Rely on Research in an Unreliable World
Life, the world and business change constantly, but typically at a somewhat steady pace. It’s quite clear now that the pandemic has and will continue to cause many fundamental changes and at a much faster speed.
One element of you and your prospects and clients’ success that hasn’t change is the reliability of research in this highly unreliable environment. Factual information and insights from thorough research has seldom been as important as it is today for local media and advertisers.
Businesses throughout your community are faced with making decisions about their survival and any small opportunities to thrive – and data and information is the starting point for operating in this “brave, new world.”
The good news is the hundreds of sources which Media Group Online’s research team reviews, scrutinizes and shares with you every week have made an incredible effort to provide the most-timely information about the ebb and flow of the pandemic and its effect on retail, media and technology.
For example, research allowed us to reveal the retail sectors with unprecedented opportunities for sales and growth, such as DIY hardware/building supplies, RVs, boats, bicycles and outdoor living, from patio furniture to hot tubs.
Our research has also uncovered (and presented in many Media Group Online reports) how emerging technologies, which may have been emerging slowly, have accelerated quickly. An April 2020 New Media Insights Report explained how the adoption of mobile wallets (Apple Pay et al) seemed stalled. A March 2020 survey from PYMNTS.com found just 5.1% of Apple Pay users were paying with the app.
Making contactless payments at grocery stores, specifically, is now a health and safety necessity. An April 2020 Mastercard survey found 51% of respondents said they used some form of contactless payment technology during the month.
It’s clear retailers must offer (and even aggressively promote) a contactless payment option to differentiate themselves from the competitors who don’t have the reliable research exclusively available to you as a Media Group Online member.
