trendwatching.com, a London-based, independent trend firm, recently published their December 2010 brief detailing consumer trends for 2011. They choose to examine eleven trends, which I’ve abbreviated and commented on below.
See how these trends impact your brand today and in the future. Are you already taking advantage of these changes? Are you ready in the very near future? How will you be moving the needle in the new year?
1 | RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
In 2011, expect companies to monitor consumers’ public moods and act upon them with random acts of kindness as social networks enable brands to know what’s going on (or not going on, as the case may be) in consumers’ lives. Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare posts and check-ins will become beacons for those who may need a boost. These consumers will be looking for authenticity, but as the two examples below illustrate, some brands already deliver the goods:
Interflora, a flower delivery service, brightens up the lives of Twitter users by sending them flowers. Twitter monitoring finds users that might need cheering up and when found, a tweet and a surprise bouquet arrive to do the trick.
KLM Royal Dutch Airline’s location-based initiative surprises passengers at the airport with personalized gifts. Using Foursquare check-ins, a “Surprise Team” learns who is flying, a few more details about a particular passenger, determines an appropriate gift and then delivers it before their flight.
2 | URBANOMICS
“Today, half the world’s population—3 billion people—lives in urban areas. Close to 180,000 people move into cities daily, adding roughly 60 million new urban dwellers each year.” (Source: Intuit, October 2010)
Viewed as more daring, more experienced, and more likely to try out new products and services, brands will find more opportunities with urban consumers as they gravitate toward experiences targeted to their wants, needs, and desires. Hometown pride is put into overdrive as campaigns set their sights on very localized messaging.
3 | PRICING PANDEMONIUM
Trendwatch.com notes that “mobile devices increasingly enable consumers to find or receive dynamic deals right at the point of sale, or to compare prices online.”
The smartphone has changed the coupon forever, and in 2011 it will be hard to beat the always-on, always-available point-of-purchase positives of mobile commerce as saving is smart and sexy again. Keep an eye on or, better yet, get your brands into group buying, member sales, flash sales, local discounts and dynamic pricing. With more than two billion online consumers flexing their buying muscles there’s more reason than ever to encourage and engage them.
4 | MADE FOR CHINA (IF NOT BRIC)
As geopolitical and economic power shifts, watch as “Western” brands launch new products or new brands in emerging markets. Following the money won’t simply be enough, but brands that tap into a bit of local flavor and exclusivity will reap the rewards of recognizing new consumers and reacting to their specific drives.
Brands that are reaching out and resonating with localized messages and products:
• Levi’s dENIZEN jeans
• Luxe brands Dior and Hermés
• BMW, Honda, Nissan and GM
• Apple
5 | ONLINE STATUS SYMBOLS
Showing off one’s connectedness will remain an important sign of status and cool in 2011. And the brands that offer these signs and symbols to customers, online and in the “real world,” will not only assist consumers in their display but will also begin to bridge both worlds.
Some examples:
Tweets are applied to tangible items, pulling the virtual/online content creation into consumers’ lives and those of their friends. Everything from books and household items (see my recent Talent Zoo post on Tweetwrap) to wearables can be processed in minutes and in your hands in days.
Foursquare check-ins turn into badges such as the Supermayor badge (awarded when someone is mayor of 10 different places at once), the Entourage badge (awarded when checking in with 10 friends), and even the “Baggage Handler” badge (awarded when checking in at an airport with words along the lines of “TSA,” “touch,” or “Don’t touch my junk!”).
6 | WELLTHY
Good health, the ultimate “badge,” will be even more important to consumers as they look to brands to aid them in improving their well-being. With an estimated 500 million people worldwide expected to use mobile healthcare applications by 2015 (Source: Research2Guidance, November 2010), it appears that smartphones will be key in porting these brand messages to consumers actively engaged in health related activities.
trendwatch.com notes the brands that are already delivering on this:
The Strollometer tracks speed, distance traveled, time spent exercising and speeds. A website stores data and displays results.
Sleep On It tracks sleeping patterns and lets users track duration and quality of sleep, naps, and mood to chart health and quality of life.
Motion-sensing game controllers by Microsoft and Sony use new technology to detect users’ movements during gameplay, enhancing the gaming experience and adding a health and fitness component.
7 | SOCIAL-LITES AND TWINSUMERS
As technology and networks further enable consumers to create, collect, and distribute comments and content on the brands they love (or feel otherwise toward), 2011 will see the continued growth of online word-of-mouth. The folks at trendwatch.com define these active and actively consuming users “Twinsumers… those with similar consumption patterns, likes and dislikes and are hence valuable sources for recommendations on what to buy and experience.” The “Social-Lites” are described as those actively engaged in building their personal brand and see the curation of opinions and other types of content as the currency necessary to their online existence.
What can brands do to leverage this trend? Create engaging content that begs to be shared. How should brands do this? Know the consumer, especially those whose identity is built on the sharing of highly engaging and relevant content, and interact with them in a respectful, real, and transparent way.
8 | EMERGING GENEROSITY
86% of global consumers believe that businesses need to place equal weight on society’s interests and business interests (Source: Edelman, November 2010). As younger consumers continue to give, they expect that their generosity will be mirrored by the brands that they buy.
According to trendwatch.com, any brand doing well will be expected to give transparently, with absolutely no excuses.
9 | PLANNED SPONTANEITY
Say what?! You read that right.
Watch more and more consumers sign up for services (the “planned”) that enable connection at a moment’s notice (the “spontaneity”). Location-based tools plus ubiquitous text-enabled and smart phones make this sharing even easier for those who want it now and want others to know about it. Here are two brands that are doing just that:
Geomium takes data from local review sites like Yelp, pairs it with social information, and allows users discover nearby friends, events, and deals.
Unsocial connects people in the same profession or industry using a location-based platform, membership database, and a “People” button to display colleagues nearby.
10 | ECO SUPERIOR
Sustainable products won’t be enough to sway consumers in 2011. With early adopters and eco-assertive consumer numbers flattening, brands will need to be green and good. Mainstream consumers will demand superior quality and value in addition to “green” designs and features. Brands will need to step up and deliver to a much more skeptical marketplace.
trendwatch.com also suggests that we’ll continue to see a trend that started in 2010: forced intervention. As federal, state, and local regulations in the U.S. take effect, we could see consumers confronted with a no-choice option and a change in behavior could be dictated by law instead of the marketplace. We are already seeing that in the San Francisco Bay Area (Northern California) as state and local laws are forcing change in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.
11 | OWNER-LESS
As consumers crave and collect more things, the need to “own” is not as important as the desire for the experience. Everything, from jewelry and handbags to gadgets and cars, has been available to consumers on a “borrowing” basis. As urban consumers’ influence grows, we may see more brands responding to these space-limited but experimental and adventurous “buyers.”
Zipcar showed us that automobile ownership was not a requirement for getting around on the roads and we’re already seeing start-ups demostrate this with other means of transport—scooters, vans, and bicycle sharing, for example. We will also continue to see the sharing of transportation, durable goods, and even housing between consumers as well. As trendwatch.com notes, “2011 could be the year when sharing and renting really tips into mainstream consumer consciousness.”
You make a lot of good points on this blog. Keep up the great work.
Please keep the info flowing about this!