We’re living in strange and unprecedented times... but you already knew that. Everyone has been talking about how “strange” and “unprecedented” this all is since April 2020, when Google Trends reported a huge (and unprecedented) spike in internet searches for the phrase “unprecedented times.”  For now, the “new normal” is defined by economic uncertainty—another phrase that saw a massive spike last April.

Giving shoppers the opportunity to customize purchases in real-time used to be an added benefit. The seismic shift in how people are shopping in 2020 - increased demand coupled with an enormous drop in physical footfall - means that customers now need, and will increasingly grow to expect, the ability to choose, customize, and personalize their items online before proceeding to checkout.