在持續不斷的疫情中,閉門不出的美國人無法出游或參加日常社交活動,他們找到了不同的方法來擴大支出、發泄精力。
全國有數以百萬計的人孤單地想給無聊的孩子們找個玩伴,領養的寵物創下了歷史紀錄。另外一些人覺得,他們不妨趁機搞搞家裝,或者在地下室建個新的家庭辦公室。還有一些人因為影院關門而加大影音投資,把流媒體搬進了家,或者建起了專屬家庭健身房。很多購物者發現,他們愛上了網上下單再去商店取貨而不需要進店,也愛上了付款時只用手機而無需觸摸其他東西。
AlixPartners的一位董事總經理索尼婭·拉平斯基向《財富》雜志表示:“消費者的購物方式已經永久改變,不會再回頭。”像路邊取貨和非接觸支付等服務現在已經成為了“入場籌碼”。
雖然許多消費者行為可能會回歸疫情前,但其中一些變化將持續下去。在大多數美國人接種疫苗、疫情緩解之后,《財富》雜志認為以下消費趨勢仍將持續。
寵物熱
美國人瘋狂地愛上了狗(貓也一樣,不過程度低一點),領養數量激增,因此推動了寵物行業的發展。計劃很快重返股市的Petco表示,上季度銷售額增長了16%,而Chewy的業務增長了近50%。隨著大批新“寵物父母”的出現,只會加速疫情前寵物擬人化的趨勢,因此,以寵物為導向的消費將繼續增長。
錢都花在了家里
今年11月,消費者保持了疫情爆發以來的消費習慣:減少在時尚服裝上的支出,增加在家居項目上的支出。有分析人士預計,房屋價值將保持穩定,未來即使能夠安全出門了,也會有更多美國人至少有部分時間在家工作,因此,家裝項目將繼續快速發展,勞氏(Lowe’s)和家得寶(Home Depotas)這兩家零售業大贏家的地位將進一步得到穩固。
手工制品
Etsy在疫情期間蓬勃發展,部分原因是銷售了大量口罩(僅第一季度就賣了1.3億美元);該公司的收入在今年前9個月翻了一番。這家銷售手工制品的電商網站大力提升了賣家交付訂單的可靠性,吸引了許多新商家,包括很多在殘酷的經濟衰退期需要補貼家用的人。在這一過程中,它有效利用了人們文化觀念的重大轉變,即許多消費者都更青睞不同于大型超市的定制產品。
路邊提貨
這個詞聽起來似乎是給購物者提供的無聊服務,但在決定今年零售業輸贏的過程中,路邊提貨是其中的關鍵因素。Petco和Ulta Beauty等連鎖店在疫情爆發前沒有這種服務,但在春季封鎖零售業受限的情況下,它們迅速上線提貨服務,很快就看到了好處。現在,購物者已經習慣了在線下單的便利,他們在提貨時甚至不需要下車——而且這種方式的速度甚至讓亞馬遜(Amazon)都難以匹敵——預計顧客會把路邊提貨作為他們日常購物的常規組成部分。
休閑舒適成為流行,考究已經成為過去時
居家辦公把運動褲變成了工作裝,加深了美國人衣櫥所謂的“休閑化”。由于白領們無需關心職業著裝——至少無需關心下半身的職業裝,而且需要人們盛裝出席的活動越來越少,2021年的服裝銷量大幅跳水。但也有例外:專營運動裝或休閑裝的零售商。要了解不同企業的利潤差異,只需將Banana Republic、梅西百貨(Macy’s)或諾德斯特龍(Nordstrom)等苦苦掙扎的時裝零售商的業績與Lululemon、Athleta或Old Navy的業績進行比較。預計休閑裝的流行趨勢將持續到2021年,因為美國人的辦公室里不太可能在短期內再次人頭攢動。
小商家的電子商務
今年3月,當科爾士(Kohl’s)和Old Navy等非必要零售商被要求無限期關閉門店時,它們至少可以求助于大型成熟電商企業。但對于不計其數的本地小商店來說,這是不現實的。因此,大量此類公司轉向Shopify路線,快速建立數字業務。Shopify是一家提供運營電商網站所需技術的公司。該公司說,使用其技術的網站在黑色星期五(Black Friday)和網絡星期一(Cyber Monday)期間的銷售額增長了76%,其中很大一部分增長來自于新加入線上銷售的公司。
誰還需要健身房?
