In addition, employees are looking for flexible schedules and work-from-home opportunities. Last year, 43% of employed Americans said they spent at least some time working remotely, according to a Gallup survey. Meetings are held online, from a desk, conference room or remotely from a mobile phone and teams collaborate with each other within cloud-based software. This is influencing office-use dynamics as tenants opt for cost savings, including a reduction in footprint and number of parking spaces.

Since 2014, online shopping has grown 85%, reporting $222,000 in sales every 60 seconds in 2016. Although this shift in e-commerce will flush out retailers unable to compete both online and in traditional brick-and-mortar retail, no immediate impact is expected within the retail sector. Studies show that consumers are increasingly drawn to omnichannel shopping, which combines the selection and convenience of e-commerce with the experience of in-store shopping. Available retail spaces, from less fortunate retailers, are creating CRE opportunities in other industries such as call centers, medical facilities and gyms.

“Technology has been innovatively disruptive to nearly every industry worldwide,” Robert Kramp, CBRE director of research and analysis, tells GlobeSt.com. “Online accessibility, coupled with mobile devices, is influencing consumption patterns more every day, both for consumers and businesses. E-commerce distribution i.e., industrial/retail commercial property sectors, high-tech open/shared work space i.e. office leasing and development and data centers are some of the commercial real estate topics most sought by clients at the moment. Whether referring to the ride-share we take to work, the meeting we hosted from our mobile device, or our weekend eight-hour show binge watch, we live in a fast-paced digital world that is only projected to become more integral to our personal and professional lives. And these remarkable statistics make this integration come readily to life.”