IP address (the unique online address

29%
given to your internet device)
My messages on a messaging app

29%
(e.g. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger)
Photos of myself 29%
My medical records 28%
My spending habits
26%
(e.g. what you buy, and from where)
My contact list (e.g. who you know) 22%
My personal interests 22%
My social media activity history

21%
(e.g. “likes”, pages/groups followed)
My public messages/posts
20%
on social media
My professional information 19% BASE: 2,004 (U.S.) & 2,298 (UK)
internet users aged 16-64
03
Virna Sekuj
Can I
speak to a
human please?
30
03
The human experience as a premium

31
Can I speak to a human please?
Globally, a concern has been growing around entertainment, work, hobbies, to name a few.
how ingrained technology is within our daily Increasingly, things like education and health-
lives. In 2013, a quarter of global internet care – domains where human attention and
users agreed with the statement “technol- care have typically been fundamental – are
ogy makes life more complicated.” By 2019, also giving way to screens and AI.
this had jumped to one-third.
In this landscape of a tech-mediated world,
These worries have increased in response to how easy is it to opt out? Can we readily
technology’s rapid spread into nearly every choose to have human-first rather than tech-
aspect of our lives. With the average global nology-first experiences – to switch off our
internet user reporting that they spend 6 email for the day, to limit our children’s screen
hours and 49 minutes online every day, com- time at school, and even – in the near future
pared with 5 hours and 36 minutes in 2012, – to ask to see a human doctor first? Asking
connectivity has become an unavoidable way these questions now is essential, as we have
of life. The rise of mobile has fueled this, allow- reached a point of inflection in consumer atti-
ing us to keep the internet in our pockets with tudes; torn between a desire for technology’s
us everywhere we go. conveniences and a concern about its influ-
ence in our lives, we are turning to something
And so nearly all of our basic human expe- more familiar: the human touch.
riences have become mediated, to some
extent, by technology: communication, transit,
32
A growing concern with technology’s role in our lives

% of global internet users who agree with the following statements
Technology makes I am constantly

life more complicated connected online
I worry about how my I prefer to be

personal data is being anonymous when
used by companies using the internet
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
64% 64%
63% 63%
62% 62%
62%
61% 61%
59%
56% 56%
55%
54% 54% 54%
52% 52%
33%
32% 32%
31%
30%
26%
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex 2014-2019

(Averages conducted between Q1 2014-Q2 2019)
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 BASE: 925,568 internet users aged 16-64
33
Interrogating these concerns by income levels Wariness with technology increases with income
starts to build a more nuanced picture about % of global internet users who agree with the following statements
this relationship. In terms of their view toward
technology’s influence in our lives, it’s those
at the top of the scale that show the most I worry about how my I prefer to be Technology makes
personal data is being anonymous when life more complicated
concern. This pattern underpins the emerg- used by companies using the internet
ing trends of premiumization – that an air of
“luxury” has emerged around human-driven,
in contrast to technology-driven, experiences.
Spending money on artisanal, small-batch Top 25% 66% 59% 38%
food products, sending your children to
“back-to-basics” tech-free schools (as, ironi-
cally, the tech executives are doing), and the
growing popularity of camping (and glamp-
ing) are all symptoms of this trend. But how
did it start and, importantly, where is it going? Mid 50% 65% 55% 33%
Bottom 25% 60% 53% 34%
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex Q2 2019

34
Technology
for the masses
In 1984, Apple’s first Mac computer cost $2,500
– the equivalent of more than $6,000 in today’s
currency. Fast-forward to 2019, and a basic
Chromebook can be purchased from most
online retailers for less than $200. Consumers
are essentially now paying one-twenti-
eth of the price for a much more advanced
piece of hardware. And so rapid develop-
ments in technology have led to near-universal
access, especially in the developed world. A few
key stats demonstrate the true extent of this
reach. Around the world, 96% of internet users
now own a smartphone device, and 70% own
a laptop or PC.
Mobile phones and laptops used to be a device and being tied to it is a fundamental
premium, reserved for the affluent and part of mass culture, then there is nothing
high-powered groups who could afford exclusive about that at all. And as we realize
them. Now, however, we’ve seen technology that this level of constant connectivity is bad for
become democratized in a way that has our health, sleep, and relationships, it’s some-
reversed this exact sense of exclusivity – even thing that many of us will want to pull away
among the lowest income groups in developed from. To actively do this however – to unplug
countries, ownership of a laptop is at nearly yourself from the network – is incredibly disrup-
80%. tive for work, personal life, and successful daily
functioning. Having the freedom and power
The data reveals technology as the great to do this, therefore, is emerging as a new sign
equalizer – we all have access and, increasingly, of status in society.
we all have become dependent. If having a
35
Are you there, Siri?

It’s me, Margaret
As technology inches closer to being human- A bespoke study we conducted in the U.S.
like, we’ve seen it replace various types of reinforces some of these findings – nearly
jobs and services once performed by human 4 out of 10 internet users report that they
workers. The next evolution, however, is likely prefer to use automated services rather than
to be in providing social interaction and com- speak to a human customer service repre-
panionship. At this point, nothing exemplifies sentative. Looking at this by income level
the replacement of human interaction with reveals a striking disparity in how wealth is
technology quite like voice assistants. As connected to our comfort with technology.
advancements in AI have improved the recog- Just over 2 in 5 of low-income earners in the
nition and responsiveness of voice assistants, U.S., for example, agree with this statement,
uptake of this technology has been explosive. compared with around 1 in 3 of middle and Consumers in
In 2017, 34% of global internet users reported high-income earners.
having used a voice command tool – by 2019, the top income
this had increased to 43%. Other forms of automation vs. human ser-
vice preference show a similar breakdown bracket are nearly
With improved technology and, subsequently, by income groupings. Reporting on how they
more frequent usage, the effects of this on typically interact with a business in a basic twice as likely
our perceptions of AI vs. human-based inter- customer service capacity, 52% of high-in-
actions is striking. Research from Capgemini come earners said they do so face-to-face to prefer human
suggests that consumers are about as likely compared with 42% of low and 41% of middle
to trust product recommendations from voice income earners. More tellingly, when asked interaction
.
assistants as they are to trust salespeople. what their preferred method of interaction
is, high income earners were nearly twice as for customer
likely as middle and low-income earners to say
that it’s face-to-face interaction with a human. service
36
The unequal
distribution of technology
Other research supports the observation that In attempting to remedy a “digital divide” we
there are clear differences in people’s rela- may have produced another; one in which
tionship with technology along income lines. the basic tenets of human interaction – long
For example, access to smartphones in both conversations, sustained eye contact, cud-
high and low-income households is essentially dling, play – are increasingly replaced by
the same in the U.S. However, research from screens and voice assistants who take the
Common Sense Media found that young chil- load off of resource-poor parents, teachers,
dren in low-income households are spending and healthcare workers. This creates questions
nearly twice as long in front of screens vs. about how people will deal with interpersonal
their affluent counterparts. When access to communication in the future, when the way
technology is provided to those that haven’t younger generations are interacting with tech-
typically had it, outcomes have been shown nology is so divided. A thought-provoking
to vary by income, as well. New York Times piece captured this obser-
vation well, predicting that “how comfortable
The prevailing thought, especially in educa- someone is with human engagement could
tion, has been that a lack of technological become a new class marker.”
equality would leave certain people worse
off. But we are starting to better understand
why there could be negative outcomes to this
in the first place. According to research from
the Census Bureau’s 2016 National Survey of
Children’s Health, longer screen time, espe-
cially at a young age, has been shown to be
associated with higher rates of anxiety and
depression. And as people become aware
of this and increasingly try to limit their expo-
sure, the effects will inevitably be unequal,
ultimately, because screens are cheap and
human labor is expensive.
37
Opting out
In developed markets, we’re seeing this con- Opting out of technology is often a privilege of high earners
cept of a “premiumization” of the human % of internet users in the U.S. who report having recently done the following
touch come through most readily, as made
evident by how long people of various income
Reduced the amount Removed social media Removed my email
levels spend on their screens. Across the of TV I watch apps from my phone from my phone
U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan,
the pattern is apparent. Higher income is
Top 25%
associated with less time spent on mobile, 51% 41% 12%
($85k+)
desktop, and TV in the majority of cases. The
picture is not so clear for developing regions,
where internet and technology culture are less
mature due to bigger factors, like infrastruc- Mid 50%
30% 23% 55%
10%
($32k – $85k)
ture and relative income levels.
This trend appears in self-reported behaviors

