Deep Dive: Adapting to Changing Media Consumption and the Digital Channel’s Influence on Retail

Executive Summary

• Consumers’ media consumption preferences and habits have changed rapidly. In this report, we examine what these changes could mean for the retail sector.
• The average American spends nearly half the day staring at a screen. According to Nielsen, US adults spent 11 hours and 22 minutes daily consuming media in the fourth quarter of 2016, up a full hour from a year earlier.
• While Americans are spending more time consuming media, traditional channels such as TV and radio have begun to lose share to smartphones, devices such as Apple TV and Roku, and online streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Video.
• As consumers move away from traditional media viewing, retailers have been forced to adjust their digital media strategies. And with people spending more and more of their daily lives engaging with digital media, the digital channel’s influence on retail sales continues to grow.
• With new devices, greater wireless connectivity and evolving media business models, digital interaction and engagement are taking on new forms. As consumers take more control of the digital experience, companies across industries are employing new strategies to engage them.