隨著全國各地的健身房停業數周,經濟條件更好的人轉而通過其他方式來保持體型,Peloton的銷售額因此直線上升。(這家健身自行車制造商上季度的銷售額增長了兩倍多。)但也有許多美國人被更便宜的健身方式吸引,由此引發了新的騎自行車和跑步熱潮。現在,在寒冬天氣里,這轉化成了滑雪裝備的熱銷。
Zoom一下
盡管我們經常談論“Zoom疲勞”,但視頻會議已經成為人們保持職場和社交聯系的重要方式。盡管隨著更注重安全的企業越來越傾向于使用微軟團隊(Microsoft Teams)和Google Meet等服務,Zoom能否繼續保持其壓倒性的人氣還有待觀察;但是,隨著視頻會議技術的巨大進步,而且居家工作可能仍然是大多人的選擇,這種遠程連接方式在短期內不會消失。
在家舒舒服服看電影
Netflix、HBO Max和類似的服務在疫情期間已經成為數千萬美國人的生命線,讓他們能夠在自己選擇的時間里隨心煲劇。除非人們懷念那些在電影院看電影時大聲說話或吃東西的觀眾,否則很難看到大批觀眾回到電影院——可能除非是看需要大屏幕的大片。至少有一些好萊塢電影公司似乎在暗示他們認同這一觀點:華納兄弟(Warner Bros)在本月表示,2021年該公司出品的所有電影將在影院和HBO Max同時上映。
非接觸式支付
甚至在疫情之前,已經有越來越多的企業不再使用現金,盡管一些地方政府監管機構擔心這種做法會剝奪美國海量“無銀行賬戶”人口的權利。但隨著疫情爆發,無需接觸任何東西就可以進行交易——只需要“點擊付費”——成為許多商店和餐館的一個賣點。到2020年年中,與2019年春季相比,美國非接觸式支付的使用增加了近兩倍。這種方式的便利性和易用性將使其成為美國消費者付款的固定選項。(財富中文網)
譯者:Agatha
在持續不斷的疫情中,閉門不出的美國人無法出游或參加日常社交活動,他們找到了不同的方法來擴大支出、發泄精力。
全國有數以百萬計的人孤單地想給無聊的孩子們找個玩伴,領養的寵物創下了歷史紀錄。另外一些人覺得,他們不妨趁機搞搞家裝,或者在地下室建個新的家庭辦公室。還有一些人因為影院關門而加大影音投資,把流媒體搬進了家,或者建起了專屬家庭健身房。很多購物者發現,他們愛上了網上下單再去商店取貨而不需要進店,也愛上了付款時只用手機而無需觸摸其他東西。
AlixPartners的一位董事總經理索尼婭·拉平斯基向《財富》雜志表示:“消費者的購物方式已經永久改變,不會再回頭。”像路邊取貨和非接觸支付等服務現在已經成為了“入場籌碼”。
雖然許多消費者行為可能會回歸疫情前,但其中一些變化將持續下去。在大多數美國人接種疫苗、疫情緩解之后,《財富》雜志認為以下消費趨勢仍將持續。
寵物熱
美國人瘋狂地愛上了狗(貓也一樣,不過程度低一點),領養數量激增,因此推動了寵物行業的發展。計劃很快重返股市的Petco表示,上季度銷售額增長了16%,而Chewy的業務增長了近50%。隨著大批新“寵物父母”的出現,只會加速疫情前寵物擬人化的趨勢,因此,以寵物為導向的消費將繼續增長。
錢都花在了家里
今年11月,消費者保持了疫情爆發以來的消費習慣:減少在時尚服裝上的支出,增加在家居項目上的支出。有分析人士預計,房屋價值將保持穩定,未來即使能夠安全出門了,也會有更多美國人至少有部分時間在家工作,因此,家裝項目將繼續快速發展,勞氏(Lowe’s)和家得寶(Home Depotas)這兩家零售業大贏家的地位將進一步得到穩固。
手工制品
Etsy在疫情期間蓬勃發展,部分原因是銷售了大量口罩(僅第一季度就賣了1.3億美元);該公司的收入在今年前9個月翻了一番。這家銷售手工制品的電商網站大力提升了賣家交付訂單的可靠性,吸引了許多新商家,包括很多在殘酷的經濟衰退期需要補貼家用的人。在這一過程中,它有效利用了人們文化觀念的重大轉變,即許多消費者都更青睞不同于大型超市的定制產品。
路邊提貨
這個詞聽起來似乎是給購物者提供的無聊服務,但在決定今年零售業輸贏的過程中,路邊提貨是其中的關鍵因素。Petco和Ulta Beauty等連鎖店在疫情爆發前沒有這種服務,但在春季封鎖零售業受限的情況下,它們迅速上線提貨服務,很快就看到了好處。現在,購物者已經習慣了在線下單的便利,他們在提貨時甚至不需要下車——而且這種方式的速度甚至讓亞馬遜(Amazon)都難以匹敵——預計顧客會把路邊提貨作為他們日常購物的常規組成部分。
休閑舒適成為流行,考究已經成為過去時
居家辦公把運動褲變成了工作裝,加深了美國人衣櫥所謂的“休閑化”。由于白領們無需關心職業著裝——至少無需關心下半身的職業裝,而且需要人們盛裝出席的活動越來越少,2021年的服裝銷量大幅跳水。但也有例外:專營運動裝或休閑裝的零售商。要了解不同企業的利潤差異,只需將Banana Republic、梅西百貨(Macy’s)或諾德斯特龍(Nordstrom)等苦苦掙扎的時裝零售商的業績與Lululemon、Athleta或Old Navy的業績進行比較。預計休閑裝的流行趨勢將持續到2021年,因為美國人的辦公室里不太可能在短期內再次人頭攢動。
小商家的電子商務