around “disconnecting” as well. Our research Bottom 25%
37% 23% 9%
in the U.S. indicates that those in the high- (< $32k)
est income bracket are much more likely to
have done things like remove social media
apps from their phones, remove email from SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex September 2019
their phones, and reduce the amount of TV BASE: 2,138 (U.S.) internet users aged 16-64
they watch.
38
Getting personal
As human interaction increasingly becomes “The positive behaviors and emotions Along with the general concept of “luxury,”
a premium commodity, this has significant human engagement elicits — think this has implications for how the industry
implications for both the supply and demand the joy of a massage. Now education, speaks to its consumers. Emphasizing the
side of global commerce. health care stores, everyone, is starting human element in marketing and communica-
to look at how to make experiences tions will be important, in ways like celebrating
In terms of supply, experts predict that high- human. The human is very important the unique, sometimes imperfect qualities
touch, ultra-humanized jobs and services right now.” of distinct handmade goods. Additionally,
will become extremely valuable as automa- crafting experiences that bring patrons back
tion phases out many other forms of labor. Companies looking to forge a sustainable to nature and away from technology is likely
Projections by the U.S. Department of Labor path for luxury need to keep this in mind, and to be effective. And adding very high-touch,
suggest that the fastest-growing jobs are be able to evolve from the traditional mindset humanized features to luxury’s most popular
actually the most heavily service-oriented of designer goods to customized, humanized purchase channel – the retail store – can help
ones – like home health aides and physical experiences. brands engage their target users.
therapists. Additionally, research from the
Brookings Institute suggests that some of The “premiumization” of human contact is As you’ll find elsewhere in this report, tech-
the areas of employment least likely to be having an impact in the world of influencer nology continues to change our lives and the
replaced by machines are those that require marketing as well. Becoming part of some- world around us. But its reach is inspiring a
non-routine responsibilities, social and emo- one’s inner circle is now monetizable in its reaction from the wealthiest consumers, for
tional intelligence, human creativity, and very own right. Some Instagram influencers have whom unplugging may be the biggest luxury
high technical expertise. started to capitalize on the platform’s new there is.
“close friends” feature, which limits content
In terms of demand, the premiumization shared to only a select number of followers,
of human contact is completely redefining charging upwards of $6 a month for their fol-
what we consider to be “luxury.” According lowers to be members of the “close friends”
to Milton Pedraza, the chief executive of the list. It’s a glimpse into an interesting future
Luxury Institute, the future of the industry is where human proximity becomes a new layer
in ultra-humanized services and experiences: of social media marketing.
39
04
Viktoriya Trifonova
The reinvention
of retail 40
04
Oblivion or opportunity?
41
The reinvention of retail
Many articles and analyses proclaim we’re

set for a “Retail Apocalypse” to continue
throughout 2020, as ecommerce continues
to penetrate consumer lives at scale.
It makes for a startling headline, but the

future of physical retail may not be as cata-
strophic as the phrase seems to imply. Quite
the opposite – it’s only now we see businesses
starting to pursue the balance in the right
direction. In the face of almost 9,000 closed
stores this year in the U.S. and UK combined
(as revealed by Coresight Research), newly
emerging retailers born online are desperate
to plant the seeds of their physical footprint.
While some are struggling to extract value
from their shops, others are realizing certain
elements of shopping cannot be digitally
replicated.
A reality check is needed, and it will be instru-

mental for designing strategies and cam-
paigns around retail in 2020. Among other
things, this new kind of retail represents an
evolution in the relationship between online
and offline shopping. Competition between
online and offline is giving way to integration.
42
Refocusing on
What earlier attempts failed to do was
cater to the unique experience of consu-
what’s tangible
mers in a world where the line between digital
and real life is increasingly blurred.
Now we’re starting to see a fresh kind of coex- The growth of ecommerce, and especially In some ways, it’s like claiming that cloud
istence emerge, one where the movement the rise of giants like Amazon, was pegged kitchens, restaurants that only have an online
between the digital and real worlds is seam- to destroy traditional shopping as we know presence, are replacing restaurant dining.
less, fluid, and complementary. But above it. And while its growth has certainly impacted While they are undoubtedly disrupting the
all, retailers are recognizing the inherent the physical retail we’re seeing a resurgence food industry, cloud kitchens coexist with res-
advantages of a physical footprint. By put- offline that points to more complicated moti- taurants simply because they offer completely
ting fashion stores in the spotlight, we can vations for why people are drawn to one contrasting experiences. Nothing can replace
better understand what’s to come in 2020 shopping environment versus another. the joy of eating out at a restaurant, the same
and beyond. way as nothing can replace a good old-fash-
Looking more deeply at the psychological ioned dose of shopping therapy. There are
components of shopping – and the unshake- of course broader economic factors that will
able need for something tangible – fills in the shape the retail landscape, like lease lengths
picture. and rents, but it would be misleading to think
that consumers will abandon their desire for
A bespoke survey we conducted in September offline shopping wholesale.
2019 among online consumers in the UK and
U.S. showed that 73% still prefer to shop for
clothes and apparel in-store. The fact that
this figure doesn’t fall below the 70% mark 7 in 10 Gen Zs
even for our youngest respondents – the dig-
itally-native Gen Z aged 16-22 – illustrates in the UK and
that offline fashion has a truly cross-demo-
graphic appeal. In-store shopping remains U.S. prefer to
.
more prevalent in the U.S., where 75% say
it’s their preferred method compared to 67% shop for clothes
in the UK.
in-store
43
In essence, shopping for clothes is a social One interesting, yet underdeveloped, poten-
and emotional experience rather than a util- tial integration of the tangible with the digital
ity-driven one. Consumers want to try the is augmented reality (AR). This technology
products they buy, and this is the primary allows consumers to virtually “try on” prod-
reason why they’ll keep coming back. For ucts without visiting stores. Some brands,
example, 70% of fashion buyers shop for like ASOS and GOAT, have already devel-
clothes in-store because they can try what oped different “try-on” AR features. But with
they’re buying and 63% do so because they only 8% of fashion buyers shopping online
can touch and feel the products. Although because they like to virtually try on products
the instant gratification of in-store shopping via AR, this remains secondary to the tangible
is also a factor cited by 45% of buyers who say connection of actually putting clothes on in a
they can start using the products straightaway, physical store.
this option lags behind the desire to interact
with clothes prior to purchasing. While the technology is promising, it’s highly
underdeveloped when compared to the true
tactile experience of touching and wearing
clothing. And so, the psychological and emo-
tional boundary remains very much intact – as
consumer behaviors confirm. However, the
possibilities of truly immersive AR redefin-
ing this boundary – in perhaps a more distant
future than 2020 – are alive and well.
44
Offline fashion matters... * e.g. interactive walls/maps,
% of in-store fashion buyers in the U.S./UK who say they smart mirrors, virtual reality shows
shop for clothes/apparel in-store because of the following reasons
1. I can try what I’m buying BASE: 1,595 (U.S.) & 1,546 (UK) in-store
fashion buyers aged 16-64
2. I can touch/feel/smell what I’m buying
3. I can start using the products straight away
4. I like to support local businesses
5. Shopping in-store is a social activity for me 10 14%

6. I enjoy in-store experiences*
7. I like to pay in cash
8. I feel more in control of how much I’m spending

5 26%
9. The staff help me choose the best product for me 6 23%

4 28%
10. I like to get the approval of people around
me about what I’m about to buy
1 70%
2 63%
8 22%
7 23% 3 45%
9 15%
... but consumers want experiences, not transactions
% of global internet users who agree with the following statements
I would rather spend money on a I would buy a product/service simply for the experience
unique experience than a status brand of being part of the community built around it
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
59%
58% 57% 57%
52% 54%
51% 51%
28%
30% 30%
32%
36% 36% 35% 36%
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex 2012-2019 (Averages conducted between Q4 2012-Q2 2019) BASE: 925,568 internet users aged 16-64
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Step out of your comfort zone SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex September 2019
% of in-store fashion buyers in the U.S./UK who say they would most like to see BASE: 1,595 (U.S.) & 1,546 (UK) in-store
the following features/experiences available in clothes shops fashion buyers aged 16-64
Smart mirror* A café * E.g. a mirror that changes the
37% 36%
color of the product I’m wearing
** E.g. where I can learn how

to customize products
A tailor shop/custom lab** A virtual reality experience A bakery
29% 20% 20%
Gen Z (aged 16-22) are

more likely than average to want...
1 A 3D printer that prints and customizes products
2 A bakery
3 A tailor shop/custom lab
Millennials (aged 23-36) are

more likely than average to want...
1 A bar
2 A spa
3 A sneak peek into the production/design

Experience 2.0
AR is just one potential pillar of a new, more
experiential kind of retail, where experiences
are prized above transactions. We can see
from our global data that a status brand can
be trumped by a unique experience. In fact, Although younger generations are more
consumer attitudes centered around buying tech-savvy and digitally oriented, technology
as an experience show steady increases since alone won’t be enough to enrich the physical
2012, and are most pronounced among the shopping experience. Gen Z and millenni-
millennial generation. And although experi- als stand out from the average fashion buyer
ential retail is not a new concept, technology in the UK and U.S. for wanting features like
and the consumer are constantly reimagining bars, spa centers, and bakeries in fashion
its meaning. stores, which Primark has tapped into with its
new Birmingham store concept. The branch
Redefining physical spaces as hangouts is features a blow-dry bar, beauty clinic, Disney-
what we’re most likely to see booming in themed café, and “snap-and-share” room.
2020. To truly stand out and keep pace with Nordstrom’s much-anticipated New York City
Gen Z and millennials, fashion brands need flagship store opened recently, and embod-
to transform their stores to grab the attention ies this concept of the new retail experience.
of consumers and keep them there for longer. Boasting seven food and beverage options
We found that more than three-quarters of and a beauty spa inside, it represents the
fashion buyers want to see at least one of the evolution of a traditional retailer into a more
experiences in apparel shops we asked about immersive space.
in our survey.
For younger shoppers, this is the perfect
hangout spot, showing that in reality, so
long as brands remain relevant to consumer
expectations, the online/offline divide actu-
ally disappears. It’s only a matter of time until
smaller businesses follow suit.
48
Reviving the
physical footprint
with direct-to-consumer
Le Tote and other direct-to-consumer (DTC)
brands like Everlane, Allbirds, and Rothy’s are
shaking things up even further, moving away
from pure-play digital offerings.
Le Tote, a personalized clothing and rented Facilitating new

opportunities in
fashion company born online, is a prime exam-
ple. In August 2019 the company acquired
the B2B space

