S Trend Briefing covering "10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2013" “Consumers will embrace even more ways to participate in the funding and (pre-)launch of new products and brands.” 2013 will see passionate consumers embrace two innovative new ‘consumption’ models: becoming PRESUMERS and CUSTOWNERS.
PRESUMERS love to get involved with, push, fund, and promote products and services before they are realized. And thanks to countless new crowdfunding platforms and new manufacturing technologies that are finally tipping into the mainstream (and a burgeoning, global cult of entrepreneurialism at large), the coming 12 months will see them have more opportunities than ever to do so.
No wonder that the amount PRESUMERS spent on crowdfunding platforms has risen from just USD 530 million in 2009, to USD 1.3 billion in 2011, to USD 2.8 billion in 2012 (Source: Massolution/The Economist, May 2012). For more insights, see our recent, dedicated PRESUMERS Trend Briefing » Kickstarter Project Makes Spectrometers Affordable for Citizen Scientists. Citizen scientists can test local bodies of water, soil and household products for contaminants with a new breed of spectrometers.
Spectrometers are widely used by astronomers and chemists to identify unknown materials. By making the tool more accessible, an open-research community called Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (PLOTS) is hoping to build a "Wikipedia-style library" of environmental data. Public Labs is looking for support on Kickstarter to build a kind of "Shazam for materials. " Portland entrepreneurs launch big ideas, bring products to market with crowdfunding. View full sizeRandy L. Rasmussen/The OregonianCasey Hopkins, a Southeast Portland product designer, knew he could create an iPhone charging station that functions better than any on the market now.
The 5,500 people who have pledged money to help produce his Elevation Dock apparently agree. The Internet Pulses With the Rhythms of Human Life : The Crux. Neuroskeptic is a neuroscientist who takes a skeptical look at his own field and beyond at the Neuroskeptic blog.
Life is dominated by the Earth’s cycles. Day and night, spring and autumn, change the environment in so many ways that almost all organisms regulate their activity to keep up with time and the seasons. Animals sleep, and many hibernate, moult, and breed only at certain times of the year. Plants time the growth of seeds, leaves, fruit and shoots to make the most of the weather. Captive Audience: The Future of Information in America. Dec122012 Wednesday, December 12, 6:00 pmHarvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall, Room 2012Video and audio of this event will be posted here shortly.
Join us to celebrate the release of Susan Crawford's Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age. Crawford uses the 2011 merger between Comcast and NBCU as a framework to explore how deregulatory changes in policy have created a communications crisis in America. From smartphones and television programming to the cost of high-speed Internet access, Captive Audience illustrates that in the Internet era, a very few companies control our information destiny.
The consequences: Tens of millions of Americans are being left behind, people pay too much for too little Internet access, and speeds are slow. S Trend Briefing covering "10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2013" “Brands’ wishes will be consumers’ command.”
Expect to witness a daring change in the relationship between ambitious, responsible brands and their customers in 2013. Switched-on brands that are embarking on the much-needed journey towards a more sustainable and socially-responsible future will demand that their customers also contribute, and in doing so earn the respect of even the most hyper-demanding of consumers. But consumers aren’t going to put themselves out for brands unless they truly believe in the bigger vision. Value innovators » Trends: Servile Brands. I’m always looking forward to receive the newsletter from Trendwatching.com …their trend studies are one of my main sources of inspiration in comsumer trends.
This time it’s about Servile Brands. Demanding customers in focus Yes, consumers are more demanding, time-starved, informed, and choice-saturated than ever-before (we know you know). For brands to prosper, the solution is simple though: turn SERVILE. This goes far beyond offering great customer service*. Everyday great ‘customer service’ will of course forever be crucial: a 2011 American Express survey found that 70% of American consumers were willing to spend more with brands that provided a great service, and a whopping 60% thought brands weren’t thinking enough about the service experience. What is a Servile Brand? Here is 11 examples of what a Servile Brand can be: For me this is very exiting reading as all of the parameters doesn’t focus on price as the key driver to sell. Downloads Watch the presentation on Slide Share.
Social media protest. Are 'Smart Bulbs' the Next Bright Idea in Energy Efficiency? Pub7203. Tough times make more disloyal shoppers. Morrisons' chief commercial director Richard Hodgson told delegates at last month's IGD convention that shopper behaviours were "challenging" and retaining their loyalty was difficult in the current economic climate.
This trend had increased with the rising use of price comparison web sites, delegates were informed.