It’s been a long and busy year, and unfortunately it’s my blog that has taken a back seat. However, I’d like to get it back on track again, and thought there couldn’t be a more appropriate way to kick things back off again than with the coming year’s trends.
I’ve spent a lot of time in the past year staying on top of what’s happening in the consumer marketplace. We are in the midst of some exciting developments in lifestyle and business. While the recession has brought on difficult times for consumers, it has also changed the core of our lifestyles and how we spend money, how we interact with and rely on technology, and how we relate to one another. Based on what I see happening in the marketplace, I put forth the following trends that I believe will continue or grow in the next year.
Mobile Mania: For those of us who have a smartphone, it may be hard to believe that only around 20% of Americans have one. Not only is that going to
change quickly (smartphones are THE choice as contracts run out and phones are replaced in the coming year), but they will transform the way we all live our lives. People are significantly more connected to each other by being accessible immediately not just by phone, but also by email. Friends can shop in different stores and still help each other pick outfits by texting pictures or compare prices using the web. Businesses are finding many new ways to interact with consumers using smartphones as well using apps and QR codes, among other things. And if you don’t know what those are, just wait. You will soon.
Pricing Pandemonium: There have always been bargain hunters and penny pinchers. With the recession, the number of them has increased, and even those who are getting jobs again are keeping their newly-found frugal ways. It used to be that stores could charge different prices and out of convenience, people would still pay more in some places to avoid visiting multiple stores. Websites could also charge different prices than stores for this same reason. But with the insurgence of smartphones, people now have the ability to check prices in multiple stores as well as online within just a few keystrokes, and because they are watching their spending, those consumers are willing to go the extra mile to save a little. This is going to drive down prices and ramp up customer service as businesses compete for the dollars in our pockets. Let the chaos begin!
Tiny Treats: While it could be debated whether or not the recession is actually over, it is true that people are still more careful about their spending. However, they have been careful for a long time, so they do want to splurge a little to have some fun and relieve some of the stress. They are ready to go back to spending a little on fun things. But only a little. Vacations like local tours or camping instead of flying someplace warm, pampering treatments like manicures instead of massages or spas, nights in like takeout and a movie instead of expensive dinners out.
Local Love: The local movement actually started a few years ago with an environmental twist—it was considered green to eat food produced where you live because it saved on distribution costs and could be grown organically by a local farmer. Now the local movement has taken an interesting turn—economic and social. People are finding ways to save money by growing their own produce or buying directly from local farmers. They support local businesses to encourage job growth for their neighbors. They get coupons for local businesses through Groupon. They like news and advertisements to be personalized according to their location. Even though they have access to the whole world through the internet (and now the phone), it still comes down to what’s available just outside the front door.
Consider Compassion: On a personal note, this is one trend that I am extremely happy to see. Because so many of us have gone through rough times in the last couple of years, there has been a rise in banding together, whether it be charity work or just kind gestures by good Samaritans. Could it be that society isn’t so bad after all? I won’t hold my breath, but I like what I see right now.
Health Hubbub: This comes every year around New Years as people make their resolutions, but make no mistake, this time it’s not just about resolutions. This trend has been increasing due to a number of factors—more attention being given to the rise of obesity in America among both adults and children, the rise in popularity of certain diet fads or shows like “The Biggest Loser,” etc. But whatever the source, more people are paying attention to their waistlines. Companies are playing to this trend already, so consumers will need to become more savvy about understanding what is actually healthy and what only “sounds” healthy. For example: McDonalds is now offering oatmeal. Good idea or bad idea? You be the judge.
Work/Life Warp: This trend has been in the works for a long time. But because we are even more accessible now with the rise in smartphones and the increasing number of companies offering flexible working environments and hours, the line between our work lives and our home lives is going to continue to become even more blurry. We work at home, we do errands at work, we work with friends or even family and make friends with colleagues. Our employers are even interested in our personal lives by screening our online profiles or getting involved in improving our health to reduce insurance costs.
Compromised Companionship: Although Facebook was originally created for college students, it has become increasingly popular among a variety of age groups including senior citizens. Many say it is a great tool to help people keep in touch with family and friends. This great tool can be a blessing and a curse, though, as depending on it to follow friends and family can easily create a temptation to rely on it as the only way to keep in touch with friends and family. Facebook has caused a decrease in letters and phone calls and emails--previously traditional ways for people to keep in touch with one another. Where one person might call another to get caught up on the latest news of her life, he could now instead simply read through her recent status updates to stay up to date and save the phone call. So while Facebook is good at developing understanding between people who just met or only have a loose connection, it can actually dilute a close friendship and take the place of more meaningful conversation. I hope this trend does not continue--I wish I could say that in the coming year more people would take note of this phenomenon and make more of an effort to step away from Facebook and take their friendships offline, but I fear that will not be the case.