New York’s oldest department store, Lord
& Taylor, for $100 million. To put this into
perspective, this is a seven-year-old com-
pany buying a part of a nearly 200-year-old Importantly, the prospect of DTC revolution- in their products. Importantly, solutions like
conglomerate. izing the online-to-offline model hasn’t gone Re:store and short-term lease companies like
unnoticed by the business-to-business space. Appear Here solve a fundamental problem
Le Tote is acquiring 38 stores, with plans to Ecommerce tech platform Shopify, which has that some legacy brands are still struggling
triple that number in the next two or three been instrumental in helping DTC brands with, namely binding and inflexible lease
years, giving the brand inventory and a bypass retailers and wholesalers and sell to structures for physical stores. With innovative
new avenue to connect with the consumer. consumers directly provides one such exam- physical retail solutions emerging across the
A non-traditional deal to say the least, but ple. Having recognized the vast opportunity industry, we’ll likely see a lot more brands fol-
one that validates just how important a phys- for physical retail on the horizon, Shopify is lowing Le Tote’s example in the near future.
ical footprint is for fashion brands amid a expanding on its offering by adding services
turbulent retail landscape. Whereas in the such as multi-channel returns and exchanges, Physical retail as we know it is undergoing
financial sector we’ve seen traditional banks in-store pickup and fulfilment among others. rapid transformation, but 2020 isn’t likely to
acquiring fintech companies to access the In fact, the company’s quarterly results see an “apocalypse” – at least as far as con-
digital infrastructures they lack, the landscape showed that its merchant solutions grew 67% sumer interest is concerned. By tapping into
seems somewhat flipped in the world of new from last year, outshining its online subscrip- what’s most desired among consumers, we
retail. A digitally native company buying a tion solutions. could see a retail renaissance. Technology
legacy retailer means the old bricks turn gold will be a part of this, but it has to come as
in the digital world. But Shopify is not the only company trying part of a renewed focus on what’s tangible
to cater to the brick-and-mortar demand in and emotional about shopping, an embrac-
a unique way. A new co-retailing concept, ing of immersive retail experiences, and a
Re:store, opened doors in San Francisco, cov- reinvention of online-to-offline.
ering a 4200-square-foot space to bring niche
DTC brands offline and immerse consumers
49
50
Chase Buckle
When the
penny drops:
Economic outlook
for 2020 51
When the penny drops
We hate to
You don’t need to work in an investment bank
to notice the mounting pile of predictions and
burst your bubble

thinkpieces foreboding a global economic
recession in the coming year. Warning signs
from economic shocks of the past appear
to be flashing, whether it’s in analysis of the In our ongoing global research, we’ve asked
“inverted yield curve” or a projection about internet users aged 16-64 about their views
the outcome of Brexit, the U.S.-China trade on the global economy since our first research
war, or the German economy’s weak perfor- wave in mid-2009, just as the world was emerg-
mance in recent quarters. ing out of the Great Recession. Respondents
in each surveyed country are asked the exact
For many, these warnings may be a cause for same questions (translated into their native
alarm. But for all the media noise surrounding language). In this case, respondents are pre-
them, they’re likely to remain fairly detached sented with a five-point Likert scale to express
from the average consumer, who in many their level of agreement as outlined below:
cases may have no clue what we mean by
an “inverted yield curve”, or any other market 1. Strongly agree
signal you care to name. 2. Slightly agree
3. Neither agree nor disagree
But we can put this to the test. 4. Slightly disagree
5. Strongly disagree
With the help of some simple data manipula-

tion, we can assign a score to each agreement
level to calculate the average total score of
agreement to the statement “I feel positive
about the global economy”, and see how
this looks over time. We can run this anal-
ysis across all of the major demographic
breaks and regions, or any audience group
of interest.
53
What the
consumers say
When it hits home
The global results are unmistakable. Con-
sumer confidence among 16-64 year-olds in
the global economy has been steadily grow-
ing since mid-2013 following a low point Global economics aside, only when these
of pessimism in 2011, which at least partly matters impact personal hopes and fears in 59% of global
resulted from the Eurozone debt crisis and the the future do consumers tend to pay atten-
downgrading of the U.S. credit rating during tion. Our research shows it wasn’t until 2011 internet users
that year. 2011 also saw its own warning signs that pessimism regarding the global econ-
of a looming recession, including a near-in- omy really began to bite, swinging from a think their
verted yield curve. declining, but overall-positive average score,
to one of clear negativity over the course of personal finances
This confidence is now at its highest level two financial quarters.
since 2009¹. will improve
Optimism in internet users’ own country’s
economy remains low in key markets that in the next 6
appear frequently in global news stories, most
notably the UK and Hong Kong (54% in the months, and
UK and 62% in Hong Kong are pessimistic in
their own economy’s short term prospects). 50% believe the
But concerns about the national economy same of their
.
aren’t always echoed in people’s perceptions
of their own financial outlook. In fact, internet own country’s
users in most of our tracked markets are more
confident in their own personal economic economy
situation than their country’s.
A quick disclaimer: since our first quarterly
1
research wave in Q2 2009, we’ve added 29

markets; now surveying 46 markets in total as of
Q3 2019. Nevertheless, the trend stays the same
when rebasing among our longest tracked
markets only.
54
Average score for attitudinal statement:

“I feel positive about the global economy”
2 Strongly agree
1 Somewhat agree
0 Neutral
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex Q2 2009-Q3 2019 -1 Somewhat disagree
BASE: 2,186,163 internet users aged 16-64 -2 Strongly disagree
2009 2011 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
0 0
-0.1
-0.2
Q2 2009
Q2 2018
Q3 2010
Q2 2015
Q2 2014
Q2 2016
Q2 2012
Q3 2018
Q2 2019
Q2 2013
Q3 2015
Q4 2018
Q3 2014
Q3 2016
Q2 2017
Q3 2019
Q3 2013
Q4 2015
Q4 2014
Q4 2016
Q4 2012
Q4 2013
Q3 2017
Q2 2011
Q4 2017
Q1 2010
Q4 2011
Q1 2018
Q1 2015
Q1 2014
Q1 2016
Q1 2019
Q1 2013
Q1 2017
Q1 2011
55
What the
businesses say
Revenue expectations
In Q1 2019, we introduced GWI Work; an
industry-first, multi-country business-to-busi-
in the next year

ness dataset designed to understand the
views of knowledge workers and the trends
impacting the future of the workplace. Here
we get the other side of the picture from inside Compared to other industries, knowledge Across the 10 markets surveyed, knowledge
businesses, to look at what they think the next workers in the technology and communica- workers in the manufacturing/industry/logis-
year will bring. tions sector remain more optimistic in the tics, management training and financial
economic conditions affecting their compa- services sectors all share a similarly positive
nies in the next year. Nearly three-quarters of outlook to tech/telco workers.
The technology &

tech/telco workers expect their company’s
revenue to grow in the next year, for example. It’s a very different picture for those working
communications
Compare that to just 9% expecting their rev- in government, non-profit and education/
enue to decline, and you might be forgiven research sectors. Only around 4 in 10 work-
sector is the
for questioning whether trade tensions are ers in these sectors feel that revenue will grow
weighing on their minds as we’d expect. in the next year, and they’re also marked by
most optimistic
a pronounced uncertainty toward future
This also stands as one of the few sectors in projections. The same is true of workforce
in the economic
our chart with minimal uncertainty around rev- projections; tech/telco and financial service
enue expectations, with just 4% saying they’re workers anticipate workforce growth in the
conditions
not sure on the matter. If we narrow this down next year, while government and non-profit
to the U.S. only, confidence in revenue growth businesses have more modest expectations.
affecting their
shrinks to 59% among tech/telco workers,
with a higher proportion believing revenue We can only wait and see what 2020 has in
companies in the
.
will stay the same (25%) or saying they’re not store for our own wallets and business rev-
sure (10%). enue alike. As consumers worry about a
next year
potential recession and tech firms perform
inconsistently on the markets, the next year is
set to be a milestone in economic uncertainty.
Exactly which way the penny will fall remains
to be seen.
56
Revenue projections for the next year by sector SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex Work Q1 2019
% of knowledge workers* in each sector who expect their company’s BASE: 15,497 knowledge workers across all
revenue to do the following in the next year sectors aged 16-64
Grow Stay the same Decline Not sure/Prefer not to say
38% 39%
44%
56% 56%
64% 64%
71%
29%
35%
30%
21%
26%
20% 21% 15%

9%
16%
11%
13%
9%
10% 10%
18% 17% 9%
15%
10% 9%
6% 5% 4%
Arts, Media Education & Financial Goverment Healthcare Manufacturing, Non-profit Technology &
& Advertising Research Services Industry & Logistics Communication
*Anyone who holds an office position and/or works with data, analyzes information or thinks creatively in a typical work week.
57
05
Chris Beer
Data is the
new jet fuel 58
05
The race to own your vacation

