Every human wants a return to some form of normalcy, but it will be a “new normal.” Many reports and analyses indicate the second quarter of 2021 is when the “new normal” will start to take hold and then accelerate during the second half of 2021 and into 2022. Many economists in the private and public sectors are forecasting a booming economy, both globally and for the US. Some predict the boom of 2021+ will rival the boom years of the mid-1980s.

In our rush to stereotype and pigeonhole living, breathing humans for a variety of reasons, members of Generation X have been designated with the birth years of 1965–1980, or 41 to 56 years of age as of 2021. There may be fewer members of Generation X than other generations, but they are a very valuable consumer group because of their career status, above-average income and a focus on family life, among other characteristics.

Businesses and media in all their forms are preparing for what comes next. Some will stumble into that future, others will accelerate and others will remain steadfast – always familiar, comforting and welcoming. TV is the best example of the latter. TV is not immune to the popularity of streaming video services and content accessible from many devices, but it remains too healthy to succumb. TV is still the most trusted or one of the most trusted advertising media.

Radio is facing the challenges of streaming services, new sources of digital audio content and podcasting. Radio’s business challenges are more complex, including heated debates about deregulation and traditional infighting among broadcast companies and local stations. As Facebook and others actively develop the “metaverse,” the audio medium will expand even further. Radio must present a united front to be fully integrated into any future metaverse while maintaining its unique position for listeners and advertisers.

Once upon a time, there was “health,” well understood by most Americans. “Wellness,” however, was a somewhat vague term not fully understood and seemed to be limited to health spas and retreats and various New Age philosophies and questionable treatments. The pandemic has changed that relationship, elevating wellness on par with health and creating an equal partnership in the minds of millions more Americans and people across the globe. Make no mistake, health wellness is a global trend, almost a phenomenon.

Since its inception, television’s journey across the media landscape has been steady and relatively smooth. More recently, however, the media landscape has changed and television has had to adjust its course. That journey into the future will be an exciting ride because of the many new opportunities the changes in viewing habits, advertisers’ needs and technology will create for content creators and ad sales teams.

Convenience stores did their best to remain convenient to customers during the pandemic; however, the abrupt change to many people’s work schedules and their reluctance to shop inside stores disrupted the entire convenience store model. With fewer people working and remaining at home, the demand for motor fuel declined significantly. Similar to many other local businesses, convenience stores have continued to face labor challenges and supply-chain issues.

As the media world and brands and retailers rsquo; ad spending becomes ever-more complex, competition is fierce, but more collaboration is required so everyone in that competitive arena can succeed. The expansion of media channels to engage with consumers more effectively and efficiently has diluted audiences on some of those channels, but agencies and advertisers have more pathways to reach targeted consumers, which is a positive trend.

Despite the lingering impact of the COVID-19 virus, a substantial increase in inflation and the war in Ukraine and other world and national events, American consumers plow ahead, continuing their decades-long role as the drivers of the US economy. Although negative news often receives almost all the headlines, it’s important to emphasize the March 2022 unemployment rate was 3.6%, the lowest since February 2020, and March 2022 retail sales increased 8.4% YOY and 18% from March 2020.

The pandemic’s devastating effect on retail motivated many local retailers to change their business models significantly. In the process, many discovered new methods to engage and attract new customers and created businesses better prepared for future crises. Despite many consumers eagerly returning to in-store shopping, retailers face a new set of challenges. Supply-chain issues and a lack of sufficient inventory have created a frustrating situation for retailers since they can’t serve consumer demand.

The perception of many people of the digital age is that we’re being propelled through rapid changes at an unprecedented pace. Many of the innovations of the digital age, from smartphones to electric vehicles to robotics, have replaced older technologies or introduced new ones. Money, one of the basic components of commerce for approximately 5,000 years, is being similarly transformed into a digital form. It’s a historical moment with major implications for every human, every business and every government.

With the coming of the digital age, consumers were wary of shopping online. In retrospect, the transition was relatively quick, given that people are conducting most of the buying process of their biggest purchases online: vehicles, homes, appliances, jewelry, etc. When it was almost impossible to shop in stores during 2020, e-commerce was a welcome alternative. According to US Department of Commerce data, online sales increased 53.4% during Q2 2020 and maintained that extreme growth through Q1 2021 at 46.9%.

Convenience stores, like most other businesses and retailers, have remained committed to serving their customers better, even as they’ve had to adjust to the pandemic, supply-chain and labor challenges and inflation, driving many to reinvent themselves. Changing consumer spending habits have provided C-stores with many opportunities to become something more than a grab-and-go foodservice location. They are also proactively embracing and adding new retail technologies to improve service while reducing costs.

Watching a professional juggling act can be very entertaining, even mesmerizing, especially those juggling odd or extreme objects, such as torches, bowling balls and chainsaws. As media sales reps and local advertisers are required to juggle ever more media, juggling the wrong ones can lead to mistargeted ad dollars, loss of customers and general confusion as to the best media to juggle.

Whatever the world throws at US consumers – inflation, limited inventory, higher prices and interest rates, recessions and even drastic weather and a pandemic – they are unstoppable. Since they are responsible for approximately 70% of total GDP, they better not stop. Although current economic conditions may cause many Americans to pause or re-prioritize their spending, total seasonally adjusted retail and food services sales during March 2023 was $6.92 trillion – and only exceeded by January’s and February’s total.