6 TRENDS AFFECTING THE FUTURE CONSUMER TODAY

To quote the late, great Harry Nilsson (by way of songwriter Fred Neil): "Everybody's talkin' at me/ I don't hear a word they're saying/Only echoes of my mind."

Only we're living in an, "Everybody's TWEETIN' at me" world and the echoes of our mind are AI bots saving our personal data so we can become better, more efficient, shoppers.

We are the future consumer and these are the technology trends that affect us today:

1) Hyper-individualization

Customer data collected by a consumer’s favorite stores is becoming the norm. Soon detailed profiles will be based on past purchases and interaction with brands. Personalized shopping experiences will be attributed to the Internet of Things learning consumer behavior through sensors. From consumer Big Data, customers will be able to purchase products based on their personal attributes. Privacy will become an even more debated topic with the most successful brands as the ones who respect consumer privacy most.

2) Virtual reality

Virtual reality headsets are coming to every smartphone and every living room. From everything from gaming to shopping sessions, consumers will be able to shop in virtual stores from the comfort of their bed. Retailers will customize stores to the preferences and habits of each individual customer.

3) Crowdsourced design

Businesses are capitalizing on customer creativity, needs, and experience. The customer is now as actively involved in a business’ product design as it is its profit earnings. For example, in 2013 Tesco introduced the first socially created wine and I recently crowdsourced the cover of my newest book.

4) AI will be everywhere …. But not doing everything

Artificial intelligence bots are becoming responsible for most basic customer care but there will always still be the need for that human touch. AI is growing as smart technologies do, but the companies that succeed will be the ones who still rely on human interaction for customer satisfaction.

5) Social media will have many other capabilities

Currently two-thirds of Americans get their news from social media. Soon that number could easily double. As social media evolves so do in-app purchases, web-wide searches, aggregated news and content, plus predictive individualization will break up social siloism, allowing users to connect, search, and shop all from social media platforms that seamless integrate with one another.

6) Interactive experiences

Customers want to experience technology, but not only through their devices. Pop-up, integrated experiences are becoming much more ubiquitous. Look at the sold out run of the Museum of Ice Cream—or better yet, what we’re accomplishing teaching STEM to families and young kids through food + tech at Sue’s Tech Kitchen. Learning is becoming a more hands-on adventure. Soon VR arcades, educational interactions, and other pop-up experiences will replace the cinema and become a bona fide family entertainment option—if not more so!