59
Data is the new jet fuel
Last call
When the planes hit the tarmac in earnest
during 2020’s peak season, the travel industry
for boarding
will have a very different feel.
Inspired by Uber, Netflix, Spotify, and their

brand of tech-powered disruption, travel pro- Throughout 2019, companies all across the It’s not just a Western phenomenon, either.
viders will begin to adopt the same obsession travel sector have been making boardroom All contenders are vying for their piece of
with customer data and personalization. But reshuffles, rebrands, funding rounds, acquisi- the pie while eyeing up a market that contin-
they’ll be joined by other tech giants looking tions, and investments in technology stacks to ues to grow globally. The UN’s World Tourism
to apply their expertise to a new vertical. At create and own a new type of travel economy. Barometer shows explosive growth in the past
the same time, pressure will ratchet up on Come 2020, these changes will start to filter decade for the number of outbound tourists;
airlines, with their wafer-thin margins, and on down to consumers. a figure projected to rise even further, espe-
travel publishers looking to expand beyond cially in APAC. The new, mobile-first tourists
guidebooks and partnerships. All of this will There’s a host of competitors aiming to there will be among the first to adopt for-
come together in a race to become known as become this ubiquitous, end-to-end travel ward-thinking travel solutions.
the brand that owns the end-to-end experi- provider. Lurking in the pack are the aggre-
ence of your vacation. gators and metasearchers Expedia and Travel providers within APAC, both estab-
Booking Holdings (the owners of Booking. lished and insurgent, have been inspired by
In this new commitment to technology and com). But they’re not the only ones. Review the success of super apps. Both MakeMyTrip
data expertise, “user experience” is the buz- sites, publishers, airlines (which according to in India and Traveloka in Indonesia aim to
zword. But to understand user experience, IATA Economics only make $6.12 in profit per become “travel super apps” in their respective
you have to understand about the user at the passenger), and even Amazon all have skin in countries, though big local players like Grab
heart of it. the game. And then there’s Airbnb; the tech- and GoJek will surely look to get in on the
driven upstart due to IPO sometime in 2020. action as well.
In China, WeChat and Meituan are apply-

ing their technological nous to travel,
though former market leader (and owner of
Skyscanner) Ctrip is hitting back. It rebranded
as Trip.com Group in October 2019 in a bid
to own what it calls “door-to-door” travel. It’s a
move symbolic of what this trend is all about;
becoming the brand synonymous with taking
a trip.
60
Rough Guides launches

bespoke vacation service
as part of major rebrand
NOV
2018 Hyperlink
Luis Cabrera is appointed CEO of Q2 2019

Lonely Planet, signalling a deeper TripAdvisor
move into travel experiences undertakes a brand
FEB reappraisal to boost
its reputation for
2019 addressing travel
pain points
Travel website The Culture Trip

unveils its online travel agency
AUG JUN
MAY
Amazon relaunches
AirAsia undertakes Glenn Fogel flight booking in India
corporate reshuffle takes over as CEO
in bid to create of Booking Holdings
“frictionless travel
experience”
Google consolidates
Travel/Trips offering
SEP OCT
Skyscanner Ctrip shareholders
completes rebrand vote on rebranding
to provide a more to Trip.com Group
“holistic” kind of
travel planning
2020
Airbnb plans
to go public
61
Travel migrates online

% of global internet users who have used
the following types of app in the last month
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex 2015 and 2019

(Averages conducted between Q1-Q4 2015
and Q1-Q2 2019)
86% BASE: 197,734 (2015) and 279,055 (2019)
84% 2019
internet users aged 16-64
65%
Growth
63% 63%
100%
53%
52%
85% 85%
43%
42% 2015
38% 37%
34% 34% 34%
31% 30%
90% 36%
58% 25%
94%
20% 19%
16%
8%
60%
5%
Chat/ TV Travel Shopping Maps Social Food/ Gambling/ Music Banking/

messaging networks restaurants betting/lottery financial
services
62
Since 2015, use

of travel apps
has increased
by 90% .
All of this has only become possible because
of how travel behaviors have shifted online.
Since 2015, use of travel apps has increased
worldwide by 90%, a growth rate behind only
messaging and TV. The growth is particularly
striking in Latin America (189%) and North
America (148%).
As travel has become more established on

mobile devices, two things have happened.
One, internet users have become more inti-
mately connected with travel services, and
anticipate more connectivity during their trip.
Second, the amount of data travel companies
can utilize to provide personalized services,
anticipating what vacationers need at each
stage of the trip, has grown substantially.
63
Ready
for takeoff
Our global research allows us to understand But what was perhaps even more intriguing
what motivates vacationers. Unsurprisingly, was that everything else had such an even Younger internet
they tend to be more cosmopolitan types – spread. Whether it’s for booking activities
interested in trying new foods, living life to beforehand or waiting until the trip, booking users are more
the full, and are generally keen to experience on one platform vs. many, or booking in one
new things. burst vs. a period of time, consumers are vir- receptive to
.
tually split down the middle. How much help
This is a picture in line with what a study someone wants when planning and traveling having vacations
published in the Journal of Travel Research really depends on the individual. Applying
has found. Holidays are often about variety, some demographic analysis, though, we can pre-planned
personal growth, and non-repeatability; what see where the differences tend to come from.
the lingo calls “hedonic” purchases. But any
vacation is stitched together through pur- We expected younger travelers to be more
chases tied to a very specific function, like spontaneous, either because they tend to
flights, transport, and accommodation. plan ahead less, or because they’d want more
Bringing these things together is a matter independence when planning activities. But
of convenience, but making “experiences” in fact, the opposite is true. Younger internet
part of one package might make travelers feel users are more receptive to having vacations
like they’re missing some of the picture, that pre-planned, and older ones prefer to figure
they’re not able to get the varied experiences it out when they’re there. It goes to show how
they crave. So maybe the kind of person who just how misleading generational stereotypes
regularly travels is actually less likely to use a can be.
“one-stop-shop”.
We put this to the test with a series of Likert

scale questions to investigate this variety vs.
convenience paradigm. First off, we found
vacationers show a clear preference toward
planning activities on their own terms, ide-
ally being left to their own devices and using
a wide range of resources in their research.
64
Breaking down attitudes to travel planning SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex September 2019
% of vacationers in the U.S./UK who... BASE: 1,354 (U.S.) & 2,043 (UK) vacationers
aged 16-64
Neutral
Tend to have Spontaneous and

37% 33% 30%
activities pre-planned figure it out when there
Book all parts of Spread out

34% 33% 33%
their trip in one go booking
Want activities Like to figure

20% 25% 55%
organized it out themselves
Book everything Use a range

35% 30% 35%
on one platform of platforms
Use one resource Use many

21% 29% 50%
to plan trips resources
Stick with brands Use local

28% 33% 39%
from their home country brands/operators
Building out
a new package holiday
It’s easy to get lost in consumer psychology, The big prize in owning the vacation is the
but there is a more practical side to all this. lucrative activities or “experiences” market,
Glenn Fogel, chief of Booking Holdings, so it’s encouraging to see so much demand
highlighted in his company’s Q2 2019 earn- for cross-selling them, either from airlines or
ings call how little data exists to measure hotels. There’s actually as much appetite for
appetite for cross-selling experiences with cross-sold experiences as there is for rental
other parts of a trip. cars. So while vacationers tend to like variety
in their life, they’re happy for them to be pro-
So we set out to research exactly that. We vided by the same brand that provides the
didn’t just consider aggregators and meta- more practical elements of their trip.
searchers, but included airlines and publishers
as well, to figure out who the most effective Publishers naturally do well when it comes to
cross-sellers may be. attractions, experiences, and local tours. But
they aren’t considered as much for the more
Takeup for cross-selling is pretty good utilitarian aspects, like transport.
overall, with 58% of consumers willing to
book accommodation from an airline, and the
same number willing to book flights through
an accommodation provider.
Consumers
are open to
cross-selling
of experiences
from a range
of providers .
66
Consumers warm to cross-selling Airline
% of vacationers in the U.S./UK who would consider booking services from the following
Hotel
Publisher
Flights 58% 43%
Accommodation 58% 48%
Rental car/local transport 51% 53% 39%
Attractions/experiences 49% 55% 52%
Restaurants/
43% 46% 45%
dining experiences
Local tours 42% 50% 46%
Travel insurance 39% 39% 32%
Museum/gallery tickets 29% 33% 32%
Classes/workshops 16% 19% 20%
Other travel products

14% 13% 12%
(e.g. sunscreen, beachwear)

None of the above 11% 8% 13% BASE: 1,354 (U.S.) & 2,043 (UK) vacationers
aged 16-64
Price This is your

turbulence travel provider speaking
So on the one hand, vacationers like variety, There is of course more to end-to-end or “fric-
independence, and self-determination when tionless” travel than just the planning phase.
planning their trips. But we also find they can The other aspect is what happens when you’re
be guided toward cross-selling and building actually traveling. Assuming a traveler books
out a travel experience under one company’s all parts of their journey through one provider,
umbrella. Not just with transport and accom- all parts could be stitched together with real-
modation, but with experiences too. time communication and updates. Ctrip has
shown examples of how this could work in
One of the reasons we see a discrepancy the past few years, reaching out to their cus-
between these results is price. When money tomers in the aftermath of earthquakes and
is on the line, vacationers will often defer to volcanic eruptions.
the most cost-effective solution. It has to be
remembered that vacations often involve So we put the question to vacationers, to
extensive budgeting. And in our research, figure out what kind of appetite there was
the biggest frustrations with traveling were for such a service. We found that 45% of
mostly cost-related, with the prices of flights vacationers would be interested in an app
and their various add-ons coming at the top that provided customer service relevant to
of the list. all parts of their trip, and 43% would want a
24/7 virtual tour guide. So it’s not as if con-
Likewise, when we asked consumers what sumers are turned off by the prospect of even
they would most like to see from a theoret- more comms from travel-related companies
ical online travel planner, comparing prices on their trip. But even here, the most desired
(45%) and providing budget-tailored options feature was price-related; an app that would
(40%) came out on top. The travel industry has indicate when locations were good to travel
been keen to learn from some of the biggest to based on personal preferences, budget,
tech-driven success stories of recent years, but or overall demand.
Spotify and Netflix’s recommendation engines
don’t add any extra cost to the consumer. Consumers are naturally price-sensitive about
Cross-selling in travel usually means adding many purchases they make. But it highlights
on a new purchase each time, something con- the real crux of this trend. Travel providers are
sumers will be sensitive to. keen to deepen and diversify revenue through
cross-selling. But consumers typically view
them as gateways to the best deals and the
cheapest overall package. The key will be in
nudging this behavior.
68
Cleared
for landing
2020 is poised to be a seminal year for the We also can’t lose sight of the fact that con- away from the package holiday and travel
travel industry, and we can give some practi- sumers often look to travel companies to agent model. But the key difference will
cal guidance to capitalize on this trend in the come up with the most cost-effective options be empowering consumers to make their
coming year. at each part of the vacation plan. Most con- own choices, emphasizing cost-effective
sumers are more likely to go for an end- travel packages, and making the most of
First off, travelers like to at least feel that to-end package that assures them of price cross-selling.
they’re in control, using many resources to efficiency, compared to bespoke packages
plan their trip, and preferring to figure out tailored to their interests.
their own itineraries. So any travel provider
gunning to own the vacation has to let con- It seems ironic that at the same time as
sumers feel like they’re building a package Thomas Cook, the first ever travel agent,
under their own steam. entered insolvency, digital contenders were
jostling to offer services that aren’t worlds
69
06
Olivia Valentine
Out with
the new, in
with the old 70
06
Nostalgia’s increasing role in content, personalization and consumer choice

