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After the past year’s tumult upended consumer behaviors and their expectations of brands, the remainder of 2021 will see a restoration of the fundamental pleasure of human connection that defines normalcy for people as social beings, according to “Upshot’s Eight Trends to Watch in 2021,” which offers insights and real-world examples curated by the Advantage Marketing Partners agency’s market intelligence team.

“Upshot’s Eight Trends to Watch in 2021” is meant to inspire new approaches to building exciting brands that inspire loyalty and drive growth in a changed culture and marketplace.

The report dives into these eight trends:

Retail Reinvented — Brick and mortar will remain vital to brands while taking on new roles focused on discovery, curation and service with a heavy overlay of digital transformation.

A Passport to Health — The desire for both globally inspired fare and healthier options will continue to intersect, creating opportunities for innovation in the marketplace.

The Progress Imperative — The mandate for brands is clear: act decisively to contribute to the wellbeing of both people and planet or risk erosion of relevance with today’s activist-minded consumers.

Mindful Beauty — Personal care, beauty and skin-care brands are expected to spotlight the wellbeing benefits of their products to align with consumers’ evolving ritualized self-care behaviors and desires.

Metaverse Marketing — This is not a retreat into wholly digital worlds but instead a blurring of the digital with the physical to create new experiences and opportunities for engagement.

Z Rising — Digital fluency, co-creation, sustainability, radical inclusivity and the ability to pivot to meet new needs should be on every brand’s agenda in hoping to succeed with this new wave of omni-culturally minded consumers.

Home as Haven — Understanding consumers’ new expectations of their homes and their immediate communities will be vital across a variety of categories.

Voice 2.0 — With earpods firmly in place for legions of listeners and smart speakers now in about a third of U.S. homes, audio-based media have emerged as both an exciting and essential environment for brands to explore.

Download the Report