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Latest trends | 2016
coupon the world
We live in the world of discounts and promotions. Retailers try to shape and control the consumer’s behaviour and their spending habits. There are so many coupons and sales that everyone became a „smart” shopper. Because of these eye-caching messages the attention of the people was aroused. There are several given conditions in connection with the coupons when using them – these conditions are not popular among consumers. Shops, retailers, companies and discounts manage our life, thus the horizon of customers’ plans is becoming shorter. We go for a shopping more often than before and retailers affect the object and the timing of our purchases. This way it can easily lead to the production of surplus and wasting. Rational shopping and getting value for money are the aims of the future. The venues of shopping change, food retail chains’ shops became lifestyle shops. Despite of the increase in online shopping, where sales and coupons affect shoppers, the biggest potential is in non-store sales. With the increasing usage of mobile wallet the option of paying without cash is spreading. Also the paying with action has big potential when the brand features are highlighted.
fake-shopping
We are looking around among the offers but we do not buy anything. We share, we recommend, we plan, we put products on the wish list or into the cart but we do not accomplish the actual purchase. ’Fake-shopping’ or fauxumerism is more frequent than before because of the appearance of multi-channel shopping platforms. This does not mean else than the whole purchase process from discovering the options of a purchase to select the suitable product. For consumers the reason of lack of shopping motivation is not (just) financial, but it is the desire to be entertained and to deepen the relation between themselves and the brand, the product. According to this trend customers buy the selected product later, but that is not that exciting than ’fake-shopping’. There is a growing number of shopping curators, but there is a doubt about them if they have the experience with the given products. Another manifestation of ’fake-shopping’ is NOwning which means that the consumer is using the product but he/she is not the owner of it. Sharing economy is another phenomenon which is in a boom. The appearance of it is expected on several markets in the near future. Due to the democratization of e-commerce MEtailor (ME seller) was born. This means that the individual as an independent operator at the market provides service, product or advice for a reward.
desire for simple life
The desire for slowing down and having a slower life is still a trend. There are factors which exhaust consumers such as fast information flow, the possibility and requirement of instant reactions, the fear of staying out and the complexity of work. To compensate these effects consumers try to create the ’island of calm’, they try to be closer to the environment and each other. Urban farmers appear who grow plants for themselves or for their tight environment. Local things and the searching of authenticity are still important. To find those products which are reliable with constant quality is difficult and needs lots of time and energy. That is why people prefer mediators who find these products and bring it to our home. Simplicity and transparent solutions and linking services to each other like an ecosystem of services to help the everyday life of people. The imperfection of nature is becoming the Perfect. Raw, forcefulness, resistance and vitality are important expressions. By these keywords and brands are becoming more acceptable and consumers may think that the brands are closer to them than ever.
betterment
Consumers put their expectation level a bit higher again: they want better quality, higher standard of living, better everydays and they set higher expectations for themselves as well. Knowledge, health and acquiring new skills are in the focus. As new technologies are democratized and become available, brands can reach the consumers on more channels than before. People can get to know new cultures and they can integrate this knowledge, thus people can have a wide variety of knowledge and creativity as well. We do not need to travel to the other side of the world to learn something from Dustin Hoffmann. It is a status symbol if someone has a healthy life, is smart and professional and can create spectacularly, in one world he/she is able to develop him/herself. These attributes are engaging for consumers – if they find that characteristics which help them to reach the increase of their status. As the brand takes responsibility for teaching the consumers, the relation between consumers and the brand is becoming deeper. This makes a product more charismatic.
latent fears
After the economic crisis consumers are brave again to plan and have expectations about their future. But there are events and processes which appear out of nowhere and makes people unsure about planning their future. These events are for example migrant crisis or the bankruptcy of a financial institution. Due to these phenomena there are groups who are sceptic about the activities of companies, brands and retailers and they express their doubts via different platforms. New strategies should be created in order to eliminate the effects of these events and fears. Despite of the initiatives for defending people’s data more and more consumers think over the risks of BigData. Before making a decision consumers will search for additional information such as the opinion of experts. They’ll need transparent information. Consumers will also claim those possibilities which allow them to control how others can see them, their life.
new symbiosis
Forget the traditional segmentation of the society such as identifying groups based on gender, age, income, type of habitation or marital status. Nowadays we live among fast changing, multicolored social and demographic processes which overwrite the traditional rules and systems. Instead of this people do not agree with conventions, their life is free and they extend the identification of themselves and their lifestyles. We need to live together with new aspects, phenomena and people – we cannot choose whom we would live together and whom we would not, we need to adopt them as they are. We can talk about migrants, gay people, people or families who live special lifestyle. Since the members of society highlight the cognition and adoption of their identity it is inevitable for different kind of people from different world to meet and be in contact with each other. These situations need the strengthening of adoption and tolerance, however, they can point out new possibilities, markets or positions as well.
sensitivity
People are focusing on themselves, ME is getting in the middle of thinking. A developing momentum of this is that people are sensitive to something like food, pollen, sun,…, the world. There is an increasing need for products and services which are connected to this phenomenon. ’Sensitive’ and ’free’ (alcohol-free, gluten-free etc.), natural became a popular world. These worlds mean new markets for ’sensitive’ companies. Due to the spreading of digital culture, the desire for naturalness and technology can be treated as an interconnecting system. From this interconnection a new lifestyle called New Natural lifestyle was established. Identifying different physical and mental diseases by an expert or self-diagnosis can be the reason of sensitiveness. With this sensitiveness we show the desire for an interesting individuality: it is a good creator of identity if someone is sensitive, thus he/she selects and is an opinion leader. This topic is extended on social sensitivity as well. For a charity activity there is no need of a big organization, it is most likely organized grass-roots with the participation of individuals and NGOs. These kinds of activities mean status increasing for individuals, especially when the individual shows the charityME by posting it on social media.
error area
We live the era of rational, smart and deliberate choices, we consciously assess the available information before purchasing. We are proud of being conscious. Ascetic consuming is feasible for a narrow group of people. It means the searching, finding, purchasing and enjoying those products or services which contribute to live a pure and free of everything lifestyle. It does not work for everyone, because for some people it makes to lose the enjoyment due to the totally ascetic expectations. Sometimes, because of time constraints, we need to let ourselves to have a little bit of indulgence such as having carbohydrate in our carbohydrate-free lifestyle, or some dirty food for dinner. A few years ago people were looking for the joy of indulgence, they were glad to have small luxury in their life. Nowadays people are permissive about little indulgences in life, because they can allow a little error and maybe it is needed sometimes.
created emotions
Consumers require more emotions in their everyday life, however, they want to manage their own emotions as well. To read/understand someone’s mood and to react on that mood is pointing out the appearance of a new market: mood-marketing. Nowadays we have several devices which help us to decode or change with rewards these emotions of the consumer. The devices are for example face reading devices or funny communication tools. ‘Moodmarketing’ has great future possibilities. It’s success can be in personalization and playfulness. To have an exciting life good mood, being healthy and having energy is necessary. We can reach to feel good or to regain energy artificially, even with lifestyle medicines, natural ’mood-medicines’ or other tools, devices. We would like to affect our mood, and even the way how we sleep and what we dream.