71
Out with the new, in with the old
Setting the
The internet gives us infinite choice. Across
TV, film, music and virtually any other media,
scene with
we’ve never had more choice over what to
listen to or watch. But lately, it seems like it’s
science
well-known content from the past that’s the
focus.
The rights to TV shows Seinfeld and Friends Let’s take a step back, and think about what
have changed hands for record sums. Disney’s nostalgia actually is. Just like other cognitive
reimagined classics took millions in the box biases that brands and marketers use to influ-
office, and the company’s streaming service ence consumers’ decision-making, nostalgia
will bring many childhood favorites online marketing is used with a similar outcome in
for the first time. mind.
Nostalgia is hot across the board at the According to psychological research, mean-
moment; think retired logos reemerging, ingful memories, like places from the past or
vinyl sales surging, Pokémon being reima- music associated with happy experiences,
gined in the digital app space, or Netflix’s activate the emotional and reward centers of
top 80s-throwback show Stranger Things. the brain. That’s why the familiarity of positive
memories from the past feels great, espe-
But there’s more to nostalgia than these cially in a world that seems to be moving at
big generational touchstones. Throughout breakneck speed. In our own research we
research we’ve conducted this past year, we’ve see that internet users have increasingly felt,
seen nostalgia emerge more and more – and year-on-year, that there is too much choice
sometimes in unexpected places. Nostalgia online. Where content is concerned, it’s easy
may be one of the biggest weapons in the to see then how nostalgia could inspire famil-
TV streaming wars, but it may also bring a iar comforts.
new spin to personalization, and inspire a
new, data-driven way of looking back for Other studies have found that feelings of nos-
consumers. talgia can make humans more optimistic, and
even reduce the consumer’s rational tendency
to conserve spending (which is great news
for brands). Often, successful marketing is
about the ability to sell a feeling – and nostal-
gia is the perfect opportunity to do just that.
Brands have long relied on this approach to
create a deeper emotional connection with
consumers and, in turn, a greater influence
over their actions.
72
Nostalgia by
consumers
It’s all very well knowing the biology behind Memories of childhood or teenage years was
nostalgia, but quantitative research into the the top reason why consumers remember
exact whats and whys of nostalgia‘s influence feeling nostalgic about something in the last
on consumers is rare. This information is far year, although specific personal memories
more useful for brands and marketers to have also score highly – especially for the oldest
an insight into what’s most likely to get the consumers. Millennials were most likely to say
desired effect. they’d felt nostalgia due to feeling connected
to others. Very few said that they have felt
In our bespoke research in the U.S. and UK, we nostalgic when being reminded of a specific
asked consumers to reflect on their own nos- moment in time shared by many. This is an
talgia, and the results were telling. Feelings important point to remember – nostalgia is
of nostalgia are very common and familiar, deeply personal. Almost 4 in 10
whether you’re a Baby Boomer from the 50s
or a 90s-obsessed Millennial. When it comes to the favorite decades of in the U.S. and
entertainment, there’s a trend of consumers
When we asked these consumers what they’ve feeling most nostalgic about the decade in UK said they’d
felt nostalgic about in the past year, music was which they grew up, but that’s not always the
the most nostalgia-inducing, leading across all case. Faux nostalgia, or “fauxstalgia”, is char- be willing to
age groups. Around 4 in 10 have felt nostalgic acterized by a yearning for something in the
about other types of popular media, like TV past that you never directly experienced your- pay more for a
shows and films. Despite the hype around self, and Generation Z is particularly fond of
fashion trends making their way back, like the this. They were some of the biggest users of content streaming
90s scrunchie or denim jackets, only around Pokémon Go (counting for 48% in Q3 2016),
15% said they have felt fashion-nostalgia. jumping on the cherished craze of which they service if they
never got to be a part when the game first
launched in the 90s. Brands and marketers can knew that older
therefore create cross-generational nostalgia
through the same content. content they
couldn’t watch
elsewhere would
be added .
73
What’s leading to feelings of nostalgia?
% of internet users in the U.S/UK who have felt nostalgic about the following in the past year
A song A video A TV show

62% 27% 39%
Fashion
14%
A book
23%
A film A photo
36% 51%
A console game
16%
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex September 2019 BASE: 1,948 (U.S.) & 2,081 (UK) internet users aged 16-64 who experience feelings of nostalgia
% of internet users in the U.S./UK who have felt nostalgic in the past year for the following reasons
Reminded of childhood/teenage years

Reminded of a specific personal memory
Felt connected to others (e.g. a memory of family/friends)
Age groups
16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 8 in 10 say

they experience
34% 34% 35% 31% feelings of
35%
nostalgia (no
20%
matter how
strong) at least
28% 30% 38%
26%
occasionally, with
.
39%
26%
31% 30%
25% 4 in 10 saying
they do so often
Decade that age groups

00s 90s 80s 70s
feel most nostalgic about
% who say they feel most nostalgic

42% 50% 52% 63% 44%
about this decade’s entertainment
Nostalgia, ultra
Music isn’t only the biggest creator of nos- Services like Facebook’s Timehop have rec-
talgia in consumers; it may also be the best ognized this already. If you’re on social media 1 in 5 say when
place for a new, personalized nostalgia to you’ll have probably seen a #TBT or “throw-
emerge in 2020. back Thursday”, which is often accompanied streaming music,
by something personally nostalgic. This trend
Unlike online TV streaming services, which was jumped on by consumers and brands they usually
offer different content libraries, most music alike, and it wasn’t too long before Facebook
is available on all streaming platforms. Apple and others wanted to benefit from this nos- default to favorite
.
Music, Amazon Music and Spotify don’t rely on talgia too. Among the consumers we asked,
content differences and exclusives as much, two-thirds have used at least one of these songs they’ve
but on other factors, like user experience. features in the past, whether on Facebook,
Efficiency of personalization has become a Instagram or Snapchat, and this figure was heard before
big part of this user experience. Each service even higher among younger generations.
is battling to become the one and only audio
provider in your life, and collect your listening It’s often said that younger generations have
preferences in the process. grown up with social media, and are adjusting
to seeing their past preserved in that form
We’ve already seen Spotify’s Unwrapped and online. But the youngest consumers are now
Time Capsule playlists, which aim to transport growing up with entertainment platforms that
listeners back through their year and provide track their every listen or watch as well.
them with a snapshot of their younger years
respectively. Keeping in mind that consumers feel less
nostalgic about photos than music, photo
But Time Capsule has to make assumptions services are making nostalgic content more
about a user’s history, because listeners hav- central through artificial intelligence. Google
en’t been on the platform for a lifetime. What Photos’ plans to take users down memory lane
if, with the same benefit of time that social through a new Stories function, while French
media platforms have (leveraging +10 years startup Zyl is building an app to do the heavy
of rich data about consumers), music plat- lifting of photo searching, with users being
forms could tap into this powerful nostalgia sent a new memory everyday and having to
on a bigger scale? Listeners could be targeted wait 24 hours for another photo-powered nos-
with songs they haven’t heard since their teen- talgic experience.
age years. And with this nostalgia comes the
ability to influence consumers’ actions too.
76
Data nostalgia
or data privacy?
Let’s look at social media as a case study of
nostalgic tendencies. When we asked users
of social media “back-in-time” features, like
Timehop, why they’d want to access all of % of internet users in the U.S./UK who say they would like to
their social media data at once if they had have access to their past social media data for the following reasons
the chance, nostalgia led the way.
This shows just how many consumers like revis-

iting the past through their online footprint.
And surprisingly, even though consumers may
have been in a particularly nostalgic mood
at the time, data privacy concerns were very
64% 55% 39%
few. A third said they would want access to
this data out of curiosity to see what they had
shared, while only 16% want to see what other
organizations, like Facebook, can see.
To be able to easily look To be able to enjoy content Out of curiosity
We often hear the phrase “online footprint” back at past memories enjoyed in the past
discussed in the context of data privacy, but
this isn’t the first time our research has shown
that consumers would be keen to see a record
of their personal data, stored by an internet
service, out of curiosity.
While consumer awareness of data sharing

