With the lack of ability to travel over the past year and local lockdowns keeping us in one place, we have been made to focus on our surroundings, looking at what really makes where we live unique. Many have turned to supporting independent local farmers, businesses and talent who have really struggled during the recent lockdowns, however, the pandemic has led to a change in consumer behaviour. Consumers want to know that their money is acting as more than just a transaction they want to know that they are supporting a livelihood, helping a family grow and boosting their local economy.

Experts at World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) believe that we will see domestic tourism return faster than international travel but this isn’t just because travelling will be more difficult due to limited flight plans, self-isolation costs upon returns and Covid passports but because people have found it exciting to explore local businesses and actively seek out businesses which their morals such as we have seen since the Black Lives Matter movement where consumers wanted to provide support to businesses owned by people of colour.

A trend we will see on the increase is farm box deliveries, food delivered directly from farms provides consumers much fresher food and means that farmers can communicate directly with their customers answering questions about safety and background on what they are consuming providing absolute transparency. An element missing from a typical food shop in your local supermarket, and something Generation Z is actively seeking.

E-commerce platforms such as Etsy have made it even easier for independent businesses to connect with younger consumers like Generation Z and Millennials who are particularly interested in shopping more locally and independently as it is also a more sustainable resource. Shopping local has a much smaller impact than global retailers due to limited demand, many are often made to order and no overseas deliveries.