••• technology research
Falling for a digital con
The perils of online love
As millions turn to dating apps, social media and messaging platforms to find love, the rise in AI-driven romance scams, fraudulent dating apps and deepfake deceptions are making it harder than ever for hopeful romantics to find a genuine connection.
Sixty-two percent of respondents say they have used dating apps, social media or messaging platforms to meet potential partners. According to a McAfee survey, men (31%) are more likely than women (17%) to be actively dating online. Younger users are the most active online daters, with 73% of 18-24-year-olds using Tinder while platforms like Snapchat (29%) and TikTok (25%) become increasingly popular for dating.
Scammers aren’t just using random AI-generated personas though, they are also preying on the trust and admiration towards well-known figures. Concern over deepfake deception in romance scams is rising fast and for good reason. One in five people (21%) have been approached on social media by someone pretending to be a celebrity. Among those who fell for the scam, 33% lost money.
Romance scams aren’t just happening on dating apps, they are also playing out across social media, messaging platforms and through fraudulent websites designed to mimic legitimate dating services. Dating apps (78%) are the place people most frequently encounter potential romance scams, followed closely by social media (72%) and text or e-mail scams (65%). Fifty-two percent have either been scammed out of money, valuables or pressured to send gifts by someone they met online.
McAfee conducted this survey online in February 2025, among 1,000 U.S. adults.
••• shopper research
Get us in, get us out
Shoppers, diners embrace new tech
Always seeking to save time and money, consumers are looking for more smart technology, enhanced checkout options, product personalization and convenience in their grocery, gas/c-store and dining experiences. Digital commerce solutions provider NCR Voyix found that 77% of shoppers prefer self-checkout because it is faster than staffed checkout lanes. Over one-third (36%) say they prefer it because it has shorter lines while 43% prefer to bag their own items. Looking at a generational snapshot, Gen Z and Millennial grocery shoppers are the biggest adopters of self-checkout lanes with the majority of Gen Z (63%) shoppers opting for it along with nearly half of Millennials (45%). Sixty percent of shoppers who do not frequent self-checkout lanes would be more inclined to do so if grocery stores made it easier to check out with more than 15 items.
Grocery stores are implementing more smart technology at checkout and shoppers are taking notice. Forty-two percent of consumers have encountered a camera detecting skipped items and prompting them to try again, 32% have noticed scanners that can recognize products, 28% have seen age/ID verification technology and 12% have used smart carts/baskets which do not require shoppers to scan a barcode and instead use cameras and weight sensors to detect products.
More than half of consumers (54%) expect the cost of their typical grocery purchases to increase in 2025. As such, many more are making a concerted effort to shop where they can find the best deals and are looking for rewards and loyalty programs to save. Seventy percent of survey respondents say they are members of a grocery store loyalty program, outpacing fuel convenience (54%) and restaurants (51%).
Fuel and convenience stores are raising the bar. Most consumers (53%) have gone out of their way to visit a specific gas station because they favor its convenience store. Some consumers prefer the food options of specific convenience stores (27%), others like the loyalty programs (37%) and easy ways to pay (36%).
Inflation is driving higher restaurant prices and consumers are feeling the effects. Most consumers (84%) choose limited-service restaurants to save money. In the past six months, 35% of consumers have dined at a fast-casual restaurant over five times. By comparison, in the past six months, 26% of consumers have dined at a full-service restaurant more than five times.
Fifty-five percent of survey respondents have cut back on their delivery habits because of inflation. Thirty-eight percent are ordering less in general and 17% say they are ordering from less-expensive restaurants. Higher prices have also affected how consumers tip. Fifty-six percent either tip less or only tip at full-service restaurants. When asked what technologies they would like to see more of from restaurants, self-service kiosks (39%), table-top ordering (37%) and digital payments (32%) were among the top three.
NCR Voyix commissioned a blind survey of 1,044 American consumers in November 2024.