今年3月,當科爾士(Kohl’s)和Old Navy等非必要零售商被要求無限期關閉門店時,它們至少可以求助于大型成熟電商企業。但對于不計其數的本地小商店來說,這是不現實的。因此,大量此類公司轉向Shopify路線,快速建立數字業務。Shopify是一家提供運營電商網站所需技術的公司。該公司說,使用其技術的網站在黑色星期五(Black Friday)和網絡星期一(Cyber Monday)期間的銷售額增長了76%,其中很大一部分增長來自于新加入線上銷售的公司。
誰還需要健身房?
隨著全國各地的健身房停業數周,經濟條件更好的人轉而通過其他方式來保持體型,Peloton的銷售額因此直線上升。(這家健身自行車制造商上季度的銷售額增長了兩倍多。)但也有許多美國人被更便宜的健身方式吸引,由此引發了新的騎自行車和跑步熱潮。現在,在寒冬天氣里,這轉化成了滑雪裝備的熱銷。
Zoom一下
盡管我們經常談論“Zoom疲勞”,但視頻會議已經成為人們保持職場和社交聯系的重要方式。盡管隨著更注重安全的企業越來越傾向于使用微軟團隊(Microsoft Teams)和Google Meet等服務,Zoom能否繼續保持其壓倒性的人氣還有待觀察;但是,隨著視頻會議技術的巨大進步,而且居家工作可能仍然是大多人的選擇,這種遠程連接方式在短期內不會消失。
在家舒舒服服看電影
Netflix、HBO Max和類似的服務在疫情期間已經成為數千萬美國人的生命線,讓他們能夠在自己選擇的時間里隨心煲劇。除非人們懷念那些在電影院看電影時大聲說話或吃東西的觀眾,否則很難看到大批觀眾回到電影院——可能除非是看需要大屏幕的大片。至少有一些好萊塢電影公司似乎在暗示他們認同這一觀點:華納兄弟(Warner Bros)在本月表示,2021年該公司出品的所有電影將在影院和HBO Max同時上映。
非接觸式支付
甚至在疫情之前,已經有越來越多的企業不再使用現金,盡管一些地方政府監管機構擔心這種做法會剝奪美國海量“無銀行賬戶”人口的權利。但隨著疫情爆發,無需接觸任何東西就可以進行交易——只需要“點擊付費”——成為許多商店和餐館的一個賣點。到2020年年中,與2019年春季相比,美國非接觸式支付的使用增加了近兩倍。這種方式的便利性和易用性將使其成為美國消費者付款的固定選項。(財富中文網)
譯者:Agatha
As Americans have hunkered down amid the continuing pandemic, the unable to engage in travel or their usual social activities, they've sought different outlets for their energies, and by extension, their spending.
Millions people across the country, lonely looking to occupy bored kids, adopted pets in record numbers. Others figured they might as well fix their roof or set up a new home office in their basement. Another cadre of people doubled down on streaming entertainment into their home while theaters were closed, or set up their own home gyms. Legions of shoppers discovered they are happy to go to a store to pick up an online order without having to go inside, or pay without having to touch anything other than their own phone.
"The way consumers want to shop has permanently shifted, and it's not going back," Sonia Lapinsky, a managing director at AlixPartners, tells Fortune. Services like curbside pickup and contactless payment are now "table stakes."
While a lot of consumer behavior could revert to what it was pre-COVID, some of these shifts are here to stay. Here are some of the consumer trends Fortune thinks will endure after most Americans are vaccinated and the pandemic has eased.
