To believe that 2020 was a challenging year is to underestimate the learning and transformation that made visible the changes in consumers that are already transforming the future of marketing.

A catalyst principle was our experience at home which redefined the way we work, shop and live together, which completely changed the way we consume products, services and content. Just as users adapted to these changes, companies are obliged to do so.

This is the most obvious trend, so generating more useful and relevant shopping experiences will be crucial to evolve with this new behavior.

With travel restrictions and the mandatory need to stay home, consumers began to become aware of the value of their community¹. At Google, this trend was reflected in an increase in searches containing the phrase “close to me,” which reached all-time highs in much of the world over the past year. ²Between July and August last year, searches for “supporting local businesses” increased globally by more than 20,000% year-on-year. ³It is impossible that we are not motivated to know that in 2020, the world looked for “how to help” more than ever, or that the search interest related to “racial justice” peaked globally.

Isolation forced us to meet again, to carry out an internal evaluation, we stopped living on automatic pilot and to open our eyes. We understood the basics of happiness, family, and health. Today, mindless shopping is neither practical nor does it personally satisfy our needs, much less contribute to personal growth or our happiness.

Working at home made us see the reality of our colleagues, the human and vulnerable of their habitat, now during conferences we hear children cry, dogs, cats and people passing behind the camera. This hybrid work format will continue, companies recognize the value of their employees and also offer the opportunity to share work life with their individual reality, we will not be able to turn back time.