• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, January 4, 2022

Schools, malls, and public transportation shut down for more than a year in the United States while dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks. Now people are ready to experience more despite the surge of the Omicron variant.

First-party data pulled by Audigent that looks at major publications via its data management platform (DMP) partnerships identified the segments that grew the most compared with the same time period a year ago.

Each segment has a minimum of 1 million in-market consumers, and compares the data from the October 1, 2021 through November 30, 2021 period with the same range last year.

There are segments that gained the most and several notable segments that declined year-over-year.

After dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns for more than two years, it should come as no surprise to anyone that categories that gained were shopping for activities like where to go to the gym or what concert to see. Sports and fitness activities were also high on the list.

Consumers searched for hybrid vehicles too, but used sedans and car parts fell. Audigent said this could be supply-chain related, but also shows that hybrid vehicles are clearly climbing in popularity. Diaper shoppers also fell, but baby and toddler apparel rose.

Audigent looked at first-party data from major publications, via its DMP partnerships. Each segment has a minimum of 1 million in-market consumers.

Notable segments that gained year-over-year:

• Gyms & Athletic Clubs +185%
• Concert & Music Festival Tickets + 179%
• Sports & Fitness + 147%
• Payment Processing & Merchant Services +140%
• Men's apparel + 113%
• Hybrid & Alternative Vehicles + 112%
• Hybrid & Alternative Vehicles (used) +96%
• Hybrid & Alternative Vehicles (New) + 90%
• Career Consulting Services +86%
• Baby & Toddler Apparel +82%

Notable segments that declined year-over-year

• Diapers & Baby Hygiene Products -48%
• Auto Parts & Accessories - 42%
• Sedans (Used) - 33%
• Desktop Computers -23%