2020 erupted into chaos. In 2021, we will move beyond the haze of crisis mode and start to see the new patterns of economic, social, and cultural order that are being forged in the heat of current crises. Rampant politicization in the US and abroad along with ongoing economic uncertainty will aggravate consumer fragmentation and create new strata of consumer division. Assuming that 2021 brings recurring waves of COVID-19 of varying intensity and an initial vaccine or treatment, we predict that consumers will:
The strain of pendulating between fear and desire, fulfilling household and work obligations at once, offsetting feelings of isolation, and navigating political and social unrest will drive consumers to seek out coping mechanisms in new forms of consumption that promise a rush of comfort, control and happiness. Get more detail about how consumers will respond to escalating tensions and discover other consumer predictions by reading our report.
The original article by Anjali Lai, senior analyst at Forrester, is here.
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