🔮 The Future of Consumer Expectations: Predictions to Watch 🔮

At last week’s Braze conference, Trendwatching’s Victoria Loomes shared some of her company’s major predictions for consumer expectations. Which of these might surprise you and which are you already anticipating and integrating into your strategy? Please share in the comments below.

1.     360 Commerce

First up is the idea that consumers should be able to make purchases almost anywhere - in-app, on web, wherever they’re browsing. People reading a recipe will soon expect to be able to hit a button to buy those ingredients. See a pair of boots you like online, simply highlight them and click to buy.

Brands that are already embracing this approach include the NY Times and Weight Watchers, who have both started to integrate the Instacart API into their offerings. And Snapchat and cosmetic company NYX Cosmetics recently teamed up for a campaign in which users were able to apply filters to “try on” make-up looks and then buy directly.

2.     Gen AI

Not surprisingly, it didn’t take Victoria long to mention Gen AI, which, as we all know, is transforming customer service offerings. Yes, those bots are (finally) beginning to provide meaningful answers to questions. But brands are also now coming under pressure to integrate this capability into the product offerings themselves. And not only online: Victoria highlighted the example of Smartify which provides personalised gallery and museum tours using Gen AI. Retailers are now investing in this space big time – are you keeping up?

3.     The back-lash against “blanding”

Consumers are bored of same-ness and want to add their own voice and personal touch to their choices. Victoria called this “the rise of remixing” – letting people hack brands for their own personal needs and preferences. We saw mash-ups of Lego “Birkin” bags, Blue Sky allowing people to choose their algorithmic settings, and Arc Browser helping you personalise how any website looks. We’re entering the age of infinite personalisation.

4.     Empathy Endurance

“Loyalty” is in something of a tailspin, with many consumers sensing that brands they used to love are more focused on their own costs than their customers. Victoria stressed the need for what she called “empathy endurance” – showing your customers you understand their situation and want to help. French supermarket chain Carrefour is doing this by stickering products that have “shrunk” in size but cost the same, thus tackling shrinkflation head-on, rather than dodging it. Google is now giving price guarantees on flights advertised there. And when customers browse an item of clothing at Croissant, the site displays an estimate of what they might get for it in the 2^nd-hand market, and commit to buy it back for that price within a year. Smart.

5.     Shopping as a side-show

The shopping element of an experience may become secondary to the entertainment value. In their “Best Elf”campaign and their offering on Roblox, “Elf Up”, the eponymous cosmetics company seeks to shift the focus to meditation, well-ness support, entrepreneurship and change-making rather than actually buying their products.  What about you? Are you positioned to deliver amazing experiences with a side-serving of commerce?

6.     More social from social

Finally - guess what? People are looking for more connection with their brand. Yep, Victoria is yet another person flying the flag for recognising that consumers are hungry for an authentic connection with others. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you’ll know we’ve shared many examples of brands who do this well, but Victoria spotlighted Rare Beauty, and the recent launch of their “Comfort Club Community”. This digital hub is “dedicated to providing its community with strategies for finding comfort” – clearly they recognise the need to provide added value and authentic connection.  

Crystal Ball time

How many of these predictions will come true? One common thread seems to be that personalisation, authenticity and customer-centricity are going to be key, no matter what. And we wouldn’t want to bet against that.

---

The Subscription Economy 2024

Do you work for a subscription business? What challenges are you facing this year? What are you particularly excited about? We’d love to hear from you 🕺 ….Please participate in our annual subscription economy survey to share your views.

🔍 Key Areas We Explore:

·       Major pain points and hurdles you are facing as a subscription business

·       Trends and opportunities

·       Strategies for growth and innovation

Your voice matters. Help us paint an accurate picture of the state of our industry and pave the way for collective success. 🚀

This newsletter is brought to you by www.customer-ization.com. We work with B2C brands to activate and empower customer communities to deliver growth, retention and satisfaction. To find out more why not book a call to explore how we can help you harness your customers’ enthusiasm and achieve a step change in your business outcomes. Find out more about the work we do.