and privacy is growing, so too is the idea of 33% 30% 16%
online personal data being viewed as a type
of memory box. In research we carried out
in 2018, it emerged that 16-24s were more
likely to share old content on social media
than status updates, doing so as a way to pre- To know exactly what data To have a copy of To see what data other
they have shared in the past previous posts/activity companies/organizations
serve or remember the past. The youngest could see
generation are often viewed as the target for
ephemeral content, but in fact, they’re some
of the most nostalgic around.
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex September 2019 BASE: 1,444 (U.S.) & 1,416 (UK) internet users aged 16-64
who have used “back in time” features on social media. Features include Facebook’s Memories, On this
Day, Timehop; Instagram’s Memories; Snapchat’s Memories
78
Looking
forward
So, what’s next? As consumer fatigue increases
as the amount of content available contin-
ues to grow, personalization is set to become
more important to counteract the crowding.
Nostalgia will continue as a category of con-
tent for consumers, favoring content that
makes them feel something.
As streaming services become increasingly Music services are already building nostal-
ingrained into consumers’ day-to-day, the gia into their strategies, but this is likely to
ability to integrate with their moment-to- increase significantly in 2020 as they work to
moment is always increasing, as is the per- differentiate themselves. Brands like Disney
sonal data available to these services to have mastered nostalgia marketing, reap-
influence decisions. ing the rewards in sales and brand loyalty.
As Disney+ launches with an almost centu-
ry-spanning content library, the following
months will be very telling. How much nos-
talgia TV can consumers handle? How will
Disney+ fare against the likes of Netflix and
Amazon Prime?
Nostalgia should never fail, as long as it finds

the right people.
79
07
Katie Young
Commerce at
the crossroads 80
07
How marketers can capitalize on the moving consumer in 2020

81
Commerce at the crossroads
Go back to basics
Not so long ago, if you wanted to buy some-
thing online, you’d have to wait for some free
time; in the evening while watching TV, or on
your desktop at work during your lunch break. For a while, marketers have focused their
But in 2020, shopping, and marketing, will go attention so strongly toward consumers’
on the move. Traveling, for so long a passive screens that they’ve forgotten the power
activity, will begin to become a new frontier and potential that lies in the environment that
for buying online or engaging with brands – surrounds us each day. But as the worlds of
whether it’s in a car, on a train, in an Uber, or commerce and transport merge, the world
on the subway. beyond the screen will become more fruitful
than ever – making 2020 the right time for
marketers to move beyond it.
Despite being one of the oldest advertising

mediums, out-of-home (OOH) doesn’t face
the same issues as other channels. TV has
cord-cutters and skippable ads, while digital
has ad-blockers. In most media, ads are seen
as a distraction, but studies have shown OOH
ads actually improve sentiment during “dwell
time” in public spaces, particularly transport
hubs. In many senses of the word, OOH just
can’t be ignored. Over 40% of
Now, new advances in OOH tech mean that UK and U.S.
brands can serve really dynamic creatives
based on environmental factors such as consumers can
weather, location and time of day – allowing
them to remain hyper-relevant even when recall a billboard
.
they’re “offline” and out-of-store. Plus, some
of the limitations OOH has faced in the ad from the
digital era – namely, not having the same capa-
bility to measure campaigns – will also have last week
new solutions.
82
Technology can really play to OOH’s strengths,

using data and dynamic video to drive top-
of-funnel awareness. Brands are in the middle
of capitalizing on programmatic digital OOH.
In 2020, OOH is
Back in 2018, for example, Innocent Drinks
used anonymized audience data to inform
the optimum times to show its creative for its
poised to hit the
new Super Juice range.
next level of mass
reach, visual impact
But it can go further, and provide a stimu-
lus for active behavior. It can trigger you
and location targeting.

to take action – whether that’s researching
something, posting online or even purchas-
ing. Increasing capabilities in technologies
like augmented reality, radio-frequency
identification (memorably used in London
for Battersea Dogs Home’s #LookingForYou
campaign) and QR codes are set to fur-
ther drive on-the-spot activity. OOH will be
used as an interactive medium, not just a
broadcast one. McDonald’s and Waze have
already teamed up to test a geofenced
campaign that paired OOH ads with push
notifications, a strategy that’s also been
trialed in APAC through the ubiquitous
WeChat.
83
Head underground
with OOH advertising
It’s underground where OOH advertising The expansion of Wi-Fi and 4G underground
really shines. For example, 56% of those in is only set to improve these conversion rates
the U.S. and UK who travel by an underground by letting consumers research and buy prod-
or subway system said they could recall a bill- ucts on the spot. London, for example, will
board ad from the last week – markedly higher soon be following the likes of Paris, New
than the number of train (44%) and bus trav- York and Berlin, expanding access to the 4G
elers (47%) who said the same. Conversion network anywhere on the Underground by
rates are also higher underground too. Over mid-next year, including in tunnels. These
half of subway travelers said a billboard ad seamless connections mean that many pur-
encouraged them to buy something either chases previously left abandoned, or never
there and then, or later on. even started, can be completed.
Travelers have the time

to read, absorb and
act upon out-of-home
advertising.
84
Where does out-of-home advertising have the biggest impact?

% of travelers in the U.S/UK who say they did the following after seeing a billboard ad in the last week
Made a purchase Searched for something

and later made a purchase
Underground Train
17%
16%
35%
16%
Bus Car
13%
7%
20% 20%

BASE: 2,109 (U.S.) & 2,154 (UK) internet
users aged 16-64 who travel via underground
/train/car (passenger/driver)/bus
85
Buying on-the-go
is still not frictionless
We saw earlier that OOH ads prove to be The main issue stems from the fact that mobile
memorable among consumers, but when it commerce is still not completely seamless.
comes to actually purchasing on the move, Inserting address and credit card information
it seems that most of them still prefer to buy while standing on a train is not likely to appeal
from the comfort of their home – whether to many, especially if connection speeds are
that’s because of faster connection speeds, slow or intermittent. But in general, breaking
security reasons or just ease of experience. through logistical and technological barriers
Just 1 in 10 consumers in the UK and U.S. will drive the number of people buying while
have purchased something while traveling on the move.
in the last month. 25-44s are the most likely
to be doing so, but it’s still only 13% who say
they’ve made a purchase in the last month
when they’re on-the-go.
86
What do consumers do while traveling?
% of internet users in the U.S./UK who say they have done the following while traveling in the last month
Listen to music Message friends/family Listen to podcasts Read Search for

69% 41% 20% 17% products to buy
14%
Look around at Browse social media Play games Make a to-do list Purchased
my surroundings 33% 20% 15% products
54% online
10%

BASE: 2,109 (U.S.) & 2,154 (UK) internet users
aged 16-64
Deals on wheels: the future?

It won’t be
One crucial area where OOH is really driv- Over 40% of drivers believe that the chance
ing change in the path-to-purchase journey to buy via their cars would make their journey
long until you

is in “commuter commerce”. The commute more efficient. And it’s clear that they’d like to
is something that naturally lends itself to use this time to act upon their thoughts and
can ask your

carrying out personal admin, and in 2020, carry out routine and menial tasks. Just shy
shopping and engaging with brands will of 4 in 10 car drivers would like to be able to
car to order
become a bigger part of this time of day often buy groceries or household items from their
spent ticking items off a to-do list. car, and an even higher number (45%) would
.
your bread
like the chance to set reminders for them to
In parallel with the developments around buy items later on.
and milk
public transport and OOH will come some
big improvements in automotive tech. This is why the introduction of voice assistants
has the potential to seriously shake things
Here, drivers can’t pass the time by looking at up. Connected cars embedded with voice
a screen, so they’re particularly receptive to assistants are growing in number. Last year
what they see and hear in their surroundings. saw a number of car brands like BMW, Ford
Fewer distractions means more time to think and Audi all infuse Alexa into their car models’
too. When they’re driving home from work, operating system. Things really took off in
for example, their thoughts could turn to what September when General Motors, the big-
they might need for dinner that night. gest carmaker in the U.S., announced plans
to integrate Amazon’s Alexa into millions of
When we asked car drivers in the UK and U.S. its vehicles from 2020.
how they feel about the prospect of using
their cars to buy products ahead of time, half Amazon has even made its own car-focused
of them say that the idea excites them to some device: the Echo Auto. For Amazon, this is
degree. Convenience is the biggest driver the gateway to “capitalize on the commuter”.
here. The opportunity to save time (68%) and Alexa thrives in-home through the myriad
purchase things they need as and when they devices Amazon sells, but Amazon is yet to
remember (51%) are cited as the top advan- make itself integral in daily commutes where
tages. Meanwhile, just 12% say they don’t see consumers typically turn to their mobiles, and
any advantages to buying on the move. therefore Siri and Google Assistant.
88
Voice technology isn’t the only way that

commerce is going to enter the car, though.
Visa and SiriusXM are teaming up on an in-ve-
hicle electronic wallet, and Honda’s Dream
Drive (currently a prototype) is built around
the dashboard. In all these cases, the nas-
cent 5G network will help cars become places
where buying online is consistently possible,
without needing a smartphone.
The opportunities that lie in these integra-

tions are vast. For voice assistant providers
and automakers, the car offers an opportu-
nity for unique, localized services that they
can generate recurring revenue from. For
instance, automakers and voice assistant pro-
viders could offer local merchants ad time and
promote their services to drivers via Alexa or
Google Assistant when a car drives nearby.
89
What do consumers want to be able to do from their cars?

