Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience.

As the new post-pandemic normal settles in and people adapt to a context of uncertainty, constant adversities, and pessimism, we are moving away from a moment in which consumers expected brands to rise up to society's challenges and into one when they’re demanding genuine allyship from businesses.

While print media is often considered to be a dying industry, online bookseller Booktopia is beating the odds by reporting year-on-year growth. How did the 15-year-old Australian-run company get this far – especially when everyone thought books would soon be a forgotten medium?

The internet has sparked a seismic shift in the ways people consume literature as social media and small screens necessitate content in shorter formats. But this transition hasn’t impacted a desire for fresh, meaningful ideas. How are digital platforms opening up and reshaping poetry and fiction?

Social media has long been the go-to platform for inspiration, with influencers flaunting their outfits, beauty routines, and exotic travel destinations for their fans to see. But a wave of celebrities and influencers are becoming bookfluencers and turning literature into an aspirational frontier.

Whether they’re providing low-stakes escapism or education on how to unlearn racial biases, books have been a crutch for many in the pandemic. In fact, the number of books sold surpassed 200 million in 2020, signalling a desire for slow, analog modes of entertainment and distraction.