Natural disasters, cyber-attacks, pandemics…oh my! If we had to describe the 2020s in one word so far, ‘disaster’ might be the one we’d choose. We’ll be feeling the domino effect these events have had on our life, our businesses, and our economy for years to come. And just when we think we’re in the clear, surprise! Something new happens and we find ourselves shaking our heads in disbelief thinking…again? Really?

With application submissions for the Fall 2022 semester wrapping up, admissions leaders are shifting focus to the class of 2023, examining how to best attract this new pool of prospective students to their institutions. Since the start of the pandemic, admissions and marketing teams have had to pivot - working to find new strategies to engage with students as on-campus visits, tours, and events were canceled or limited. And with the overall number of enrollees decreasing, it’s become more important than ever to continuously engage with students and parents to maintain interest and excitement in an increasingly competitive landscape.

For months, retailers and marketers convinced customers to start their holiday shopping early to avoid the stress of limited inventory – thanks to the highly reported supply chain delays. Black Friday and Cyber Monday became month-long events instead of the usual post-Thanksgiving whirlwind weekend of deep discounts. Early reports show a continued rise in spending, but with a slight slowdown in November due to this earlier start to the holiday rush.

The close of 2021 is nearing and consumers are gearing up for a fresh start to 2022, hoping for a more positive, healthy year ahead. Every year, Americans start the new year off with the best intentions, and sometimes these good habits stick, but oftentimes people are back to their usual ways as the year progresses. But the last two years have been anything but ‘usual’ and consumers are becoming more and more focused on making positive changes that stick. Post-pandemic consumer behaviors have changed, and those changes will impact every commercial industry, with those keeping up with trends positioning themselves for growth and those that are not falling behind.

As the number of U.S. vaccinations continues to rise, Americans are starting to make up for lost time and making plans to travel again. After being isolated and limited by where they could visit and who they could see for the last year and a half, people are ready to get back on the road, in the air, and even on the water as the travel industry starts to open back up after a nearly $500 billion spending decline since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic (U.S Travel Association). According to TSA, 2 million people passed through U.S. airport security in the seven days leading up to Thanksgiving and AAA reports that more than 50% of American adults plan to take a domestic vacation before the end of 2022.