% of car drivers in the U.S./UK who say that they would like to be able
to do the following while driving
Retailers can Find nearby parking spaces 61%
engage with
consumers at
Change what I’m listening to (e.g. radio/podcast) with a voice command 57%
times when they Find nearby restaurants or shops 53%
were previously
passive . Pay for fuel in advance
Pay tolls automatically

52%
51%
Above all, this integration means reaching

and engaging with consumers at a time of
Order food/drink ahead of time 51%
the day when they were previously passive. It
encourages impulse buying too. It’s easy to
see how seeing something in the surrounding Set reminders for yourself to buy things later when you’re not driving 45%
environment, like an OOH ad, could trigger
a driver to remember they need something –
especially when the transaction can be done Ask for more information about something you heard on the radio 41%
so seamlessly.
The potential for location-based partnerships Make reservations (e.g. for a restaurant/cinema ticket) 39%
becomes apparent when we ask consumers
what they’d like to do from their cars. The top
scoring options are all location-based and Buy groceries or household items 38%
car-related things like finding nearby parking
spaces (61%) and restaurants/shops (53%),
Make a purchase based on something you heard on the radio 29%
or paying for fuel in advance (52%).
Buy travel tickets e.g. for a train or plane 24%
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex September 2019 BASE: 1,446 (U.S.) & 1,066 (UK) regular car drivers aged 16-64
90
Looking to the future

There’s no doubt that there are issues to over-
come. For one thing, car drivers report some
concerns about the increased likelihood of
accidents from distracted drivers.
But more generally, the opportunities that lie

in the integration with in-car voice systems,
and the advancements in OOH, need to be
on the radar of marketers as we enter the
new year.
Beyond what we’ve outlined here are start-

ups like Cargo, which lets Uber passengers
buy while traveling in one of their cars, and
Holoride, the Audi spinoff focused on in-car
VR experiences. Each development points to
one of the most profound potential changes
in consumer behavior for some time. Parts
of the day previously closed-off to marketers
and brands will be opened up. Wherever you
look in 2020, shopping and marketing will be
on the move.
91
08
Duncan Kavanagh
Two can play

at that game
08
Gaming will transform how we connect

93
Two can play at that game
If life imitates art, then we are in the middle of

a high-stakes, highly competitive battle royale.
Various tech companies are moving their

pieces into place to take on the gaming indus-
try, from Apple’s Arcade to Google’s Stadia,
from Microsoft’s Project xCloud to Facebook’s
VR world Horizon. But why are these compa-
nies so interested in being the frontrunner?
The gaming industry is set to be a different

beast in 2020, reinvigorating how we interact
with people online.
Games are no longer episodic consumptive

media, but are now the basis of new massive
online communities. They’re evolving into
“third spaces” – a place that’s not home or
work – where players can socialize on their
own terms. Epic Games’ acquisition of social
app Houseparty in June 2019 stole the head-
lines, and with its tech, Fortnite gamers can
84% of internet
now connect and hang out without actually
launching the game. users play games
This is a cultural shift that is often underesti-
on at least one
device.
mated. Not only will games change how we
entertain ourselves, but also how we relate to
one another, and how we form and maintain
relationships.
94
Time spent on consoles The gaming

boom
Average time spent per day (hh:mm) on game consoles
Console owners Global average

Time spent on games consoles has grown
in the past few years as games take on a
01:42 more social function. With new PlayStation
01:40
01:38
and Xbox devices on the horizon, 2020 will
01:34
prove pivotal to the industry as a whole. But
perhaps the biggest change will be a breaking
of barriers between devices, as cross-console
01:19 play comes to the fore.
Mobile gaming will receive a boost from

expanding 5G networks, allowing on-the-go
online gaming to move even closer to the
home console experience.
01:06
Put both of those trends together, and you
01:00 have the ingredients for a more seamless
00:56 online gaming experience. But it doesn’t end
00:53
there. With a seamless experience comes mul-
00:49
tiplayer worlds that are easier to dip in and
out of. With that in place, you have the foun-
dations for communities to thrive.
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex 2015 - 2019 (Averages of all waves conducted between Q1 2015 - Q2 2019)
BASE: 1,334,305 internet users aged 16-64 & 401,123 console owners aged 16-64
95
Putting the “social”

back in social media
Online multiplayer games are increasingly Online games tend not to have these dis-
resembling a new form of social network. They advantages. They can be played without
typically encourage interaction between play- giving too much of your personal life away
ers; some even go as far as demanding it. to other people, and foster a more authentic
Collaboration with other players may be a connection through shared interest and skill.
prerequisite for making progress in a game, While the dominant reason to play them is to
or a game may be based on competition relieve boredom (61%), the next most impor-
between players. tant reason is to have fun with people they
know (38%), coming ahead of skill progres-
At the same time, questions are being asked sion, competition and even game immersion.
about whether traditional social media plat-
forms are truly connecting people. In the UK
and U.S., the third most common frustration
with social media is the lack of actual human 1 in 4 online gamers in
connection, while bullying, discriminatory or
hateful behavior as a whole is also a common the UK and U.S. say gaming
grievance aired across all age groups. Games,
on the other hand, are valued for their authen- makes them feel closer to
.
ticity and openness. Female online gamers,
in particular, are much more likely to say they people online than they
play online because they feel like they can be
their real selves and can do so without need- do to people in real life
ing to worry about being judged.
96
Social frustrations and SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex September 2019
Gaming motivations BASE: 2,270 (U.S.) & 2,559 (UK) internet users aged 16-64 | 1,275 (U.S.)
& 1,135 (UK) gamers aged 16-64
% of internet users in the U.S./UK who say the following % of gamers in the U.S./UK who play games
are the biggest frustrations with social media for the following reasons
32% 61%
Bullying, discriminatory or hateful behavior To relieve boredom
30% 38%
The number of ads I see To have fun with people I know
30% 37%
The lack of actual human connection To progress my skills
27% 36%
I’m concerned over who can see my activities To enjoy the competitive nature of gaming
27% 34%
It portrays an unrealistic self-image To feel immersed in the game
24% 33%
I spend too much time on social media To challenge myself against others
23% 31%
The overload of information and content To overcome challenges and feel accomplishments
17% 26%
It’s always the same experience whenever I log in As it allows me to be myself
12% 22%
It doesn’t appeal to my interests To chat/keep up with friends
11% 21%
It gives me FOMO (fear of missing out) To share moments/experiences with other gamers
11% 20%
It doesn’t allow me to bond properly with my friends To build my in-game status/reputation
9% 19%
I can’t be myself on social media To collaborate and work with others
Ready
player two
Letting gamers escape from their everyday
life remains a huge part of gaming, and one
which gaming franchises are continually trying
to master.
Immersion and escapism form a huge part

of why people game, as well as the coopera-
tion and teamwork which resonates across all
demographic breaks, but particularly among
16-24s (43%). This plays into what gamers
think could be done to enhance the social
“
aspect of gaming too. When asked, the most
popular answer was to create more challenges
that involve 1-to-1 teamwork (31%).
The shared experience of playing with people We live in a world today where
(39%) also features prominently for why
gamers play online specifically, and 16-34s it’s hard for kids to go out and
are particularly keen for more in-game events.
This comes after Fortnite’s hugely popular have unstructured play with their
virtual concert with DJ Marshmello, which
11 million people attended live and a fur- friends. Most of the experiences
ther 43 million and counting have watched
on YouTube. on our platform aren’t just
about the object to win. It’s an
experience you have with other “
people: a shared experience.
Craig Donato, chief business officer, Roblox Corporation
98
For people, by the people

% of online gamers in the U.S./UK who say the following
would most improve the social aspect of gaming
Female Male
Create more challenges that

28% 32%
involve 1-to-1 teamwork
Make it easy to watch

what others are playing 25% 31%
In-game events (e.g.

community events, 28% 31%
live music concerts)
Show others’
accomplishments and
26% 29%
achievements within
certain games
Make it easier to find your

“tribe”/community 29% 31%
within gaming
23% 27%
Better video chat services
Make it easy to jump right 23% 27%

into someone else’s game
Make it easy to connect

26% 32%
to social media platforms
Make it easier to
see each other 22% 26%
Show peoples’ SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex September 2019

likes and dislikes 22% 23%
BASE: 796 (U.S.) & 599 (UK) online gamers aged 16-64
99
Keep your
enemies closer
Creating events and shared experiences is
key for establishing sub-communities within 3 in 10 online gamers in the
a particular game or genre.
UK and U.S. say that making it easier
Social interaction between members of mul-
tiplayer communities shares similarities to to find a “tribe” or community would
.
the interaction in face-to-face groups. Shared
values and goals are the basis on which a most improve the community
shared understanding and a sense of com-
munity are built. aspect of gaming
The traditional building blocks of identity,
such as appearance or age, are often insig-
nificant in multiplayer gaming communities.
When the members never meet face-to-face, Only 1 in 10 online
they form perceptions of each other based
on how active or reliable they think others gamers in the UK
are, for example.
and U.S. don’t feel
.
Among online gamers in the UK and U.S.,
43% say they feel they are part of a distinc- part of the gaming
tive group when gaming because of shared
interests, a figure that is especially prom- community
inent among 25-44s and one that rises to
53% among those who have also watched a
livestream recently.
100
But the gaming community is bigger than just Find your tribe*
its players; it now includes streamer-viewer % of online gamers in the U.S./UK who say the following when asked
relationships as well. In an interview on whether they feel part of a distinctive group or community when gaming
Twitch’s expansion plans, Chief Revenue
Officer Walker Jacobs revealed plans for more
Yes, because we share
investment in non-gaming content, the fastest 43%
similar interests
growing segment on the platform.
As streamers transition from solely game- Yes, we all tend to share a