••• technology research
Retailers turn to tech for efficiency boosts
Improving CX with AI
Retailers are investing in AI to improve return management, automate customer service and monitor product availability. Operating company Honeywell found that eight out of 10 retailers plan to increase the use of automation and AI across their operations to adapt to changing consumer behaviors, enhance employee skills and improve efficiency for shoppers.
Thirty-five percent of major retailers plan to significantly increase their AI investment. More than half of the surveyed retail leaders say that AI improves employee retention and 52% believe AI can help employees progress more quickly in their careers, expand their soft skills and continuously provide value to their jobs.
More than half (61%) of retail executives say that AI tools make the job easier for employees, while 55% say they increase job satisfaction. This aligns with the retail industry's increasing focus on how employee satisfaction can support the customer experience for their businesses.
AI is also playing an increasingly important role in improving the customer experience for shoppers, both when shopping online and in person, offering them better access to information, speedier transactions as well as an easier way to compare prices. Two-thirds of surveyed consumers (68%) reported that they have used AI while shopping to ask a question through a chat bot, compare prices for an item across retailers or summarize customer reviews. Comparing prices across stores is by far the most sought-after use for AI (53%) followed by checking product availability (41%) and having a more seamless checkout experience (34%).
Honeywell commissioned Wakefield Research to conduct the Honeywell Executives Survey and the Honeywell Retail Consumers Survey from December 2-8, 2024, among 100 U.S. executives and 1,000 U.S. adults.
••• shopper insights
The shopping danger zones
Americans express safety concerns
For some Americans, shopping isn’t just about finding the perfect items, it’s about feeling safe while doing so. According to LiveView Technologies, nearly one-third (32%) of women say that fears about parking lot safety influence their decision to shop in person and over half of the people surveyed (54%) feel the least safe in parking areas compared to other retail spaces.
While crowded stores and long checkout lines are common frustrations among shoppers, parking lots present a unique set of challenges. Parking structures are a leading concern with 59% of women and 47% of men feeling the least safe in parking lots and garages, compared to just 17% of all respondents who feel unsafe inside retail stores. Poor lighting was identified as the top parking lot safety concern by 69% of women and 56% of men.
Sixty-six percent of respondents say that visible security cameras in public spaces make them feel safer. Women overwhelmingly favor surveillance measures, with 77% agreeing that cameras contribute to their sense of security. Among parents with children under 18, 78% are comfortable with security cameras in public areas, with 68% believing cameras effectively deter crime.
Safety concerns across regions reflect differences in local culture and attitudes toward public surveillance. Eighty percent of New Yorkers support public surveillance measures and 72% report that security cameras in public spaces help increase safety. In California, 39% favor armed security guards, compared to 49% of people across the rest of the United States. Meanwhile, 47% of Californians support government regulation of security cameras, while 45% of Texans oppose it.
LiveView Technologies conducted this survey among 2,000 U.S. consumers in November 2024.
••• real estate research
I’m staying put
Homeowners refuse to sell their homes
They say to never say never, but with nearly half (43%) of Baby Boomers saying they will not sell their homes, never may be accurate this time. More than one-third (34%) of U.S. homeowners say they won’t sell their home and another 27% say they wouldn’t consider selling for at least 10 years. Roughly one-quarter (24%) of homebuyers plan to sell in five to 10 years, 8% will sell in three to five years and 7% expect to sell within the next three years, finds real estate company Redfin.
Broken down by generation, older homeowners are more likely than their younger counterparts to say they will never sell, including 34% of Gen X owners. Twenty-eight percent of Millennial and Gen Z owners are not expecting to sell. The fact that the lion’s share of homeowners say they’ll never sell is one reason new listings are below pre-pandemic levels in much of the country, though listings have started to tick up in recent months. Just 25 out of every 1,000 U.S. homes has changed hands in the first eight months of 2024, the lowest turnover rate in decades.
Nearly two in five (39%) homeowners who don’t plan to sell anytime soon say it’s because their home is almost or completely paid off, making that the most-cited reason. Homeowners who have paid off their mortgage are motivated to remain where they are because they only need to pay for things like property taxes and HOA fees. Almost as many respondents (37%) say they are not selling because they simply like their home and have no reason to move.
