Acceleration

Implications - Whether seeking to achieve their New Year’s resolutions or just become better humans, consumers are integrating supportive technology to help them stay on track through positive encouragement. With self-care and personal betterment on the rise as growing priorities among young consumers already inundated with high-stress lifestyles, self-help technology that reminds them to be mindful of their goals keeps them positive and productive while making every moment count. [More]

Implications - In the information age, times of political unrest are magnified by the rapid-fire spread of information on social media. Social media spread often also simplifies said issues, making newsbites that are easier to consume, but more difficult to act upon. Services are coming forward with solutions to this stressful cycle. By injecting the act of consuming and sharing news with opportunities to act on important causes, social media sharing becomes solution-based. [More]

Implications - Technology can satisfy many senses, however the relationship between tech and the sense of smell has remained untapped til now. This is due to more than technological advancement. The mainstream acceptance of VR and AR technologies has ushered in a consumer demand for even more immersion. In this regard, integrating scent was the natural next step, and speaks to the importance of maintaining foresight when using new technologies. [More]

Implications - A lower percentage of Millennials are purchasing cars than any other generation, which has those in the automotive world rethinking industry standards. Integration of AR technology into the sales process speaks to the desires of today's youth consumer. By making use of multisensory technology that is interactive, the auto industry demonstrates the agility needed to accommodate fast-emerging, and even faster transforming, consumer desires. [More]

Implications - Already touted as the number one beverage for hydrated, glowing skin, water is being taken to the next level with beauty boosters that promise to ramp up the beauty game and overall well-being of drinkers. As consumers become increasingly aware of the impacts of diet on their physical appearance, getting the most possible benefits out of the foods and drinks consumed becomes a priority, with boosted waters offering the value of multi-tasking efficiency. [More]

Implications - Demonstrating the importance of having gadgets that pertain to their individualistic lifestyles and identities, consumers are increasingly drawn towards smartwatches that are more specifically targeted rather than general fitness trackers. This shift in preference towards more personalized performance is indicative of the acceptance of smartwatches and fitness wearables as everyday necessities that consumers want to increasingly integrate into their daily routines. [More]

Implications - As consumers become more familiar with alternative protein sources in food and beverage, popular superfoods such as spirulina can be seen incorporated into beauty and skincare products that target a variety of aesthetic concerns. This shift highlights the symbiotic relationship between the skincare and food and beverage worlds in the era of health and wellness, and the influence this relationship has on marketing of such ingredients outside of the industry in which they first appeared to consumers. [More]

As eSports continues to grow in popularity and brands and institutions increasingly understand the implications it has in different fields, educational services and programs that cater to those interested in this industry are beginning to pop up. Where eSports was once understood as a subculture, the industry is now being built from the ground up in a way that establishes more comprehensive processes related to how it will impact business, entertainment, the legal system, and consumer behavior – all through various educational tools. [More]

Implications - With the proliferation of unique personas and avatars at consumers' disposal in the digital sphere, brands offering physical products need to find way to match that degree of individuality. Clothing retailers have managed to do so by creating items that react to the wearers' bodies and surroundings, ensuring that, though fashioned through same process, each piece is unique. Brands accessing reactivity stand a better chance of appealing to consumers' individualistic self-perceptions. [More]

Implications - One of the key appeals of the sharing economy is the heightened convenience that its services offer over traditional competitors. As consumers grow more accustomed to these conveniences, extraneous brands are further amplifying the handiness of ride-sharing services by harmonizing with them. With consumers coming to expect previously unheard of on-demand services in all aspects of their lives, the logical next paradigm requires hyper-convenient offerings that hybridize multiple convenience-based industries. [More]