Introduction:
No matter what market or industry you're in, if you’re obsessed with catering to evolving consumer needs, desires and expectations, you will prosper through even the most insane global upheavals, whatever their flavor. In 2014, 2015, 2016 and beyond.
However, as the start of a new year is the time when many of you are doing some extra imagining and planning and creating, we thought we’d do our bit and throw in a handful of consumer trends that are begging to be applied in the next 12 months. By you.
1. GUILT-FREE STATUS
Why in. Why in 2014, guilt-free is the new status symbol.
Growing numbers of consumers can no longer escape an awareness of the damage done by their consumption: to the planet, society, or themselves. But a mixture of indulgence, addiction and conditioning mean that most can’t substantially change their consumption habits. The result? A never-ending guilt spiral.
Which creates exciting opportunities for brands that combine tackling this guilt spiral with consumers’ endless status seeking (still the driving force behind all consumer behavior).
Indeed, GUILT-FREE STATUS will be the ultimate indulgence in 2014. Time to create products and services that deliver a guilt-free status fix by being one of these:
Known by all. Iconic, well known GUILT-FREE products such as the Tesla Model S will act as instantly recognizable signals of great sustainability.
Visibly guilt-free. High status, chic or fashionable products that are visibly sustainable, ethical or healthy will deliver a GUILT-FREE STATUS hit. Get inspired by Nudie’s rugs made from recycled jeans.
Storied. If a product or service isn’t known or visible, it will need a GUILT-FREE story that the owner can tell others (and impress them with).
Warning: this trend is NOT about GUILTWASHING. Benefits for people and planet are at the core of GUILT-FREE STATUS SYMBOLS, not marketing speak and one-dimensional plays on people’s anxieties.
2. CROWD SHAPED
The connected crowd comes of age in 2014.
In 2014, more people will pool their data, their profiles, their preferences, in groups (small and big) to shape new goods and services.
Via social media, histories, ecommerce, endless read/watch/play lists, smartphone GPS services and more, connected consumers are creating vast profiles and data trails that relate to everything from their music preferences to their daily movements. No news there.
Now 2014 will see two certainties:
1. The technologies that facilitate the creation and passive sharing of those data streams will become ever more ubiquitous (yes, we’ll say it, Google Glass).
2. Consumer expectations are amplified – yet again – by that ubiquity.
Meaning the connected crowd comes of age, via CROWDSHAPING: new products and services shaped by the aggregated preferences or behavior of (small and big) groups of consumers, as expressed via their data.
Two kinds of CROWDSHAPING to watch (and run with):
SMALL CROWDSHAPING: Real-time shaping (and reshaping) of a service around the preferences of the people in an office, a restaurant, on a plane: any space right now.
Consumers might not care about the tech that makes CROWDSHAPING possible, but they will care about increased relevance – via the accommodation of their own preferences – and a novel mode of discovery via the newly-experienced preferences of their peers. See how CheckinDJ (below) delivers both.
BIG CROWDSHAPING: Services intelligently reshaped by the aggregated data on the preferences or behavior of large numbers of consumers.
One next step for good, old-fashioned crowdsourcing. Consumers get a more functional, efficient service shaped not by opinions of the crowd, but around the way people really behave. And – unlike with many existing crowdsourced solutions – they get it effortlessly, via passive sharing of their data. That’s what IBM promised when it CROWDSHAPED bus route improvements in Africa (below).
OK, we know: privacy! But keep collection and use of data transparent, and many will embrace the benefits*.
Alternatively, dive into the NO DATA counter-trend, also begging to be applied in 2014.
3. MADE GREENER BY/FOR CHINA
Why in 2014, China is going to be where the eco-innovation action is.
In 2014, perceptions of China will take another significant turn, as consumers come to realize China is fast becoming the epicenter of truly innovative, superior green consumer innovations, too*.
* Alongside leading Chinese brands in sectors such as mobile tech, luxury and fashion (from WeChat to Bosideng, from Shang Xia to Xiaomi and more) that are simply MADE BETTER IN CHINA.
That shift will be driven by China’s relentless, large-scale efforts to address massive environmental challenges such as energy, transport, construction and more (see a few examples below).