Affordability is another major reason homeowners are hesitant to sell. Nearly one-third (30%) of respondents say they are staying in their current home because today’s home prices are too high and 18% don’t want to give up their low mortgage rate. This survey question was asked to respondents who have owned their home for at least six years and have no intention of selling within the next five years. Sixteen percent say their children or other family members are still living in their homes, 8% do not want to pay HOA fees and 5% claim that home insurance would be too expensive where they would want to move to.
Housing costs have risen significantly since before COVID-19. Home prices are up roughly 40% since then and the weekly average mortgage rate is 6.91%, up from just under 4% in 2019. More than 85% of U.S. homeowners with mortgages have an interest rate below 6%.
Redfin commissioned this survey from Ipsos in September 2024. The survey was fielded to 1,802 U.S. residents aged 18-65.
••• automotive research
Still charged about EVs
Consumers concerned, but eager to buy
Despite ominous headlines about the state of the industry, U.S. consumers are continuing to invest in electric vehicles. Nearly half (47%) of Americans 25 and older plan to purchase an EV in the next five years and 21% plan to purchase one in the next one to two years. Twenty-seven percent have never driven an EV and only 7% currently own one.
Range anxiety (71%) and the availability of charging stations (46%) remain top concerns around EV ownership. Forty percent don’t know where the closest charging station to their home is and are unsure of how to find one. Others are more concerned about the upfront cost (31%) and 51% say they would purchase one today if it was not a factor.
Sixty-three percent expect maintenance costs to be higher with EVs compared to gas-powered vehicles and 42% believe their chances of needing roadside assistance are higher with an EV. Seventy-two percent worry about running out of battery before reaching their destinations and are not sure how much safer they are than gas-powered vehicles.
Seventy percent would consider renting an EV to test it before purchasing, however 73% say they wouldn’t know how to charge it if they rented one. Some drivers believe they would need help with an EV rental with 77% saying they would conduct their own research on how to drive and operate the vehicle. Only 13% of survey respondents had already rented an EV for business or personal use.
While many American drivers continue to express concerns about owning and operating an EV, 69% believe they are good for the environment. Forty-six percent say they are just as likely to purchase an EV than they were in 2023, 24% say they are less likely and 30% indicate they are more likely to buy.
This Verra Mobility survey was conducted online by Pollfish on November 15, 2024, among 2,000 Americans aged 25+.
••• entertainment research
Come with me and escape
Music-fueled nostalgia drives travel choices
While dedicated music fans often plan trips to see their favorite artists on tour, a festival of must-see performers is an even bigger draw. Sixty-one percent of those surveyed by online travel agency justfly.com agreed that music festivals are becoming a new reason to travel.
Those willing to travel for a concert or music festival say the average amount they would spend, excluding ticket costs, is $1,800. Seventy-six percent say they would travel to another city or country for a concert or music festival if tickets were easier to obtain. While 70% believe concerts and festivals positively affect host cities, 54% feel such events can overwhelm the authenticity of destinations, transforming them into party hotspots. This consensus proves that festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza attract attendees from all over the world as they offer not just music but also cultural experiences.
Many travelers feel travel nostalgia when listening to certain songs or genres. More than half of respondents (64%) reported that specific songs or music genres remind them of past vacations. This is especially true for 25-34-year-olds, with a substantial 75% of this age group agreeing with this sentiment. Moreover, 63% say certain music makes them want to visit specific locations. The same age group also led the charge on this front, with 76% in agreement.
This correlation between nostalgia and music indicates that by listening to a certain song, travelers are more driven to revisit previous destinations where they hold fond memories. In addition, they’re also more likely to explore destinations thanks to the indirect, lyrical recommendations of their favorite artists. Forty-two percent of respondents are likely to travel to destinations mentioned in popular songs. Destinations referenced in famous lyrics or associated with a genre, such as Nashville for country music or Jamaica for reggae, hold powerful appeal for music enthusiasts.
The survey was conducted with 2,000 U.S. respondents.