I can’t emphasize enough the increasing role technology is going to have in our lives. Not only are the capabilities of technology rising, but people additionally are becoming more comfortable with using it. Remember the days when people were nervous about buying things online, or sharing personal information via social networking? You can see those days are gone, so imagine all that is possible. What if I could walk through a store, take pictures of all the things that I wanted with my phone, pay for them on my phone automatically at the push of a button using a credit card number, and have them automatically delivered to my home? Think that’s pushing things too far? We’ll see…
I’ve spent a lot of time in the past year staying on top of what’s happening in the consumer marketplace. We are in the midst of some exciting developments in lifestyle and business. While the recession has brought on difficult times for consumers, it has also changed the core of our lifestyles and how we spend money, how we interact with and rely on technology, and how we relate to one another. Based on what I see happening in the marketplace, I put forth the following trends that I believe will continue or grow in the next year.
Mobile Mania: For those of us who have a smartphone, it may be hard to believe that only around 20% of Americans have one. Not only is that going to
change quickly (smartphones are THE choice as contracts run out and phones are replaced in the coming year), but they will transform the way we all live our lives. People are significantly more connected to each other by being accessible immediately not just by phone, but also by email. Friends can shop in different stores and still help each other pick outfits by texting pictures or compare prices using the web. Businesses are finding many new ways to interact with consumers using smartphones as well using apps and QR codes, among other things. And if you don’t know what those are, just wait. You will soon.Pricing Pandemonium: There have always been bargain hunters and penny pinchers. With the recession, the number of them has increased, and even those who are getting jobs again are keeping their newly-found frugal ways. It used to be that stores could charge different prices and out of convenience, people would still pay more in some places to avoid visiting multiple stores. Websites could also charge different prices than stores for this same reason. But with the insurgence of smartphones, people now have the ability to check prices in multiple stores as well as online within just a few keystrokes, and because they are watching their spending, those consumers are willing to go the extra mile to save a little. This is going to drive down prices and ramp up customer service as businesses compete for the dollars in our pockets. Let the chaos begin!
Tiny Treats: While it could be debated whether or not the recession is actually over, it is true that people are still more careful about their spending. However, they have been careful for a long time, so they do want to splurge a little to have some fun and relieve some of the stress. They are ready to go back to spending a little on fun things. But only a little. Vacations like local tours or camping instead of flying someplace warm, pampering treatments like manicures instead of massages or spas, nights in like takeout and a movie instead of expensive dinners out.
Local Love: The local movement actually started a few years ago with an environmental twist—it was considered green to eat food produced where you live because it saved on distribution costs and could be grown organically by a local farmer. Now the local movement has taken an interesting turn—economic and social. People are finding ways to save money by growing their own produce or buying directly from local farmers. They support local businesses to encourage job growth for their neighbors. They get coupons for local businesses through Groupon. They like news and advertisements to be personalized according to their location. Even though they have access to the whole world through the internet (and now the phone), it still comes down to what’s available just outside the front door.
Consider Compassion: On a personal note, this is one trend that I am extremely happy to see. Because so many of us have gone through rough times in the last couple of years, there has been a rise in banding together, whether it be charity work or just kind gestures by good Samaritans. Could it be that society isn’t so bad after all? I won’t hold my breath, but I like what I see right now.
Health Hubbub: This comes every year around New Years as people make their resolutions, but make no mistake, this time it’s not just about resolutions. This trend has been increasing due to a number of factors—more attention being given to the rise of obesity in America among both adults and children, the rise in popularity of certain diet fads or shows like “The Biggest Loser,” etc. But whatever the source, more people are paying attention to their waistlines. Companies are playing to this trend already, so consumers will need to become more savvy about understanding what is actually healthy and what only “sounds” healthy. For example: McDonalds is now offering oatmeal. Good idea or bad idea? You be the judge.
Work/Life Warp: This trend has been in the works for a long time. But because we are even more accessible now with the rise in smartphones and the increasing number of companies offering flexible working environments and hours, the line between our work lives and our home lives is going to continue to become even more blurry. We work at home, we do errands at work, we work with friends or even family and make friends with colleagues. Our employers are even interested in our personal lives by screening our online profiles or getting involved in improving our health to reduce insurance costs.
Compromised Companionship: Although Facebook was originally created for college students, it has become increasingly popular among a variety of age groups including senior citizens. Many say it is a great tool to help people keep in touch with family and friends. This great tool can be a blessing and a curse, though, as depending on it to follow friends and family can easily create a temptation to rely on it as the only way to keep in touch with friends and family. Facebook has caused a decrease in letters and phone calls and emails--previously traditional ways for people to keep in touch with one another. Where one person might call another to get caught up on the latest news of her life, he could now instead simply read through her recent status updates to stay up to date and save the phone call. So while Facebook is good at developing understanding between people who just met or only have a loose connection, it can actually dilute a close friendship and take the place of more meaningful conversation. I hope this trend does not continue--I wish I could say that in the coming year more people would take note of this phenomenon and make more of an effort to step away from Facebook and take their friendships offline, but I fear that will not be the case.
I can’t emphasize enough the increasing role technology is going to have in our lives. Not only are the capabilities of technology rising, but people additionally are becoming more comfortable with using it. Remember the days when people were nervous about buying things online, or sharing personal information via social networking? You can see those days are gone, so imagine all that is possible. What if I could walk through a store, take pictures of all the things that I wanted with my phone, pay for them on my phone automatically at the push of a button using a credit card number, and have them automatically delivered to my home? Think that’s pushing things too far? We’ll see…
