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5 Global Shifts Shaping the Future Now
How do you plan for a world where everything feels like it’s shifting? Focus on what’s sticking. Explore five trends you can build strategies around.
CONTENTS
The most interesting trends are often collisions. For many people, online shopping and grocery shopping did not mix—until recently. Video calling has been rising and was used to connect with loved ones—not health care providers. Many may have seen their use of messaging apps increase—but not necessarily with businesses. Now, with the pandemic impacting people and businesses around the world, these behaviors are increasingly common. And as the ways we live, work, shop and connect continue to evolve, colliding trends like these are unleashing momentum with staying power.
To support marketers in bridging the uncertainties of today with the possibilities of tomorrow, we’ve analyzed Facebook data, commissioned surveys and third-party research. We looked at the acceleration of existing trends alongside the emergence of new ones. And we’ve identified five global macro-shifts shaping the future, now.
Find out what they mean for your marketing.
Safer shopping
Price and convenience have long mattered to shoppers. But now, there's a plot twist. An unexpected consideration is influencing what and how people buy: safety. In the US alone, 71% of people now say safety is key when deciding where to shop (fast approaching price, at 79%). 1 This sentiment seems to hold globally, with only half of shoppers saying they're eager to return to physical stores. 2 We even saw a six times increase in conversations related to contactless shopping and living 
in recent months. 3
People won't stop buying, but they will be practicing safer shopping. They're trying new tactics like BOPIS and doubling down on existing ones, like shopping online. Crucially, many of these changes are likely to last. For example, 40% of people surveyed globally plan to keep shopping online more—even beyond the pandemic. 2
How do you stay close while giving customers space? Now more than ever, it's essential to give shoppers options along the safer shopping spectrum. Streamline your mobile shopping experience. Consider contactless delivery. Offer curbside pickups, BOPIS or both. And reassure consumers that you're building a safer shopping experience through your actions and words.
Mindful wellness
People have had to adjust to new ways of living, including how they work, learn and parent. To find moments of calm during this stressful period, many are creating the time and space to engage in mindful activities—like gardening, baking and meditation. In addition to providing a much-needed distraction, these activities are teaching people that some things—like home-grown produce and freshly baked bread—are worth the wait.
We've seen this shift to embracing mindfulness and wellness in the downloading of meditation apps, the livestreaming of yoga classes and even the rise of #quarantinebaking. Conversations around sourdough, which is famously time-consuming to bake, have been on the rise. 4 Discussions relating to the easy-to-learn and potentially meditative activity of acrylic painting doubled year over year, and interest in victory gardens blossomed by a remarkable 39.5 times.
How can you stay connected to people by meeting them where they are? As people embrace new activities in new places (like home), consider how your brand can also experiment with new channels and formats--from lessons via live video to shoppable stories--to support their physical, emotional and mental wellness.
Glocal community
For many, living in lockdown unlocked a new sense of dual identity.
As people’s favorite local spots closed—without any certainty around which ones would eventually reopen—many developed a deeper appreciation for the people and businesses that make a neighborhood a community. And in times of physical distancing, people are expressing this sense of local connection online. On Facebook, from February to May 2020, clicks on searches for local businesses increased by 23%. 5 And local groups on Facebook grew their membership by 3.3 times. 6
At the same time, as the pandemic has revealed its truly borderless nature, people have reawakened to the idea that they are global citizens who are #InItTogether. While this sentiment is not new—it’s been growing over the past few years—the impact of COVID-19 across borders has brought it the forefront. Today, people around the world report being 1.26 times more concerned about the pandemic globally than in their own country. 2 And people are also transforming that concern into action. We can see this in the way people from around the world shared messages of support, like #AndraTuttoBene with Italians in the early days of the pandemic. And since January 2020, people globally have donated over $100 million to COVID-19-related fundraisers across Facebook and Instagram. 7
How can you connect with people glocally? The dual pull of global and local has been growing in recent years, leading many consumers to adopt a "glocal" outlook. Local businesses have fresh opportunities to get creative, from exploring new channels (like groups or messaging) to new ways of selling (like food delivery or gift cards on Instagram). And global brands will want to show how they're helping support local communities—and will also want to adopt a hyperlocal approach to communication, based on where a community is in their reemergence from the pandemic.
Gen Z’s regeneration
In 2020, 41% of the world is under 25. 8 This cohort is not only too big to ignore— they’re literally the future. Interestingly, Gen Z is emerging as the generation most transformed by the pandemic in many ways. What’s more, many are reenergized around the causes that matter to them.
Compared to the global average, Gen Zers are more likely to see themselves keeping up a range of activities that surged during the pandemic —from using online learning platforms to spending more time on pastimes.
Gen Z has always had strong values, and the pandemic has strengthened many of these. Gen Zers globally are 1.21 times more likely than average to say reducing their environmental impact has become a lot more important as a result of the coronavirus. 2 And 54% of Gen Zers in Europe say they’ve grown more interested in activism and social causes because of the pandemic. 9
How can you connect with Gen Zers authentically? Engage with Gen Z through their values—from their dedication to the planet to their pursuit of learning. Brands that champion a cause and collaborate with Gen Zers tend to resonate more powerfully. And don't forget to watch and learn: Gen Zers' habits often herald the emerging trends that will shape the future of marketing.
Connected convenience
Feeling together—even when physically apart—has never been more important. The past few months have transformed how people connect with each other. We’ve seen parents find support in online groups, people reimagine Ramadan digitally and office workers around the world embrace online meetings.
The ways people find connection with businesses has also been transformed—from messaging brands to receiving care via telemedicine. In the US, 79% of people who recently tried telemedicine said they were doing so for the first time. 1 And half of people globally say being able to message with a business makes them feel more connected to it. 10 In fact, 40% of holiday shoppers globally say they are more likely to consider purchasing from a business they can message. 11
How can you offer "contactless" while still maintaining a human connection? People still yearn to be connected to the brands they love, but it's happening on new channels and platforms now. Just as people have redefined how they share big moments, little moments and everything in between, brands can do the same by embracing new ways of connecting. Whether that means chatting with customers via a messaging app or keeping close via live video, be sure to meet people where they are—wherever that may be.
