Fjord Trends 2020: Walking barcodes
Scott Weisbrod
Global Customer Experience Strategy and Design Executive, Former Partner at Accenture, Former Head of Innovation and Design at Manulife
By now, many of us have come to expect – and seek out – targeted content online. As a result, companies have become completely in tune with consumers, catering to their desires without them being directly expressed.
This year, personalized advertisements and experiences are set to move offline as people embrace the role of “Walking barcodes.” This concept – our third Fjord Trend for 2020 – explores how people’s bodies have become their signature.
Through advancements in machine learning and machine reading, we’ve effectively merged our digital and physical selves. Soon, we will be as trackable in the real world as we are online. As this happens, companies will begin to revolutionize physical experiences, and redefine what’s possible to make them more memorable and meaningful.
Just last year, Disney piloted an interactive movie poster in partnership with Accenture Interactive. The AI-powered experience used photography, facial recognition and emotion recognition to display a version of the Dumbo movie poster that corresponded with the feelings felt by the person looking at it.
Organizations aren’t the only ones in control of this technology. Self-managed identity solutions are also growing in popularity, enabling people to personally maintain a “good digital identity.” This capability recently became the focus of a key, forward-thinking initiative at the World Economic Forum.
As with many of this year’s Fjord Trends, we’re just starting to see the possibilities of how far this technology can go. In addition to the above examples, facial and body language recognition have enabled seamless interfaces that allow people to unlock things, curate and create content, pay for purchases and interact with the world in new ways.
Similar developments will be inevitable as 5G unlocks innovative, inter-connected products and services. We’ll also see the Internet of Bodies added to the Internet of Things, facilitating new business models such as bundling and more effective advertising.
The benefits, however, can only be attained with some careful considerations. Given the wealth of data being handled, privacy and security will need to remain top of mind. For example, screen-based interaction will soon start to decline, meaning organizations need to factor transparency and consent into data exchanges. Tangible value adds will also be more important than ever in maximizing brand loyalty and ROI.
To learn more about “Walking barcodes” and all of this year’s Fjord Trends, browse the full report and stay tuned for more insights.