Social Business Consumer Insights

Trend - Corporations are launching DEI programs and initiatives designed to support the careers and lives of neurodiverse employees. These programs ensure equality in hiring patterns, resource access, and worker compensation. These benefit businesses by improving employee satisfaction and retention.

Insight - In the post-pandemic working world, employees have many options for workplace culture, such as finding flexible working hours, locations, or compensation. Employees each have preferences, such as wanting more flexibility or a larger wage. However, workers quickly leave jobs where they feel they do not belong, resulting in high turnover for less desirable workplaces. Companies are avoiding this fault by launching new DEI initiatives that, in addition to other protected classes, support neurodivergent workers.

Trend - Coffee brands are implementing regenerative farming practices to ensure that coffee farming has a positive impact on the surrounding environment. These farming methods result in cleaner coffee blends while improving animal welfare, worker rights, and surrounding ecosystems.

Insight - There is a growing market of consumers that are drawn to products that promote social good, whether it be related to working conditions, animal welfare, or environmental impact. These consumers prefer products with certifications on the label to ensure them that the products are supporting good causes. This

Trend - Nonprofit organizations are looking to support the business endeavors of the LGBTQ+ community. In this space, various entrepreneurship resources, programming, and events are being directed toward overcoming barriers and getting ahead in industries.

Insight - Diversity and inclusion in all facets of life—from social circles to workplaces—are extremely important to contemporary consumers and as a result, many are advocating in favor of equality and opportunity for all. Given the many systemic barriers that are historically encoded into Western civilization, consumers are creating a demand for specialized resources that will support and assist in the growth of people who are part of marginalized communities.

Trend - Brands in the coffee space—ranging from quick-serve restaurants to direct-to-consumer retailers—are leveraging technology with traceability tools to provide consumers more transparency about their beans. This includes stating which farm the beans originated from and allowing consumers to verify that farmworkers were paid a fair wage.

Insight - Many consumers are now well informed about exploitative practices used to produce various crops. These procedures affect the community, the farmers, and the land in long-lasting ways. These consumers are passionate about sustainability and ethical labor and are looking to use their purchasing power to support brands that reflect these values. Brands that offer transparency in their supply chain will appeal to sustainable, ethical consumers.

Trend - Brands are launching products and services aimed at keeping seniors connected and engaged amid the COVID-19 restrictions. These range from playful QSR entertainment to retiree-specific radio station recommendations.

Insight - The COVID-19 pandemic has been a very difficult lifestyle adjustment for people of all ages, and older generations have the added risk of being more likely to be affected by the virus. Although economies around the world are reopening, many social distancing restrictions are still in place and are causing a prolonged period of isolation for this demographic. Countering the collective psychological impact of the ongoing pandemic is just as important as containing the virus itself.

Trend - Technology brands ranging from video games to smartphones are now including non-binary characters for consumers to use as representation. These include AI assistants, video game avatars, and emojis.

Insight - Consumers are demanding representation at all levels and from all businesses they frequent. This is especially prevalent in younger demographics, including Gen Z and Millennial consumers, who are less conservative and have become more educated on inclusion and self-representation. As a result, they are unencumbered by the social restrictions of the past and are seeking the opportunity to represent themselves digitally with the same ease of their cis-gendered peers.

Trend - Social distancing regulations in the face of COVID-19 have been restricted, but in an effort to bring the LGBTQ+ community together, brands are launching digital celebrations. These range from social media hashtag campaigns to branded live-streamed events.

Insight - Pride is an important cultural event for many in the LGBT2Q+ community that celebrates the milestones the group has achieved and fights for further equality under the law and within society. In recent years, many brands have begun supporting the movement as consumers demand inclusivity from the businesses they patron. As COVID-19 restrictions have limited in-person events, consumers are still expecting the same level of support from these brands.

Trend - Brands are understanding that the everyday language we use, shapes the way society views the world. As a result, many have launched inclusive language initiatives that challenge the world to rethink the words that are used. These range from anti-racist coding campaigns to anti-sexist language campaigns.

Insight - Consumers are no longer standing for the oppressive tendencies used in the past and understand the nuanced ways systemic inequality presents itself throughout society. These informed consumers are no longer accepting of brands that simply pay lip service to progressive causes. As a result, they expect brands to actively fight these damaging stereotypes.

Trend - Amid the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, brands are re-evaluating their business models to combat systematic racism. These initiatives include evaluating the number of products on their shelf owned by Black business owners, funding budding Black-owned startups, and removing racist language in their coding.

Insight - Protests continue throughout the globe as the world seeks to call out systemic racism amid the wrongful death of Geroge Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and far too many others. Thanks to social media, more consumers have become aware of the injustices the Black community faces, and are using these platforms to call out brands that participate in the oppression of this community. As a result, they are turning to brands that go further than posting their outrage on a superficial level and are seeking brands that actively find ways to support Black communities with tangible plans of action.

Trend - In response to recent social injustices profiled on social media and the news, brands are launching directories to help consumers identify and support black-owned businesses. These platforms showcase a range of businesses from restaurants and salons to banks and museums.

Insight - In recent years, social media has had an impact on the visibility of the systemic injustices committed against the Black community. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, many are looking for ways to support the Black community in place of their traditional retailers, and are invested in actionable ways to protest against white supremacy, and one of these ways is by "voting with their wallet." People's anger and frustration has led them to financially support individuals, businesses and communities that are most affected by racial injustice.