There has been two massive shifts in how people are interacting with businesses since Covid disrupted the world.

First, buying behaviours have changed dramatically, with people going online to explore, research, and plan more of their purchases. And second, there’s been a boom in video streaming, for entertainment, education, and, increasingly, discovery of new products and brands. These shifts have upended some of your plans and fast tracked others.

There's been a number of ways that Google have responded to these shifts to help businesses respond. 

For example, when we saw an increase in people shopping online last year, we realised that people weren’t just looking for things to buy; they were also looking for new, safer ways to shop in their local communities. In response, Google accelerated a product road map for local inventory ads and launched curbside pickup, providing value to both shoppers and businesses.

With more people online than ever before, automation has never been more important and we all expect digital platforms to protect our privacy online and this will only continue to rise as we use digital tools to manage more aspects of our lives.

The only way this can be done is for the big platforms to continue their investment in automation. Google's data shows that automation remains the best way to unlock growth, by analysing millions of signals to help customers show the right message to the right people in the moments that matter.