With the world’s attention focused on the sporting achievements of young people at the first so-called ‘social-media’ Olympics, we bring your attention to a recent IPC qualitative research paper that looks into how young ‘digital natives’ communicate, shop and can be engaged in an increasingly digital-centric world. IPC’s Consumer Preferences in a Digital World, available to all IPC members, examines how young people across three markets (China, Finland and the US) actively search for and adopt technologies, services and applications which help them become knowledgeable informed citizens of the world, efficiently managing the vast amount of information available to them. As their activities lead them to spend more time connected, our research indicates that young people search for and place greater value in offline spaces and experiences. Paper-based communication holds significant value due to its tactile, unobtrusive nature, and is often read during quiet downtime. Digital natives are confident, pragmatic online shoppers who desire and seek seamless multi-channel shopping and communication experiences. The future is mobile, social and integrated, enabling people to gain efficiencies in everyday activities and therefore enjoy better quality lives. IPC members can download this report by logging on to the members-only section and reloading this page.