The end of World War II brought with it an adequate degree of prosperity among majorities of people in North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia. Thus the era of real mass merchandising was born.

The onset of affluence let people pursue hobbies, sports, and travel. Teenagers, for the first time, became avid consumers of goods of their own choice. People of colour, too, gained greater affluence during and after the civil rights movement of the 1960s.