The Future of Experiences
Three trends reshaping in-person customer experiences in 2019 and beyond!
The Future of Experiences
Three trends reshaping in-person customer experiences in 2019 and beyond!
In 2019, billions of consumers live inside a supercharged merry-go-round of human experience.
You know how it goes. Yet another immersive, compelling, unique, in-person experience is launched. Cue yet more pictures, videos, stories, status updates. And each one a token that feeds the machine. Around we go again.
It used to be that going to a new restaurant or trying a new business class cabin was exciting. Now people are going skiing in the middle of Copenhagen on top of the world’s most advanced urban clean energy plant (more on that later).
And it isn’t just traditional experience providers that are fueling these new expectations. Today, it can feel like every pet shop, dentist and local accountant are competing to win in the Experience Economy.
WTF happened? And in this environment, where do you start when it comes to delighting your guests, diners, shoppers, passengers, visitors (need we go on)?
Always different, always the same…
The highly evolved Experience Economy of 2019 might feel dizzying. But press pause for a moment and it’s possible to get a handle on it. That starts with seeing how it’s founded on a few core, eternal truths about human nature.
Driving the endless search for new in-person experiences are a set of basic human needs that are as old as human beings themselves. The human needs for play, community, personalization, authenticity and more.
And, of course, the need for status. You can see that status quest – for a special story to tell oneself, and the crowd – in the frenetic search for yet another experience that is fresh, unique, cultured, anything to make people take notice. You can see it in the half a billion daily active users that Instagram Stories racked up in January 2019.
But once you understand that this avalanche of experiences all revolves, in the end, around basic human needs, you have the not-so-secret code. Then the question becomes: how can you create experiences that will tap into and serve those needs?
In this report we’re not going to run through the well-worn trends. You already know about ethical travel, immersive dining, and peer-led urban tours.
Instead, here are three powerful, actionable trends that give you a handle on where in-person customer experiences are heading next. Each one is a practical innovation opportunity. And each one could see you delight customers in the months ahead.
1. AUTOMATION THEATER
In 2019, automation and magical in-person customer experiences collide!
2. VILLAGE SQUARED
In-person experiences that repair and reimagine the social fabric.
3. END OF EXCESS
Amazing experiences, minus the guilt.
Ready for an experience of your own? Let’s do this 🚀💪
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Automation Theater
In 2019, automation and magical in-person customer experiences collide!
You already know that when it comes to asking a consumer to engage with you, there are two opposing paths to take. Either offer a super-efficient, automated process that is as fast and easy as possible, or offer a compelling and magical experience that consumers actively want to spend time on.
And for much of traditional CX across both digital and real world, that division holds true. Either be automated or be magical. Just look at the way this new Nike House of Innovation in NYC leverages a host of automation tech to deliver an efficient, personalized customer experience.
But this trend represents the twilight zone where the hard division between automated and magical experiences breaks down. Because AUTOMATION THEATER is about automation-fueled in-person experiences that are also immersive, compelling, and magical in their own right.
That means experiences that blend speed, precision or efficiency with playfulness and delight. Experiences consumers will travel to engage in, and spend significant time on.
So why is now the time to offer some automation and robot-fueled magic?
Humans of Earth. Across many markets around the world, millions are concerned that automation is ushering us towards a bleak future. For example, in a recent survey significant majorities across nine markets –including the US, Italy, Brazil and South Africa – said they believe automation will make economic inequality worse (Pew Research, September 2018). In this environment, and with a broader techlash still raging, brands that use automation tech to create magical, human-centred experiences will also make a powerful and reassuring statement about their values when it comes to technology: 'we are going to use automation for humans, not against them!'
Peak curiosity. Established and high-profile automated experiences such as the Amazon Go store and Alibaba's Tao Cafe, along with a host of Pepper-fueled hospitality concepts, have pushed 'in real life' automated consumerism into the awareness of large numbers of consumers. Although these technologies – especially robots – remain unfamiliar, consumers are super curious about them. A dose of AUTOMATION THEATER will indulge that curiosity, and help assuage the tech-anxiety discussed above. So go ahead, celebrate the robots; put them front and center!
Evolution of automagic. This trend might seem counterintuitive, but the truth is that consumers have already had a glimpse of how automation and magic can be blended. That is, via the kind of efficient digital services that automated a mundane task so effectively that the result felt automagical (for example, think about the ever so slightly magical feeling generated by auto-savings apps such as Digit). Now, those consumers will expect IRL experiences that offer the same blend of automation and magic. And yes, this is yet another example of online expectations transferring to the physical world.
