Swedes are skipping Apple Pay and going straight to sci-fi. While only 28% of the nation say they’ve used a mobile payment service in the last month, thousands have embedded NFC microchips into their skin. It’s a striking reminder that people sometimes leap-frog more established trends and go straight to the experimental.
Scroll down to read about AI checkouts, the GLP-1 arms race, and caregiving attitudes.
Stats to power your week
🛒 OpenAI just introduced Instant Checkout, allowing ChatGPT users to purchase products their search surfaces without ever leaving the chat. And people are open to it: 47% say they’re comfortable using an AI-integrated tool to buy things. GWI Zeitgeist
🥷🏿 Deception-based media like Among Us and The Traitors don’t just draw big crowds - they draw big personalities. 37% of Among Us players say they’re risk-takers, and 30% consider themselves opinion leaders. It seems the players lurking around in on-screen shadows are just as bold in real life as they are in the game. GWI Gaming
💃 Taylor Swift, who’s known for turning heartbreak into lyrics, expressed fears that happiness might take the edge off her songs, but people tend to tune in when they’re upbeat. More teens say they listen to music when they’re feeling happy than sad (57% vs. 26%). Who knows - maybe her showgirl era will resonate more than her time as a tortured poet. GWI Kids
🪪 Last year, just 11% of UK consumers said they were excited about the idea of digital IDs. No wonder the UK government’s plans to introduce them aren’t winning much support. GWI Zeitgeist
♪ As Washington draws a line under the US-China TikTok deal, the platform keeps crossing new demographic milestones. The share of baby boomers using TikTok daily is now on par with the percentage of Gen Z that were logging on in 2020 (20%) - in case you needed any more proof that it’s no longer a “Gen Z app.” GWI Core
What’s on our radar
Brands are turning shops into social hubs - spaces to linger, not just buy. Free drinks, open seating, and curated vibes are the new loyalty tools. Yet, some question whether this strategy is sustainable or effective? Starbucks recently reversed its open-door policy, for example.
A fair few brands and consumers have been getting on board with virtual influencers. But will AI actors get the same reception? The debut of the first one, Tilly Norwood, has Hollywood fuming.
More AI-powered products are on the way. Apple has shelved its Vision Pro revamp to chase the AI eyewear race; and Peloton has a revamped product line with AI features.
An arms race is also brewing in the world of GLP-1 drugs, with Pfizer and AstraZeneca stepping into the ring. On a related note, Pfizer has been granted a three-year reprieve from US tariffs, as it works alongside President Trump to launch a new site that will direct people to discounts on drugmakers’ online stores.
Months after Vogue discussed a “fetishisation of all things corporate” off the back of fashion trends like “office siren” and “corpcore,” UK retailer John Lewis has seen its suit sales soar by 68%. RIP loungewear?
As we’ve pointed out before, women buy male-coded brands more than men buy female-coded brands. Still, men account for a surprising share of some female-focused companies’ buyers. Take Fabletics - menswear now drives nearly a third of its near–$1 billion business.
Chart of the week
With World Mental Health Day this week, we’ve taken a closer look at what really boosts our mood. We might think a night on the sofa is the best form of self-care, but the data says otherwise.
Academics George MacKerron and Susan Mourato’s Mappiness app pinged users throughout the day with questions like: What are you doing? Who are you with? How happy do you feel? The happiest moments were logged at concerts, exhibitions, and while socializing. Watching TV, scrolling, and sleeping scored lower, with people often overestimating how happy these activities make them.
Our research adds another layer to the story. Americans with good mental health are more likely to get outside or work out on their bad days. Where possible, feeling better might be less about slowing down, and more about showing up.
🔥 Hot take
Punchy perspectives, with data that nudges the narrative
“Care gaps aren’t about apathy - they’re about obstacles”
Men get called out for caregiving gaps. They don’t do their fair share, which holds equality back. In 2020, men made up 48% of US family caregivers, which has since dropped to 44%.
But there’s more to the story. While US men are less likely to say they’re a caregiver for a relative, they’re twice as likely to care for a friend than women.Maybe it’s not that they care less - it’s that they face more barriers to certain kinds of caregiving.
Men, who are statistically more likely to relocate for work, often live further away from family. There’s social stigma around them providing long-term intimate care too, and many feel there’s an unspoken rule that they shouldn’t take family leave. As a result, men often “under-identify as caregivers” and just call themselves “sons.”
