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Mondelez International recently enlisted Tarrytown, NY-based influencer marketing company Ripple Street to host some 256 beach-themed parties at consumer homes aimed at driving trial and awareness of new Sour Patch Kids "Heads" and Swedish Fish "Tails" at Target.

Human beings are social creatures by nature. We thrive off connecting with our friends and family, whether it’s dining out, seeing a concert, or simply having a movie night. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the way we’re interacting with our loved ones has drastically changed. But that hasn’t stopped us from connecting virtually.

Digital life has long been embedded in the United States. But as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of all our lives, government officials closed non-essential businesses, schools, and issued stay-at-home orders. Being confined at home led us to spend even more time online—from streaming audio and video services to having video chats with our friends and browsing social channels. It became a digital world as we’d never seen before.

Consumers have been experiencing the new “normal” since the lockdowns began in late March. With so many consumers at home, media consumption has risen exponentially. Naturally, with the rise of media consumption came advertisements—a bucketload of them—many centering around COVID-19. Most consumers felt comfortable with COVID-19 ads.

With consumers adapting to the current “normal," they’re looking for ways to normalize their routines working from home. It comes as no surprise that consumers are upgrading their home offices and are trying to maintain a schedule during these trying times.

With more time spent at home, consumers are looking for ways to stay occupied. It’s no surprise that media consumption is up, with more time spent online, watching streaming video platforms, and using social media to interact with their friends.

With many Americans continuing to stay home out of precaution, they are coming to terms with a new sense of what feels normal while still thinking about their future.

As Americans limit their shopping trips to only the essentials, they are adjusting how they make food and beverage purchases. With fewer trips to the grocery store, trusted brand names are more important than before.

With concern over how COPPA requirements may limit viewership, toy brands are in need of new avenues to get their products in front of kids and parents who spend less time watching TV.

As the United States continues to practice social distancing, Americans are looking for ways to keep themselves and their families entertained. Many are willing to try new products at home. Leading the pack are Food & Beverage, Household Products, and TV, Movies & Music, according to a Ripple Street Research survey of their community of local influencers from March 26-29.

Consumers are curious about CBD, but many still haven’t tried it. Availability and Brand recognition remain two key issues, according to a CBD survey conducted in January 2020 by Ripple Street Research.

Americans are staying put to help curb the spread of COVID-19. As a result, they are eager to find new ways to spend their time at home to avoid boredom, according to a Ripple Street Research survey of their community of local influencers on March 16-18. 

Technology and ecommerce are shifting the way many brands do business, but traditional retail still has a place in the present, and the future.

Holiday shopping can be stressful, as consumers search in droves for limited, popular items as gifts for their family and friends; but what factors determine the types of stores that consumers will shop at? Over 2/3 of consumers said that product price was the main factor they considered when deciding which stores to shop at for the holidays, while convenience and product selection were less important influencing factors.

Popular cooking videos have been popping up all over social media sites recently. Our research found that for 36% of consumers, Facebook recipe videos have influenced their decision to make multiple-store trips and purchase the featured brands used in these recipes, even if these brands were different from their typical choice.

Almost 80% of consumers discover new beverage products by either seeing a product ad display in-store or by receiving a recommendation via word-of-mouth from family members or friends. Other virtual discovery routes, like social media posts, online ads, and TV ads, played less of a role in consumer discovery and trial.

Consumer influencers are those people who regularly impact their friends’ and family’s purchase decisions. They are looked to for advice and happily dish it out. Our research shows they are far more active on social media than regular consumers, using social media platforms 45-100% more compared to normal consumers. They are also 4x more likely to engage with a multitude of brands in social media.

Consumers are drinking more at home than in bars and restaurants. A lot more. They are 2x as likely to drink alcohol on a weekly basis at home vs. bars and restaurants or friends’ houses. And men are more likely than women to drink at home or in public.

Back-to-school shopping is an exciting activity for both parents and students alike. Our research shows that up to 80% of children help their parents with back-to-school shopping. Younger children have a greater impact, with 2/3 of families reporting having their shopping decisions impacted by children 10 years old or younger.

The generational divides amongst Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials are extreme, including when it comes to home organization habits. Our research finds that while the majority (47%) of Boomers tend to organize only a few times over the year, both Gen X and Millennials clean more frequently, preferring monthly and weekly home organization projects. Overall, however, 3/4 of consumers, regardless of generational status, organize their homes more than just once per year.