There is no denying that we are living in a time of rapid and dynamic change. From technological advancement to political and economic challenges, we can now add pandemics to the forces set to shape our future. The 2020s are already set to be an age of hyper-anxiety – about both ourselves and the world. If your consumers are not worried about the impact of Covid-19, they are concerned about the environment, the economy and even their identities.
These forces are dramatically changing the value that consumers place on things, and why and how brands and businesses will need to change to remain relevant in their lives.
Covid-19 has accelerated a number of trends that LS:N Global and our Foresight Research System have already identified. And it’s been fascinating to look back at some of our previous work to see the impact that it’s had. The most relevant trends are Conscious Deceleration, which showed how the wellness industry could take a more measured, long-term approach to wellbeing by tapping into consumers’ physiology and using technology to understand their innate needs, and Resilience Culture, which examined how consumers are embracing physical, mental and intellectual risk to re-assert their sense of self, their place in society and their collective strength. Macrotrends like Programmable Realities and Post-growth Society are also pertinent.
The pandemic has prompted a radically introverted way of being and a re-evaluation of our social circles – and this has happened virtually overnight. We are all being forced to become more comfortable in our own company. This has brought our most recent set of 2030 macrotrends into sharp focus – researched and written pre-Covid-19 – and fast-tracked the timeline from 10 years to five.
For this reason, we believe that strategic foresight is the most valuable tool you can adopt to identify and chart a course for future growth and long-term prosperity. By enlightening a business challenge with knowledge of these future scenarios, we ensure our clients are forewarned and forearmed against changes in the consumer landscape, allowing them to start implementing strategies now that will help them to thrive in the long term.
Strategy has been working directly with global brands and businesses for 10 years to turn our foresight into the key strategic decision-making tool that enables clients to align their current business objectives with these futures.
For recent clients who have engaged in our strategic programmes, our bespoke Foresight Framework tools have enabled them to explore these trends, signals and shifts, and this has already placed these brands and businesses at an advantage to approach these transformative times strategically.
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