8 Trends That Will Dominate Consumer Behavior Over the Next 12-24 Months [INSIGHT]

Prosumer, city-sumer, sellsumers, JOMO and FOMO. Marketers and brand managers are constantly bombarded with fancy terms and buzzwords hailing the next big consumer trend. This can be overwhelming and brands often find it challenging to tap into every trend out there. The trick lies in knowing which ones are most relevant to their business.

“The Censydiam Institute has developed a unique approach to help clients get more value out of current trends,” says Sue Phillips, Global Head of Insight for Ipsos UU. “First we scanned through hundreds of trends resources and identified the overarching themes which group together different micro-trends. For this we have used the tried and tested Censydiam model, which connects consumer trends to human motivations to better understand why they are relevant.”

This is the third edition of the Censydiam Consumer Trends Report. The trends that have been discussed in previous editions (2008, 2011/2012) are still very relevant today, proving the rigor of the method.

The eight different trends that Censydiam is encouraging brands to harness in 2015 include:

    1.    Bite Size: People want more experiences and information, but they also want it faster, easier and better. They want the information they receive to be bite size and easier to digest.
    2.    Minimize Me: As a result of being constantly connected, some people want to protect themselves online. Hence, the need to minimize oneself by de-facing, searching for secluded circles and products that can protect one’s identity.
    3.    The Power in Me: People are looking for different ways to stand out. They believe that what makes them powerful and determines their status is ‘kloutscore’ or the story they create and tell about the products and brands they select.
    4.    The Power in We: A lot of people have taken advantage of crowd-sourcing, and have started to organize local initiatives and support local products and P2P partnerships. They are taking the economy back into their own hands.
    5.    Keep Re-Inventing Myself: Sowing as many (professional) seeds as possible by continuously educating oneself and trying out different careers are great expressions of how people are re-inventing themselves.
    6.    Reclaim Responsibility:With new intelligent apps and tools, people can gain insights into their own behavior and better manage, monitor and adapt their daily lives and activities. No longer an excuse not to reclaim one’s own responsibility for what happens in life.
    7.    Fully Integrated: People seek solutions and brands that are easily accessible, intuitive and fully integrated with each other so they can make their life easier and achieve balance. They want everything available at the push of a button.
    8.    Upsmart: Smart sensor-connected devices help people to continuously improve their quality of life, so they can operate smarter, better, leaner, meaner and more efficient.

“These eight trends provide a big-picture perspective that can be used by companies regardless of the industry they are in,” concludes Phillips. “They are especially meaningful in their ability to connect to the things that genuinely improve people’s lives. Leveraged properly, they will help clients launch products and services that truly stand the test of time.”