So, ready to offer some AUTOMATION THEATER? First get inspired. 🤖
Featured Innovations
NEXT
We're not saying that every instance of automation in your business should become a piece of AUTOMATION THEATER: plenty of automation should be invisible.But an automated future is coming. And this trend represents a powerful way for you to prove that you'll be using these technologies to help create a world that's delightful, not dystopian. Act quickly, though: in a few years the novelty of automation tech will have worn off for most consumers, and creating AUTOMATION THEATER will be much harder!
Step one when it comes to applying this trend? It’s about bridging the divide between automation and magic that exists inside your organization.
If you're thinking about delivering magical human experiences, talk to colleagues working on new tech and services that are intended to automate aspects of your customer process. How can you leverage the work on automation that's already happening inside your organization to deliver a some truly magical AUTOMATION THEATER?
Even if you're too small for all that to apply, you can still think about how to leverage automation tech to deliver a magical experience. And remember that you don't have to build these technologies yourself; off-the-shelf hacks can work to deliver some in-person THEATER. Like this NYC wine store that used Amazon Alexa to deliver instant wine recommendations to customers.
Last, take inspiration from the way artists and creatives are playing with AI and automation tech to delight and surprise their audiences. The Ai-Da may be a museum installation for now – but how long before every hotel lobby needs its own AI portrait artist?
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VILLAGE SQUARED
In-person experiences that repair and reimagine the social fabric.
We've all heard the futurist techno-blah. And there are genuine experience trends emerging in virtual spaces, too: more on that in our full report, available to clients of our Premium Service. But for now, we humans are incontrovertibly physical beings. We can't just exist; we have to exist somewhere.
And with the headwinds of deglobalization still gusting, we've all had a powerful reminder of the importance of connection to place and everything that comes with it: community, familiarity, belonging. Huge swathes of evidence now points to the deep links between social connection and community on the one hand, and reported happiness levels – and even greater longevity – on the other.
But today, a sense of being deeply grounded in local community is ever-harder for many consumers to maintain. No wonder, then, that in 2019 consumers will embrace innovative shared spaces and in-person experiences that help win the growing battle against social atomization and promote social wellbeing.
So what's pushing this trend forward now?
Glow-face epidemic. We're all addicted to our phones. Okay, not everyone; but, basically, everyone. What's more, rising numbers know that this is damaging individual wellbeing and eroding any sense of a shared social space. One glimpse? 54% of US teens say they spend too much time on their phone (Pew, August 2018). With study after study reinforcing the message that excessive screen time is damaging, the search for experiences and spaces that reinstate feelings of IRL community will only grow.
On-demand hermits. It's awesome to be able to order your dinner via an app. One day a robot will deliver it: even better! Except...humans. Combine on-demand lifestyles with a steadily rising number of single-occupancy households in many markets – from 31% of all households in the EU in 2010 to 34% in 2017 (Eurostat, July 2018) – and you have prime (pun intended) conditions for social atomization.
Post-demographic village. The post-demographic jumble that we've been writing about forever means rising numbers of consumers sense that others out there of all ages, genders, beliefs and more can share their tastes, interests and passions. That means they'll increasingly embrace innovative spaces and experiences that throw everyone into the mix and promote togetherness.
Featured Innovations
NEXT
We all know there's nothing new about brands creating experiential spaces for the purposes of brand building. And yes, VILLAGE SQUARED is an evolution of that long-standing trend.The difference here? Think spaces that actively promote social bonds and enhance social wellness.
One question to get you started:
Who in your community is suffering most from social atomization? Who lacks a safe space to get together, meet new people and try new things? Remember to challenge conventional (demographic!) thinking on these questions. For example, contrary to much popular opinion studies often find it's actually young people, not the elderly, who most often report feelings of loneliness.
Finally, see the featured innovations to fuel thinking on the level of intensity with which you respond to this trend. A temporary experiment, like the Lululemon pop-up? A deeper commitment, requiring significant time and resources, like the reimagined Nike store? Or go all out and reimagine your entire brand around this trend and the deep human need for connection to place, as Ibis are doing?
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In the coming weeks and months, they'll be using the platform to ensure their plans remain deeply aligned with what their customers want next.
