Mobile

Implications - Appealing to consumers' desire to realize their full potential, tech companies are releasing products with a focus on their ability to improve productivity. Often adopting a tech-enabled form of gamification to reach that end, this shift is reflective of the increasing role brands have to play when it comes to helping consumers become their idealized selves.

Homework Question - What are your consumers trying to achieve in their lives? How could you better align your brand with those goals? [More]

Implications - The health and wellness movement has led to more consumers than ever paying attention to the way they care for their minds and bodies. With this has come an influx of products and services to help facilitate this, and more recently, accompanying apps to helps consumers track their goals and progress related to self-care. This shift is reflective of a consumer base more willing to invest their time and money into their well-being, and a willingness to adopt technology to accomplish their goals.

Homework Question - What goals are your consumers most focused on accomplishing? What role could your brand play in helping them achieve those goals? [More]

Implications - Aligning with heightened consumer expectations with regard to convenience, food pickup experiences are getting a refresh by becoming more seamless. By introducing apps as well as in-store infrastructure to support the pickup process, brands are improving not only the customer experience involved in this process, but creating a smoother operation for the restaurant brands who adopt this approach.

Homework Question - What steps could you eliminate in your customer's journey? [More]

Implications - The adoption of eye-tracking technologies into entertainment and marketing-related products is on the rise, offering both function and intrigue for consumers who interact with it. Such technology has vast implications in industries concerned with accessibility, gaming and/or campaigning, and offer a high level of customization for consumers.

Homework Question - Conceptualize a product, service or campaign that could incorporate eye-tracking tech. [More]

Implications - The popularity of augmented reality within the entertainment space is vast, however the technology is now increasingly incorporated into functional apps that allow for the testing of design concepts before consumers purchase or move forward with them. These apps strengthen consumer loyalty for the fact that they offer consumers the perception of choice and customization, rather than pressuring them to purchase the products being sold.

Homework Question - Conceptualize an augmented reality app that could customize your consumer's path to purchase. [More]

Implications - Going beyond biometric integration into tangible identification systems, governments and other organizations are increasingly offering options for exclusively virtual forms of identification. As a complement to existing ID cards, users are now able to choose between presenting a physical card and a digital copy. This shift speaks to consumer preference for the balance between the continued blurring of our physical and virtual selves and our desire for convenience and security in every day life.

Homework Question - How will shifts in virtual identity impact your industry? [More]

Implications - As mindfulness becomes a more idealized state for consumers, tech companies are debuting products and services that allow their customers to interact with their products in a way that supports a life lived with more presence. Be it an accessory for a device or a feature built into an app, the focus on the detrimental effects of technology addiction is impacting the expectations that consumers have for products in this space.

Homework Question - How could you update your offering to better support the personal development goals of your consumer? [More]

Implications - Tracking finances is no easy feat, and consumers are looking for more streamlined solutions to make banking and saving money more intuitive. Tapping platforms and services that integrate organizational capabilities and AI features, consumers seeking out ways to better track and monitor their savings through tech and platforms they're already accustomed to. Utilizing predictive technology and organizational frameworks, consumers are taking a hands-off approach to keeping their finances in line through emerging technology, apps and platforms that they're already used to using.

Homework Question - In what ways could you make your product offerings more efficient and hands-off? What technology could you integrate? [More]

Implications - Seeking to ease anxiety and stress that often accompanies financial saving, younger consumers, like Millennials, are tapping into automated alternatives to make the process more streamlined. More than just tracking everyday finances, platforms and financial services are arising that allow consumers to automatically save, invest and contribute to an overall financially secure future. Whether it be tying payment transactions to investments or automatically converting spare change into digital currencies, Millennials are seeking out ways to save that require little to no effort.

Homework Question - How could you adapt your services or product offerings to become more seamless within your consumer's day-to-day routine? What steps could you eliminate? [More]

Implications - As consumers turn to social media and online platforms for places to connect, more inclusive alternatives are arising to provide a greater sense of community and empowerment. Whether it be female-centric apps focusing on encouraging women to online platforms that provide a motivational outlet and guide for men, these digital communities are showcasing a desire for consumers to not only stay connected, but a desire for more inclusive, hyper-targeted mediums for expression.

Homework Question - In what ways could you hyper-personalize your products and services? How can you be more inclusive with your marketing approaches? [More]