In fact, the idea among many consumers worldwide that Chinese brands and businesses lag behind when it comes to green thinking might just be one of the last great competitive advantages that 'Western' brands enjoy.
When that preconception is overturned in 2014, one of the last barriers keeping Chinese brands and global consumers at a distance is lifted. Just another small, yet pivotal moment in the remapping of global consumerism ;)
4. MYCHIATRY
Why in 2014, mind will be the new body.
In 2014, consumer interest in ‘Quantified Self’ products and services will continue to grow, as smartwatches and other powerful yet affordable wearable tech products enter the market.
Much of the sector’s focus has been on physical health to date. The next step? Consumers will increasingly see their smartphones as devices for total lifestyle assistance. Improving techniques for self-treatment, developments in stress-detecting technologies and near-total smartphone penetration in many markets, means consumers will lap up innovations that help track and improve mental wellbeingtoo.
Two types of consumers fueling this trend:
Those for whom mental health is (like physical fitness, career progress, and academic achievements) a new benchmark, yet another area for them to outperform their peers.
Those time-starved, overworked, stressed and anxiety-plagued consumers for whom MYCHIATRY innovations offer much needed relief from the pressures of modern life.
And no matter which industry you’re in, the MYCHIATRY trend should spur plenty of discussions around where the mega-trend of tech-driven consumer empowerment and self-service will head next.
Whatever the outcome, consumers are already just an app store away from a boost to their day-to-day happiness ;)
NB: Of course, we aren’t suggesting that MYCHIATRY is an adequate solution for everyone’s mental health needs or that it should replace medical counsel.
5. NO DATA
Why in 2014, delivering brilliant service without excessive data collection will earn you consumer trust (and profits won’t be far behind ;)
Last year, in the introduction to DATA MYNING, we warned you:
“Brands will have to walk a fine line between offering consumers a valuable (and ideally seamless) service, and freaking them out with aggressive if not downright scary 'services'. Yes, consumers want to feel served to, but they don't like to be watched.”
Well, with 2013 seeing a seemingly-endless stream of brands suffering ‘privacy breaches’ that revealed customers’ information, and the leaked actions of a government agency (who is probably reading this over your shoulder as we speak) – it’s no longer a paranoid minority who is freaked out. Remarkably, two of the most renowned encrypted communications providers in the world (Lavabit and Silent Circle) had to shutter their email services because they no longer felt they could guarantee privacy from government agencies. They (regrettably) recognized that once data was collected, it could be harvested.
This all leads to opportunities in 2014 for NO DATA brands: brands that simply offer brilliant service, while also loudly and proudly eschewing the collection of personal data.
Some stats:
82% of global consumers believe that companies collect too much information on consumers.
(Adobe, June 2013)
86% of US internet users have attempted to remove or mask their online activities, despite only 37% believing it is possible to be completely anonymous online.
(Pew Research Center, September 2013)
93% of email users believe that users should be able to opt-out if they don't want the content of their emails to be scanned in order to target ads.
(GfK & Microsoft, November 2013)
The challenge for businesses will be finding a balance between the very real benefits of data collection and utilization (recommendations, cross-selling, personalization, enhanced ad revenue and more), and earning the trust of increasingly HACKED OFF consumers.
Why aren’t we accompanying this trend with examples? Because NO DATA is so against the “BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST” data strategies sweeping through the business world that we haven’t seen anybody doing it well… yet!
So which major B2C brand will make NO DATA a central promise in 2014, and simply offer, “Great service, for everyone, all of the time. No data required.”?
6. THE INTERNET OF CARING THINGS
How connected objects will center around people in 2014.
In the media (and in countless innovation labs around the world), the Internet of Things in 2014 will be about the same two things as in 2013: massive numbers, and, well, things.
And when we say ‘massive’, we mean:
The Internet of Things will add USD 1.9 trillion dollars of economic value to the global economy in 2020.
In 2009, there were 2.5 billion connected devices, most of these were personal devices such as cell phones and PCs. In 2020, there will be up to 30 billion connected devices, most of which will be products.
(Both: Gartner, October 2013)
But something else will happen, too: you will see innovations pop-up left and right, centered around the Internet of CARINGThings.
