What exactly is a Futurist?

The global pandemic has disrupted everything; the way we live, our health and wellbeing, the way we view work and the way we integrate technology into our lives. More disruptive change could come from anywhere and at any time, how would you prepare for the unexpected? Some people wouldn't. They are happy to go with the flow and 'make it up as they go long'.

Businesses struggle to do that because a lack of future planning brings chaos, risky investment, waste and poor decision making. It makes sense for them to future plan and map out a range of possible scenarios that create a preparedness that helps them weather future trends and changes, whatever they may be.

Futurists are people whose specialty is systematically exploration of past trends and future possibilities. They apply a scientific method of analysis and build a picture of likely futures and the impact they will have on an industry or sector. This enables companies who want to invest in their future a way of doing that to get the most from their resources. Clients are usually major corporations, investors, educational establishments and governments who need to forecast what their industry or sector will be like in the future.

Interestingly, the pandemic as seen more SMEs take advantage of such specialists to help them divide longer term business strategies to help them capitalise on competitive edge and technological developments.

Futurists do not have a crystal ball or tell fortunes, but they can suggest what is likely based on their analysis. By exploring the possibilities and opportunities that exist in future scenarios, clients develop the capacity to handle the unknown without falling apart. If plans that can accommodate a number of scenarios exist, then they don’t need to worry about the future. They can rest assured that they have enough in place to prevent catastrophe, maybe enough to get ahead of the disruptive change and make it work for them.

“The future is already here, it’s just not very evenly distributed” William Gibson Author

In 1995, eBay first appeared on the horizon and created a lot of excitement. Strangers began to trade with each other. You trusted somebody you'd never met to sell you something, and you agreed to pay them! EBay, created a reputation system, for both sellers and buyers that enabled strangers to conduct economic transactions easily and with confidence. The online payment system Paypal became a new kind of currency. The question futurists were asking at the turn of this century was how will this change the way that people buy in 2020?

The pandemic has seen huge numbers of SMEs take their business online. Artisan businesses who always traded at fairs or artisan markets were reluctant to trade online because of a perception that their buyers would only purchase if they could see their good, handle the merchandise and fall in love with the object before they bought it.

Purchases on the other hand, disliked being confined to home, were not spending money in an adhoc way due to lockdown restrictions but new that birthday and Christmas gifts could be delivered by post.

The businesses that have really capitalised on this trend have been the ones that made a seamless transition and took their business online at the beginning of the pandemic. Those agile enough to adopt and adapt the technology to serve their clients without a break in service. The ones still struggling to keep their heads above water will have done little or nothing about future-proofing their business.