37%
play broadcasters into more rounded online love of a gaming genre
personalities, it is likely to deepen the bonds
they have with their viewers. However, more
content from livestreamers’ real lives is rela- Yes, we all tend to be
35%
tively low in the priorities of those who watch skillful at gaming
streams. Competitions and giveaways (43%),
tutorials and tips (39%), and variation in
gaming genres (39%) were the most popular Yes, we all tend to share
34%
features they wanted to see, but this demand a love of a single game
could change as more IRL (“in real life”) con-
tent becomes available.
Yes, because we have
33%
the same humor
*Please not that respondents were able to select
multiple options when answering this question
No, I don’t feel a part of
10%
the gaming community
No, I just think I’m part of

8%
a wider gaming community

No, I’m in a lot of different BASE: 796 (U.S.) and 599 (UK) online gamers
5%
gaming groups
aged 16-64
101
Brands have
joined the game
So what’s at stake for brands here?
Quite simply, social gaming is a massive mon- When asked what they would choose if they
ey-maker, as Fortnite has proved. The Wall had to pick one type of ad, those involving The number of
Street Journal has reported that Fortnite some form of compromise were particularly
boasts an annual revenue per user of $96; popular. Ads you watch in return for pow- ads is the second
more than Google ($27), Facebook ($19), er-ups, extra-lives or rewards (20%), in return
Twitter ($8) and Snapchat ($3), combined. for surprise packages or loot boxes (13%), and most common
.
in return for exclusive content or items (11%)
Whether it’s Louis Vuitton partnering with are the most common choices. frustration with
Riot Games for the 2019 League of Legends
World Championship, Adidas signing stream- While gamers are generally skeptical of ads, social media
ing celebrity Ninja or H&M targeting the they do make purchases; the most popular
gaming audience, brands are clamoring to in-game add-ons are in-game currencies
get involved in the gaming industry somehow. (33%), pay-to-unlock content (28%) and
gameplay-affecting upgrades (27%). While
With a more social breed of gaming comes a males are typically more likely to cite any of
more immersive world, and one that presents the in-game purchases we surveyed com-
a possible new frontier for advertising. But pared to females – particularly loot boxes
caution is needed. We see fatigue with the – females are almost as likely to buy a cos-
extent of advertising on social media, and 6 in metic upgrade, like a new weapon skin or
10 gamers in the UK and U.S. think seeing ads premium costume.
detracts from their gaming experience. One
thing to note is that 16-24s are most receptive Compared to other online gamers, those who
to ads, which suggests that younger gamers have purchased a cosmetic upgrade are more
view these spaces differently and are more likely to play games because they don’t want
open to commercial partnerships. to miss out, to form connections and rela-
tionships and to collaborate with others. This
is a group who are aware of, and enjoy, the
fact that they are perceived by others in what
they buy.
102
The next level

Whoever emerges triumphant in the gaming
battle royale, social networks are going to
change. As gaming worlds expand and
become more complex, there could be a
further transformation from the associated
ecosystem of gaming activities we see now.
Soon, we might start to see gaming worlds

that function like a real world, where jobs,
commerce, education and meaningful rela-
tionships can all be found virtually. In any
case, gaming will continue to move toward
a “third space”, persistent across devices and
consoles, which combines the very best parts
of entertainment and social media into one
online community.
We’re already seeing signs of the young-

est gamers viewing gaming spaces in a
profoundly different way to their older
counterparts, and are happier to let brands
join them in the arena. But in joining the
fray, brands’ best bet will be to bolster the
social ties that underpin these evolving
communities.
103
Appendix
Key: Page number Related question in survey
3 To what extent do you either agree Mobile or Tablet? • Do you currently 47 Which of the following features/expe-
or strongly agree with the statements have any of the following? riences would you most like to see
below? available in clothes/apparel shops?
26 In your opinion, which of the types of
7 Which of these things are important organizations listed below offer the 55 To what extent do you agree/disagree
reasons for you using the internet? best protection of peoples’ personal with the statements below on your
data? outlook of the world?/I feel positive
9 Which of the following health tech- about the global economy
nologies/features do you think could 29 Which of the following types of
help you manage your health more data would you consider to be most 57 Thinking about your company’s work-
effectively? revealing/exposing of your day-to-day force and revenue, are you expecting
activities? them to grow, stay the same or
12 What do you think are the potential decline in the next year?
benefits of AI (Artificial Intelligence) 33 To what extent do you either agree
and machine learning applications or strongly agree with the statements 62 In the last month, which of these
.
in healthcare? What do you think below? app types have you used?
are the potential challenges of AI
(Artificial Intelligence) and machine 34 To what extent do you either agree 65 How do you tend to approach plan-
learning applications in healthcare? or strongly agree with the statements ning activities for your vacation?
below? . When it comes to having activities
15 On a scale of 1-5, how do you feel on your vacation pre-planned by a
about sharing your health data with... 38 Have you recently done any of the travel provider (e.g. booking website
Your doctor or healthcare provider, following things in order to take a /travel agent), which of the follow-
A tech company (e.g. Google), An AI “break” from technology? ing do you tend to do? • How many
research firm? resources do you tend to use when
45 Which of the below best describes finding out more information about
20 Which of these have you done on why you shop for clothes/apparel your vacations? • Which point on the
21 your mobile in the last month? in-store? following scale best describes your
approach to booking different parts
23 Which of the following sites/appli- 46 To what extent do you either agree of your vacation? • For you person-
cations have you visited or used in or strongly agree with the statements ally, which point on the scale best
the past month via your PC/Laptop, below? describes the number of services you
104
tend to book your vacations on? • 87 Which of the following have you
How much do you tend to use local done in the last month while traveling
brands/operators for your activities? somewhere? Including when
stationary in traffic.
67 Thinking specifically of airlines, which
of these add-on travel services would 90 If you had the chance to, which of
you consider booking in addition to a these would you like to be able to do
.
flight? Which of the following, if any, from a car while driving?
would you consider booking from an
online travel agent/travel publisher? 95 On an average day, how long do you
spend on games consoles?
74 Which of the following do you
remember feeling nostalgic about at 97 What are your biggest frustra-
some point in the past year? tions with using social media (e.g.
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.)?
75 Which best describes why you felt • Which of the below best describes
nostalgic in the last year? why you play games?
75 Thinking about the past, which dec- 99 What do you think would most
ade’s entertainment (e.g. music, films, improve the community/social
TV shows) makes you feel the most aspect of gaming?
nostalgic?
101 Do you feel you are part of a
78 If you were able to access all this infor- distinctive group of people or
mation at once, which of the following not when gaming?
describes why you’d do this?
85 In the last week, has seeing an out-of-

home ad (e.g. billboard ad) triggered
you to either make a purchase or
search for something related on your
mobile?
105
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Technology is a double-edged sword. And it’s

SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex 2013-2019

For more information on the question

How digital technologies and AI are changing healthcare

We’ve also found three-quarters of consumers

SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex Q2 2019

As with everything, digital health services

Being able to communicate with doctors dig-

Ability to detect hidden Privacy and

Ability to automate Doctors might become

Reduces the rate Concerns with

Ability to perform with Might reduce personal

Ability to predict future The cost of building and

Did someone call for an AI doctor?

Tech giants are

45% I feel very

Tech companies 26 I’m not sure

Examining where data privacy meets digital currencies

The phrase “online privacy” most likely con-

We have our individual online identities,

two tech hubs

They’re already beginning to dominate

The move to cashless societies

Below global Same as global Above global

Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Brazil

34 th 29th 4 th 20 th 31st 28 th 36 th 17th 15 th 21st 39th 29th 26 th 10 th 8 th

Canada China Colombia Denmark Egypt

29th 32 nd 35 th 5 th 3 rd 20 th 30 th 36 th 9th 1st 6 th 30 th 44 th 43 rd 41st

France Germany Ghana Hong Kong India

41st 44 th 42 nd 42 nd 22 nd 36 th 27th 45 th 11th 18 th 1st 31st 13 th 5 th 16 th

Indonesia Ireland Italy Japan Kenya

14 th 11th 5 th 22 nd 24 th 37th 37th 33 rd 38 th 45 th 34 th 32 nd 7th 30 th 21st

SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex Q2 2019 BASE: 139,658 internet users aged 16-64

Malaysia Mexico Morocco Netherlands New Zealand

9th 23 rd 12th 28 th 16 th 17th 43 rd 37th 43 rd 16 th 41st 22 nd 11th 28 th 44 th

Nigeria Philippines Poland Portugal Romania

17th 42 nd 2 nd 15 th 14 th 1st 24 th 9th 18 th 25 th 26 th 13 th 38 th 40 th 10 th

Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore South Africa South Korea

6 th 13 th 45 th 31st 12th 39th 10 th 7th 19th 8 th 38 th 6 th 4 th 8 th 23 rd

Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand

40 th 19th 24 th 2 nd 35 th 11th 39th 18 th 26 th 32 nd 4 th 40 th 3 rd 2 nd 3 rd

Turkey UAE UK U.S.A. Vietnam

12th 25 th 14 th 33 th 21st 27th 23 rd 20 th 33 rd 35 th 27th 34 th 19th 15 th 7th

Even for those who remain skeptical of the £ibra

Have a bank account Have a Facebook account Point difference

Egypt 52% –41 93%

Philippines 71% –26 97%

Argentina 74% –18 92%

Mexico 80% –15 95%

Colombia 78% –14 92%

Vietnam 87% –9 96%

UAE 75% 81%

Romania 87% 93%

Thailand 93% 95%

Brazil 89% 91%

Italy 82% 84% SOURCE: GlobalWebIndex Q2 2019