Working for a creative agency, I am surrounded by digital natives, big thinkers, innovators and technical geniuses.

This causes me to sometimes forget that not all people or brands are as modern or advanced, as what we are surrounded with daily, and deem ‘normal’. Not in the sense that  I don’t know that there’s are a lot of people that do not have a smartphone or access to the internet. But I refer to the people and brands that I interact with in this city, ie my friends, the café around the corner, the grocery store.

A website with navigation labels that make no sense to me, because they are based on the revenue model for the internal departments of the company? Really?

An online complaint form with a limited amount of characters you can enter? Really?

The concept of ‘taking a number’ putting you in the back of a queue of 30 people, using a touchscreen which has a delay of 5 seconds? Really? (I have to admit that it is hilarious to watch how people get worked up and attack the machine).

Because I don’t want to be naive and ignore the large amounts of people that are still catching up (according to the diffusion of innovation  a ‘late majority’ account for 34%), I thought of looking back at the trends of 2012. This way, brands and people who are still adapting to consumer behaviours, needs and mainstream) technologies, can get up to speed. Because even though the trends are from 2012, this list is not all old news now that we are in 2013. Most trends evolve over time, forcing brands to look forward and adapt to their consumer needs.

For instance ‘Flawsome’, trend #8, talks about consumers appreciating brands that show their flaws. This trend has actually evolved into the current trend of ‘Human Brands’, in which everything from disgust to the influence of online culture (with its honesty and immediacy), is driving consumers away from bland, boring brands in favour of brands with some personality.

1. The first trend is Red Carpet, referring to the showering of Chinese customers (China is the new emporer). Department stores, airlines, hotels, theme parks and museums, if not entire cities, around the world are going out of their way with tailored services and perks, with attention and respect for the Chinese. As an example, department store Harrods in London, employed 70 Mandarin-speaking members of staff.

2. DIY Health, refers to the ‘Do It Yourself’ trend, specifically for health. Novel apps and devices will increasingly let consumers discreetly track and manage their health by themselves. Some of these inventions might refer to ‘first world problems’, but some are actually very helpful. For instance Lifelens has created a smartphone app to diagnose malaria. The app can analyze a magnified image of a drop of blood (captured via a simple finger prick) and identify malarial parasites.

3. For consumers, securing the best deals is fast becoming a way of life, if not a source of pride and status. Dealer-Chic refers to the integral part of daily life, that is deal hunting. And we don’t mean just shoes. In September 2011, The National Louis University in Chicago became the first educational establishment in the world to sell a course on a daily deal site.

4. While in times of recession, economic interests tend to overrule eco-causes, the quest for a more sustainable lifestyle will remain a most pressing issue for years to come. We picked one ‘green’ trend (out of many) for this 2012 list: Eco-Cycology. This is the phenomenon of brands helping consumers recycle by taking back all old items from customers, and then actually doing something constructive with them. Think Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe scheme that collects and recycles worn-out Nike shoes. But also think Garnier’s Personal Care and Beauty Brigade program, where collection and recycling of beauty packaging is used to make playground equipment across the US.

5. Cashless has been popping-up in every trend list since 2005. And again, this year will still not be the year everyone swipes their smartphones… However, players like Google and MasterCard will actively roll out their cashless initiatives around the world. For consumers, the initial lure will be convenience, but eventually mobile payments will create an entirely new data-driven eco-system of rewards, purchase history, deals and so on.

6. Bottom Of the Urban Pyramid (BOUP) refers to the opportunity to cater to hundreds of millions of lowincome urban consumers. Driven by extreme urbanization on a global scale, more consumers than ever (the hundreds of millions of CITYSUMERS who don’t have middle-class salaries to spend) demand innovation tailored to their unique circumstances, from health issues to lack of space to the need for durability. And remember, BOUP consumers have materialistic and aesthetic desires too. An example is ‘Aakash’, an Android-based, wifi-enabled tablet computer, made in India and very low-cost (US$60, and (subsidized by the Government of India) US$35 for students).

7. Expect crowd-based problem solving to fuel endless innovations, as for consumer contributing will be more effortless than ever. Idle Sourcing will continue to shake up business processes and unlock new possibilities.

8. Brands that behave more humanly, including showing their flaws, will be awesome. Success in business is more than just being aware of new techniques and technologies. Consumers won’t expect brands to be flawless, but will embrace brands that are flawsome. Flawsome entails being honest about flaws, show empathy, generosity, humility, flexibility, maturity, humor and some character and humanity.

9. Life will take place via ever more pervasive, personal, immersive and interactive screens. Screen Culture is the medium through which many trends in this list manifest themselves. Screens will be even more: ubiquitous / mobile / cheap / always on; interactive and intuitive (touch); an interface to everything and anything (cloud). Conmsumers will not care about the screen, but rather what they can access through it.

10. ‘Trading in’ is the new buying. It’s never been easier for consumers to unlock the value in past purchases. Instead of just durable goods like cars, now everything is up for ‘recommerce’, even experiences. The drivers behind this phenomenon are: the craving of new experiences (nextism); the status boost from being savvy and environmentally responsible (statusphere); and creative solutions to spend less in recession (excusumption). For instance US-based DealsGoRound allows users to resell and buy past Groupon, LivingSocial, and BuyWithMe deals.

11. Emerging Maturialism concerns the trend that experienced, open-minded consumers are able to handle much more honest conversations, more daring innovations, more quirky flavors, and more risqué experiences. These consumers increasingly appreciate brands that push the boundaries, and no longer tolerate being treated like yesteryear’s easily shocked, inexperienced, middle-of-the-road audiences.

12. Point & Know is about instant visual information gratification. The race is on to add a (useful) real world element to textual search and textual information. Think about Augmented Reality, QR codes bringing information  about the object and people to consumers, in real time. There is a need and expectation of instant information and instant access deeply ingrained in the SEE-HEAR-BUY consumer. Consumers will use their ‘always-in-my-pocket’ smartphones to search stories, origins, price comparisons, reviews, ecommerce and so on.

In 2013, even more so than in 2012, I believe there are more opportunities than ever for creative brands and entrepreneurs to deliver on changing consumer needs.

http://completesavingsuk.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/home_shop.jpg

http://trendwatching.com/trends/pdf/2011-12%2012%20TRENDS%202012.pdf