WhatsApp has launched its standalone app for smartwatches running on Wear OS. You can start new conversations, reply to messages and take calls — all from your wrist, and no longer need a phone to stay connected. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that WhatsApp will be available on even more devices in the future. The app that rolled out last week is compatible with smartwatches running on Google’s Wear OS3.
Shopper trends
Wunderman Intelligence’s new ‘The Future Shopper 2023’ report presents a global view of online shopping behaviour. It finds that 58 per cent of all consumer spending is now online compared to the 57 per cent last year. However, it forecasts that 64 per cent of spending will be online in 10 years’ time, according to consumer predictions. 68 per cent of global shoppers are now more comfortable with technology than last year.
Interestingly, 65 per cent of shoppers say they have discovered new brands and retailers as a consequence of work-from home.
Some interesting insights from the report are that “price might be king, but service is not far behind in importance”. The No 1 thing global consumers would change about online shopping is “faster delivery” with around 48 per cent of consumers wanting quicker delivery. The average amount of time global consumers expect to wait for their online orders to arrive is 2.15 days. Last year it was 2.36 days. What’s more, 23 per cent of consumers now expect delivery in less than 2 hours! Quick commerce players must be feeling quite justified!
Also, the report says one can’t underestimate the role marketplaces could play in the future. 51 per cent of global consumers are open to buying their energy, water and utilities from marketplaces like Amazon, Tmall and Mercado Libre. 42 per cent of global consumers are open to using a dating app provided by marketplaces like Amazon, Alibaba and Mercado Libre.
But the good news for physical retailers is that consumers identified physical stores as the number two channel for both inspiration and search.