Anything exceptional that ‘connected objects’ can do for consumers, whether that
Introduction:
No matter what market or industry you're in, if you’re obsessed with catering to evolving consumer needs, desires and expectations, you will prosper through even the most insane global upheavals, whatever their flavor. In 2014, 2015, 2016 and beyond.
However, as the start of a new year is the time when many of you are doing some extra imagining and planning and creating, we thought we’d do our bit and throw in a handful of consumer trends that are begging to be applied in the next 12 months. By you.
1. GUILT-FREE STATUS
Why in. Why in 2014, guilt-free is the new status symbol.
Growing numbers of consumers can no longer escape an awareness of the damage done by their consumption: to the planet, society, or themselves. But a mixture of indulgence, addiction and conditioning mean that most can’t substantially change their consumption habits. The result? A never-ending guilt spiral.
Which creates exciting opportunities for brands that combine tackling this guilt spiral with consumers’ endless status seeking (still the driving force behind all consumer behavior).
Indeed, GUILT-FREE STATUS will be the ultimate indulgence in 2014. Time to create products and services that deliver a guilt-free status fix by being one of these:
Known by all. Iconic, well known GUILT-FREE products such as the Tesla Model S will act as instantly recognizable signals of great sustainability.
Visibly guilt-free. High status, chic or fashionable products that are visibly sustainable, ethical or healthy will deliver a GUILT-FREE STATUS hit. Get inspired by Nudie’s rugs made from recycled jeans.
Storied. If a product or service isn’t known or visible, it will need a GUILT-FREE story that the owner can tell others (and impress them with).
Warning: this trend is NOT about GUILTWASHING. Benefits for people and planet are at the core of GUILT-FREE STATUS SYMBOLS, not marketing speak and one-dimensional plays on people’s anxieties.
2. CROWD SHAPED
The connected crowd comes of age in 2014.
In 2014, more people will pool their data, their profiles, their preferences, in groups (small and big) to shape new goods and services.
Via social media, histories, ecommerce, endless read/watch/play lists, smartphone GPS services and more, connected consumers are creating vast profiles and data trails that relate to everything from their music preferences to their daily movements. No news there.
Now 2014 will see two certainties:
1. The technologies that facilitate the creation and passive sharing of those data streams will become ever more ubiquitous (yes, we’ll say it, Google Glass).
2. Consumer expectations are amplified – yet again – by that ubiquity.
Meaning the connected crowd comes of age, via CROWDSHAPING: new products and services shaped by the aggregated preferences or behavior of (small and big) groups of consumers, as expressed via their data.
Two kinds of CROWDSHAPING to watch (and run with):
SMALL CROWDSHAPING: Real-time shaping (and reshaping) of a service around the preferences of the people in an office, a restaurant, on a plane: any space right now.
Consumers might not care about the tech that makes CROWDSHAPING possible, but they will care about increased relevance – via the accommodation of their own preferences – and a novel mode of discovery via the newly-experienced preferences of their peers. See how CheckinDJ (below) delivers both.
BIG CROWDSHAPING: Services intelligently reshaped by the aggregated data on the preferences or behavior of large numbers of consumers.
One next step for good, old-fashioned crowdsourcing. Consumers get a more functional, efficient service shaped not by opinions of the crowd, but around the way people really behave. And – unlike with many existing crowdsourced solutions – they get it effortlessly, via passive sharing of their data. That’s what IBM promised when it CROWDSHAPED bus route improvements in Africa (below).
OK, we know: privacy! But keep collection and use of data transparent, and many will embrace the benefits*.
Alternatively, dive into the NO DATA counter-trend, also begging to be applied in 2014.
3. MADE GREENER BY/FOR CHINA
Why in 2014, China is going to be where the eco-innovation action is.
In 2014, perceptions of China will take another significant turn, as consumers come to realize China is fast becoming the epicenter of truly innovative, superior green consumer innovations, too*.
* Alongside leading Chinese brands in sectors such as mobile tech, luxury and fashion (from WeChat to Bosideng, from Shang Xia to Xiaomi and more) that are simply MADE BETTER IN CHINA.
That shift will be driven by China’s relentless, large-scale efforts to address massive environmental challenges such as energy, transport, construction and more (see a few examples below).
