2016 Predictions
Like 2015 and 2014 before it, 2016 will be the year that everything and nothing changes. It will be a year of contradictions… of opposites:
- Everything will be the same but nothing will be the same
- We will be even more closely connected yet less connected at the same time
- We will become even closer but even more lonely
- It may even be the year that social media gets exhausted
- Everything will go faster but slower
- We will want everything faster but we will want things slower.
That’s what I predict and that’s what some of the top lists on the internet suggest.
Top trends for 2016 will include:
1 The Digital Stuff
Your digital footprint will be your most valuable asset
Customers talk and now they talk more than ever – what others say about you will be more important than what you say (advertising is dying). Natives naturally check out who says what about you and compare it with what you say and how you say it.
More, more, more
Customers will want/demand/expect more of a 360 degree experience – more of everything… an immersive experience. 4D is better than 3D, etc… we will be expecting smell, taste, sound. Not just products.
Faster, faster, hyper-fast.
Living in what Mack calls “the age of impatience”, customers expect more, faster and more conveniently than ever before. The consequence of this is that we become more impulsive – the logical extension of going faster.
Shoot ‘n’ Go
Pictures will replace 1,000 words.
Still and moving pictures will become their own currency. Everyone can shoot/edit/publish/distribute their own experiences, friends… in fact, anything that can stand in front of a smartphone will be shot. Everything will become increasingly visual: websites, adverts, communication.
Mobile technology changes everything
Especially in emerging economies – it gives you access to health care, education, finance. It knows no boundaries. In the first world, nothing will be safe: everything can be (and probably will be) disrupted. Nothing is sacred. There will be an app for everything!
2 The ANTI-DIGITAL STUFF (in a kind of digital way)
Customer is King
The customer experience will become the new competitive battlefield
We will get one step closer to the idea that the customer is king. Companies that offer the basics (courtesy, speed, warmth, friendliness) and provide legendary service will be the winners in the long run.
Revenge of the Luddites
As a reaction to too many people literally living through their smartphone we might find the emergence of smartphone-free zones both socially and at work. It is time to get back to old-fashioned ways of communicating and connecting, like sharing a nice cup of tea or a walk in the countryside.
A Campaign for Real
There will be an increased sensitivity that will seek to differentiate between the authentic and genuine as opposed to the manufactured, synthetic, superficial and fake: food, TV, music, people, etc.
Being Mindful
As a backlash to the hyper-fast world we now live in there will be a growing interest (probably an obsession) with all things peaceful, quiet and reflective.
As I said, everything and nothing changes. The problem is that the technology will fool us into thinking that we will be happier and more efficient.
The bankers and the politicians and the media will still be the same.
The importance of love, the family and laughter will still be the same!
Image reference:
- 4D Cinema: Jaya Ancol Resort
- Farmers market: Pughs garden centre
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