Sarah Drumm is a freelance journalist covering small businesses, start-ups, and new consumer brands. She is a contributor to Canvas8 and published a report on the popularity of direct-to-consumer brand communities for Thingtesting.

Speed and convenience have become the consumer norm. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, when people worldwide were introduced to instant access to goods and services via apps and digital platforms, the supply and demand considerably grew and splintered. The 'I need it now' culture shows no signs of slowing down, yet the complexity around it is becoming more apparent.

Hyper-fast digital services appeal because they fulfil a ballooning desire for instant gratification – contemporary convenience hinges on easy-to-use interfaces that help consumers seamlessly meet their needs. However, the mechanics of consumerism are complex. People are becoming aware of global supply chains, especially in the wake of wars and escalating global conflict. As many brands are cracking down on immediacy (introducing higher delivery fees or offering it as a premium), people are turning to local and smaller-scale shopping for more mindful, slower, grounded spending.

The cost of living crisis makes people reconsider which of their needs are truly immediate, but it's not the only reason some crave a slowdown. The hyper-fast society enables our desires to be fulfilled instantly but might be too fast for our mental health. While convenience used to be a cool thing to have, now it has become essential to function in the current attention economy. People are tormented by a lack of patience and chronic dependency on stimulation from platforms like TikTok – yet the rewards of convenience easily outweigh the concerns.

Compulsive Convenience

In the turbulent economic environment, money is losing its value. Consumers are reevaluating their spending across sectors. With a looming crisis of trust in financial institutions, how are people managing their budgets? And how can brands navigate the complex relationship between value and cost?

Critical Spenders

Hannah Mayfield is the founder of What Is Wealth, a financial education platform for women. She’s a qualified financial advisor and holds a diploma for financial advisers from the London Institute of Banking and Finance. Her expertise is in personal finance and understanding the financial habits, needs, and desires of Gen Yers and Zers in personal finance, wealth, investing, and fintech.

Gen Y (born 1982-1996)

Gen Z (born 1997-2010)

United States

Money

Banking and payments

The Wall Street Journal

Interview with Hannah Mayfield conducted by the author

Paypal

Oberlo

Chain Store Age

Eater

Quartz

PYMNTS

Pew Research Center

The Verge

The New York Times

Fintech Futures

Consumer Reports

Venmo, the American mobile payment service, has achieved cultural clout and a dedicated following among US Gen Y and Zers thanks to its novel approach in making it fun to send money between friends. What does its rise in popularity say about how people's money management skills are shifting?

Cultivate

Growth and Progression

Being Informed

How Venmo became the go-to payment provider for US youth