Giving Customers What They Want (When They Want It)

Consumers, particularly younger ones, are increasingly likely to buy in context when making their purchases — be it on social media or in their physical backyard. That’s because “simple, on-demand and fast” has become the new pace customers are used to, and they become grumpy when they don’t get that. It’s why the insurance industry is redesigning itself to make waiting on a check a thing of the past. It’s why getting paid for labor is become something that can happen daily — instead of every few weeks. And it’s why the global payments picture is getting more diverse by the day — because when consumers show up to shop, they expect a payment method to greet them when they arrive.

4.5 billion: The number of insurance customers who gain access to instant payments care of the Ingo Money and Prelude Software partnership.

37.5 percent: The share of customers who report making a purchase from their Facebook News Feed.

30 percent: The share of mobile searches that reference location.

23 percent: The amount the on-demand workforce will increase in 2018, according to Mary Meeker.

8.4 percent: The share of Alibaba’s revenue that comes from outside China.