In fact, the idea among many consumers worldwide that Chinese brands and businesses lag behind when it comes to green thinking might just be one of the last great competitive advantages that 'Western' brands enjoy.
When that preconception is overturned in 2014, one of the last barriers keeping Chinese brands and global consumers at a distance is lifted. Just another small, yet pivotal moment in the remapping of global consumerism ;)
4. MYCHIATRY
Why in 2014, mind will be the new body.
In 2014, consumer interest in ‘Quantified Self’ products and services will continue to grow, as smartwatches and other powerful yet affordable wearable tech products enter the market.
Much of the sector’s focus has been on physical health to date. The next step? Consumers will increasingly see their smartphones as devices for total lifestyle assistance. Improving techniques for self-treatment, developments in stress-detecting technologies and near-total smartphone penetration in many markets, means consumers will lap up innovations that help track and improve mental wellbeingtoo.
Two types of consumers fueling this trend:
Those for whom mental health is (like physical fitness, career progress, and academic achievements) a new benchmark, yet another area for them to outperform their peers.
Those time-starved, overworked, stressed and anxiety-plagued consumers for whom MYCHIATRY innovations offer much needed relief from the pressures of modern life.
And no matter which industry you’re in, the MYCHIATRY trend should spur plenty of discussions around where the mega-trend of tech-driven consumer empowerment and self-service will head next.
Whatever the outcome, consumers are already just an app store away from a boost to their day-to-day happiness ;)
NB: Of course, we aren’t suggesting that MYCHIATRY is an adequate solution for everyone’s mental health needs or that it should replace medical counsel.
5. NO DATA
Why in 2014, delivering brilliant service without excessive data collection will earn you consumer trust (and profits won’t be far behind ;)
Last year, in the introduction to DATA MYNING, we warned you:
“Brands will have to walk a fine line between offering consumers a valuable (and ideally seamless) service, and freaking them out with aggressive if not downright scary 'services'. Yes, consumers want to feel served to, but they don't like to be watched.”
Well, with 2013 seeing a seemingly-endless stream of brands suffering ‘privacy breaches’ that revealed customers’ information, and the leaked actions of a government agency (who is probably reading this over your shoulder as we speak) – it’s no longer a paranoid minority who is freaked out. Remarkably, two of the most renowned encrypted communications providers in the world (Lavabit and Silent Circle) had to shutter their email services because they no longer felt they could guarantee privacy from government agencies. They (regrettably) recognized that once data was collected, it could be harvested.
This all leads to opportunities in 2014 for NO DATA brands: brands that simply offer brilliant service, while also loudly and proudly eschewing the collection of personal data.
Some stats:
82% of global consumers believe that companies collect too much information on consumers.
(Adobe, June 2013)
86% of US internet users have attempted to remove or mask their online activities, despite only 37% believing it is possible to be completely anonymous online.
(Pew Research Center, September 2013)
93% of email users believe that users should be able to opt-out if they don't want the content of their emails to be scanned in order to target ads.
(GfK & Microsoft, November 2013)
The challenge for businesses will be finding a balance between the very real benefits of data collection and utilization (recommendations, cross-selling, personalization, enhanced ad revenue and more), and earning the trust of increasingly HACKED OFF consumers.
Why aren’t we accompanying this trend with examples? Because NO DATA is so against the “BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST” data strategies sweeping through the business world that we haven’t seen anybody doing it well… yet!
So which major B2C brand will make NO DATA a central promise in 2014, and simply offer, “Great service, for everyone, all of the time. No data required.”?
6. THE INTERNET OF CARING THINGS
How connected objects will center around people in 2014.
In the media (and in countless innovation labs around the world), the Internet of Things in 2014 will be about the same two things as in 2013: massive numbers, and, well, things.
And when we say ‘massive’, we mean:
The Internet of Things will add USD 1.9 trillion dollars of economic value to the global economy in 2020.
In 2009, there were 2.5 billion connected devices, most of these were personal devices such as cell phones and PCs. In 2020, there will be up to 30 billion connected devices, most of which will be products.
(Both: Gartner, October 2013)
But something else will happen, too: you will see innovations pop-up left and right, centered around the Internet of CARINGThings.
Anything exceptional that ‘connected objects’ can do for consumers, whether that
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