With restaurants closed and people stuck at home, the pandemic created a ripe environment for food delivery and subscriptions. As people go back to work, data from Deutsche Bank indicates that this behaviour is going to stick as Walmart+ registers 32 million new users.

The Latin American grocery delivery market is shaping up to become fiercely competitive, with delivery app Merqueo raising $50 million to expand beyond Brazil, Columbia, and Mexico, where other start-ups are also vying to establish a stronghold in the wake of soaring pandemic-fuelled demand.

Gen Z hypebeasts have been a driving force behind the popularity of ‘buy now, pay later’ schemes and luxury mystery boxes. But why exactly are these services so appealing to the young and affluent? And how can brands adapt their offerings to attract these shoppers in a crowded online marketplace?

The inability to try products in person has long been a barrier to buying beauty online, but with stores closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people have become increasingly reliant on e-commerce. How are brands innovating their e-tail offerings to both enhance discovery and assuage concerns?