END OF EXCESS
Amazing experiences, minus the guilt.
Driving that shift is a rising awareness that the amped-up, 'grab-go-throw' consumerism that defined the 21st century is a dead end for the planet.
In 2019, we'll see the explosion of sentiment against wasteful products transfer to experiences, too. That means rising numbers of consumers embracing amazing experiences that are tweaked, reimagined or reengineered in order to minimize negative impact on the planet – or even to have a positive impact.
The time is now. There's nothing new in the search for a more sustainable consumerism. Indeed, consumers have been searching out more sustainable travel experiences for some time. But 2018's campaign against single-use plastics is a signal of a broader tipping point in the planetary awareness of millions of consumers. They heard the recent warning from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that we have just 12 years to limit a climate catastrophe. In 2019, those consumers won't tolerate unreconstructed eco-damaging in-person experiences – in retail spaces, hotels, restaurants, or anywhere else – any more than they will tolerate old-fashioned plastic straws.
Status currencies. Why are accelerating expectations around product sustainability certain to transfer to experiences, too? Because in an Insta-obsessed world, experiences are a highly shareable status currency that allows consumers to tell a story about who they are and what they believe. In 2019, consumers will still thirst after shareable, Insta-ready experiences; they'll just increasingly demand that those experiences reflect deeply held values around sustainability, too. Shower of biodegradable glitter at a São Paulo street carnival, anyone?
Take a look at how other brands and businesses are creating experiences that spell the END OF EXCESS.
Examples
NEXT
END OF EXCESS is just one emerging trend. But it is fueled by a truly epic quest to find a new kind of consumerism – one that is compatible with continued life on this planet.Okay, that's pretty freaking daunting. But here's the thing: consumers understand that mission means a long-term shift. What they'll want from the brands and experiences they engage with in 2019 is a sense that you're moving in the right direction.
On this, take inspiration from Hi Fly. By moving to eliminate single-use plastics, the airline is demonstrating a broader commitment to minimizing the negative planetary impacts of the experience. We all know flying is not the most sustainable activity right now (fly less!), but if an airline can embrace this trend, so can you!
Another powerful application angle here? Think continued indulgence, luxury or sheer fun minus the guilt. At the Amager Resource Center, visitors can practice their parallel turns while supporting Copenhagen's quest to go carbon neutral. The Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, who designed the Center, has a philosophy he calls hedonistic sustainability, which reminds us of a Trend Briefing we once wrote. Great minds...
Last, a glimpse of where this trend is heading next. That is, towards a model of consumerism that isn't about simply minimizing negative impact, but about actively generating positive impact. Like the world's first 'energy positive' hotel, planned to open in northern Norway in 2021. The Svart hotel will generate more energy than it consumes, meaning guests will be supporting a positive environmental impact every time they stay. Innovations such as this one will drive expectations that all kinds of experiences can actively give back to our planet, rather than taking from it.
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GET GOING!
Phew, that was intense. Hope you enjoyed the ride 🚀
But in truth this moment should be the beginning of a journey, not the end of one. Now is the time to act.
And that starts with remembering that each of these trends is an innovation opportunity. That is, an opportunity to create your next magical, compelling, shareable, must-do (and do again!) in-person experience.
So take these trends and featured innovation examples back to your team, and challenge them. What can we do with this? How can we adapt this trend around our brand, our market, our customers, our values? What can we do to meet and exceed these emerging customer expectations?
For those of you who want to take this even further – we’ll see you at one of our upcoming events on the Future of Experiences.
Now, go – get started today! We can’t promise that creating the next generation of compelling in-person experiences will be easy. But it will be deeply worthwhile.
About The Author:
David Mattin
David Mattin is Global Head of Trends and Insights at TrendWatching. A sought-after keynote speaker and widely published journalist, he speaks regularly at high-profile conferences around the world, including The Next Web 2018, the 15 Seconds Festival and NEXT Conference.
Full bioIT TAKES A TEAM
This Trend Briefing has many hands on it. A huge thanks to the team that pulled this together with such positivity and enthusiasm, especially: Vicky Kim and Nikki Ritmeijer (for design!), and also Maxwell Luthy, Vicki Loomes, Henry Mason, Alida Urban, Harry Metzger, Harvey Gomez, Jareth Ashbrook, Jonathan Herbst and Lisa Feierstein. THANK YOU!