Puppy love
Americans have gone wild for dogs (and, to a lesser extent, cats), leading to a surge in adoptions that has fueled the pet industry. Petco, which aims to return to the stock market soon, said sales were up 16% last quarter, while Chewy saw business spike by nearly 50%. The legions of new 'pet parents' will only accelerate the pre-pandemic trend toward the humanization of pets, so expect the rise of fido-oriented to spending to continue.
Home is where the spending is
In November, consumers did what they've been doing since the pandemic broke out: spending less on fashionable clothing—but much more on home projects. With analysts expecting home values to hold steady, and more Americans working from home at least part of the time even once it's safe to venture out into the world again, home improvement projects will continue apace and solidify Lowe's and Home Depotas two of retail's biggest winners.
Handmade crafts
Etsy has thrived during the pandemic, partly by selling enormous quantities of face masks ($130 million-worth in the first quarter alone); the company's revenue doubled in the first nine months of the year. The handmade goods e-commerce site, which has made big strides in improving the reliability of its sellers' delivery of orders, has attracted many new entrepreneurs, including more than a few needing to supplement their incomes during a brutal recession. Along the way, it has tapped into a significant cultural shift that is seeing many consumers seeking more customized products than what they can find at big-box stores.
Curbside pickup
It might seem like pedestrian service for shoppers, but curbside pickup has made all the difference in determining retail's winners and losers are this year. Chains like Petco and Ulta Beauty that didn't offer the service before the pandemic but quickly stood it up as spring lockdowns limited retail options immediately saw the benefit. And now that shoppers have gotten used to the convenience of retrieving online orders in a way that doesn't even require them to leave their car—and with a speed that makes it hard for even Amazon to compete—expect customers to make curbside a regular part of how they shop.
Casual and cozy are in, dressy is out
Work from home turned sweatpants into office wear and deepened the so-called "casualization" of the American wardrobe. With workers not so concerned about professional attire—at least from the waist down—and fewer events for people to get fancy for, 2021 saw overall apparel sales plummet. The exception to the rule: retailers specializing in athletic wear or casual clothing. To see that schism playing out in companies' bottom lines, just compare the results of struggling fashion retailers like Banana Republic, Macy's or Nordstrom with those of those of Lululemon Athleta or Old Navy. Expect the trend toward casual wear to continue into 2021, with American offices unlikely to be teeming with people again anytime soon.
E-commerce for the little guy
In March, as non-essential retailers like Kohl's and Old Navy were ordered to close stores indefinitely, they were least able to fall back on big and established e-commerce businesses. Not so for countless small local stores. That has led to a surge in such companies going the Shopify route to quickly build a digital business. Shopify, which provides the tech needed to operate an e-commerce site, said sales on websites using its technology rose 76% over the Black Friday-Cyber Monday period—with much of that growth fueled by companies new to online selling.
Who needs a gym?
Peloton's sales skyrocketed as gyms closed for weeks nationwide and the more affluent sought other ways to stay in shape. (The stationary bike maker's sales more than tripled last quarter.) But many Americans also gravitated toward less expensive means of staying fit, creating a new cycling and running boom. That has now translated into surge in ski equipment sales for the colder months.
Zooming in
As much as we talk about "Zoom fatigue," videoconferencing has been an essential way for people to stay connected, professionally and socially. It remains to be seen whether Zoom itself will maintain its overwhelming popularity as security-minded corporations are increasingly gravitating toward services like Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. But with videoconferencing technology vastly improved and work-from-home likely to remain a popular option, this way of remotely connected isn't going away any time soon.
Movies from the comfort of home
Netflix, HBO Max, and similar services have become a lifeline for tens of millions of Americans during the pandemic, allowing them to binge watch programs at a time of their choosing. Unless people miss audience members talking or eating loudly during a movie, it's hard to see viewers reverting en masse to movie houses—with the likely exception of seeing blockbuster movies that demand the big screen. And at least some of the Hollywood studios seem to be signaling that they agree: Warner Bros said this month it would release all of its 2021 movies in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously.
Contactless payment
Even before the pandemic, more and more businesses were going cashless, despite misgivings from some local government regulators that this excludes America's sizable "unbanked" population. But with COVID-19, the ability to conduct a transaction without touching anything—via 'tap-and-pay'—became a selling point for many stores and restaurants. By mid-2020, the use of contactless payment had nearly tripled in the U.S. compared to spring 2019. The convenience and ease of this touch-free option will make it a fixture in U.S. consumer spending.