Most of the anxious speculation about post-pandemic travel (from immunity passports, to robotic cleaning, and oh yea, no middle seats on airplanes) and post-pandemic housing (from urban flight to the return of asset ownership on the high end and more flexible housing options on the low end) continues to view these as separate modes or spheres of life, layering post-pandemic-preferences onto pre-pandemic behaviors.
What has not been discussed — and what is more interesting — is how our notions of travel and housing may intersect in novel ways. …
If you looked at retail trends a few years ago, you probably would have predicted all ecommerce to have consolidated under Amazon by now. While Amazon has certainly conquered the mass part of the market, what I find surprising and more interesting is two parallel trends: the explosion of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands and the hyperfragmentation in many categories. Even as Amazon has pushed the envelope on selection, service, convenience, and price, coaxing us to buy more commodities online, we are increasingly discovering and buying conspicuous consumption goods directly from indie brands, splitting our dollars across many different sites.
Namrata Patel
Product @airbnb.com, former VP Product + Design @minted.com
