Demographics

The coronavirus outbreak has created unprecedented challenges for deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the US. Not only have social-distancing protocols and stay-at-home orders proved isolating, mask mandates have made speech-reading difficult and stymied communication in American Sign Language (ASL), a visual language that relies on hand signing and facial expressions to convey tone, meaning, and nuance. As a result, many of the country’s 48 million adults with hearing difficulties cannot access potentially life-saving information.

Business Insider Intelligence research analyst Daniel Keyes, eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman, and senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Cindy Liu discuss the biggest takeaways from how Thanksgiving holiday shopping went this year. They then talk about the best ways brands can reach female holiday shoppers during the pandemic and how Walmart and Target performed in Q3.

Though US law requires most public and private companies to make their websites and digital experiences accessible to people with disabilities, many are still missing the mark. But as the pandemic forces more people to work, study, shop, and conduct business online, it is empowering the disability community. Brands are turning to new technology and inclusive design to boost accessibility and extend their outreach.

A majority share of consumers are now taking to marketplaces first when shopping online. According an August 2020 survey from ecommerce ad agency ChannelAdvisor conducted by Dynata, 53% of US adults said they began product searches at Amazon when planning to make a digital purchase.

Having a strong understanding of an email program’s return on investment (ROI) remains a competitive advantage. It might be surprising that given how great an ROI email can provide, many brands don’t actually have a good handle on how to measure its success or lack thereof.

People with disabilities make up a large, but diverse and underserved, segment of the US population. According to recent statistics from the CDC, 67 million adults in the US—or 26% of the population—report living with at least one type of disability.

Today’s sociopolitical events have lit a fire under brands to address social injustice and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in deeper ways than they have in the past. Companies are using marketing and advertising to respond to and support discussions about systemic racism and the Black Lives Matter protests, the fight for LGBTQ rights, the #MeToo movement, the COVID-19 pandemic, and issues of immigration reform, to name a few.

For knowledge workers, the coronavirus pandemic brought an abrupt change to daily work life. As many companies shut down their corporate offices—some out of regard for employee safety and others due to government mandates—the norm of conducting business from an office ceased. Without an in-person option, teams were forced into a distributed work model and given little to no time to prepare.

The pandemic has been able to make common what would previously have stood out as extreme amounts of screen time.

The screen-time wars are over in many households, with parents having surrendered en masse. In a period when large numbers of parents and school kids are stuck at home with one another, this is one battle many parents choose to forego, at least for now.

eMarketer principal analysts Mark Dolliver and Nicole Perrin, junior forecasting analyst Nazmul Islam and senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Oscar Orozco discuss what the coronavirus pandemic has and hasn't done to print media. They then talk about racial diversity in ads, millennials in decision-making roles, and American teens' favorite social media platforms.

As companies like Twitter and Microsoft announce long-term remote work policies, business leaders are grappling with what their return-to-office plan may look like.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver, junior analyst Blake Droesch and vice president of content studio at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna discuss how negative emotions are received in ads, whether we're witnessing the beginning of the end of the Upfronts, if paying with your hands is a good idea, the significance of LinkedIn Stories, if parents are actually influencers, what the Boston Celtics and Twitter have in common, and more.

The pandemic has caused reduced advertiser spending overall, leading to lower growth of in-app ad spending despite significantly higher numbers of ad placements. While in-app purchases (IAPs) never stopped growing amid the pandemic, publisher revenues have recently been shifting from in-app advertising to purchases.

Many US adults said they plan to keep their music subscriptions (72%), exercise/fitness/wellness subscriptions (64%), and digital learning subscriptions (54%) post-pandemic.

With wide disparities in consumers’ balance sheets, there’s less variation than one might expect in the incidence of financial anxiety, which has percolated up the income scale.

eMarketer principal analysts Debra Aho Williamson and Mark Dolliver, and forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Eric Haggstrom discuss Facebook's recent decision on political ads and how brands can reach social users over the coming months. They then talk about Facebook's plans to limit ads on pages, how this year's events have changed Gen Z's relationship with brands, and why Americans still pay for live TV.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver, junior analyst Blake Droesch and vice president of content studio at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna discuss how to recreate those water cooler moments in the digital world, how much Super Bowl LV commercials are going for, watching Instagram Stories on Facebook, parents' more positive view of devices, the number of Facebook Watch viewers, the difference between frugal and cheap, what you didn't notice about that double rainbow, and more.

TikTok’s future may be uncertain in the US, but its UK operations continue to grow robustly despite security concerns. According to our latest UK social network forecast, the Chinese-owned video platform will have several milestone moments this year and next.