1. Choice SimplifiedWhether increasing choice is the right move depends on what you know about your consumer. Are consumers pushing for more alternatives or more simplicity? Businesses that specialise in a SINGLE product (or very few designs) are thriving because they satisfy consumer needs simply.

• WHY? Consumers only consider choice to be valuable when they can meaningfully distinguish between the options.

• WHO IS DOING THIS WELL?

• Sleeping Duck: shipping mattresses in a box. The one-size-fits-all model is spreading -toothbrushes, meal replacements water filters.

• Crocs have sold 100 million+ pairs of plastic clogs and continues to grow – kids offers, sports offers, but all the same basic product.

• Nancy Ganz is a niche shapewear brand that only offers products for under clothing or beach wear.

2. Mass PersonalisationPersonalised subscription models are on the rise. Consumers are signing up to regularly receive curated boxes of makeup, clothes, flowers or meals.

• WHY? Plays on pleasure from anticipation, self reward, and choice simplification.

• WHO IS DOING THIS WELL?

• Moon Cycle Bakery (US )offers monthly subscription packages to deliver sweets just in time for customers’ periods designed to relieve menstrual symptoms and satisfy cravings.

• Bellabox delivers a monthly supply of makeup samples for self or gifting for as little as 17.95 /mth.

• Bookabuy delivers a monthly handpicked book box tailored to the reader's interests, beautifully gift-wrapped, with a personalised message.

3. Everyday ARAR is MAINSTREAMING – phones can now translate menus or measure sofas.

• WHY? People love to be engaged in meaning, stories and a higher sense of belonging or power. AR allows consumers to invent their own reality and get immediate payoffs

• WHO IS DOING THIS WELL?

• Estee Lauder invites users to try out different lipstick shades wherever they are through LipArtist FB msgr bot – if you like it you can buy it.

• STM – Australian bag company using AR to drive better retail experiences – so the consumer can try on the bag virtually and make purchase decisions from their phone. STM – Australian company: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCgadAXnd7w

• Lego driving experience and impulse purchase. Virtual Reality Lego store NYChttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY-jFXPyxcA

4. Rise of Cryptocurrency Digital currency and Blockchain are getting consumers excited. Everyday investors are getting involved in crypto trading and consumers and businesses are wanting better financial protection.

What's driving this? Herd mentality, anticipation, FOMO and promises of wealth and status (Bitcoin) and need for the need for better security that blockchain technology can deliver..

Who is bringing this to mainstream?

• Kodak building a digital rights management platform for photographs based on Blockchain. Uses KodakCoin cryptocurrency and provides cryptographic proof of ownership - also monitors the web for infringement.

• Amino digital payment system allows ad buyers to create a digital signature authorizing their money to be spent. As ad buys occur, Amino’s tech generates a digital ledger of the transaction then tracks the financial record to automate payments to all parties.

• e-commerce platforms such as Magento and Shopify already have available integrations (i.e., BitPay) for vendors to seamlessly add to their stores

5. Golden Age of AudioAOD - Audio on Demand is skyrocketing - music streaming, audio books, and Podcasts are going into overdrive. Storytelling is key and content is king.

How? Australians are listening to 5.5 hrs pw through better platforms, new technology and wanting better search and recommendations.

Also… Podcasts typically domain of iTunes (80% of listeners), but Google, Spotify and Amazon wanting to help Android users in.

Who’s doing AOD well?

• ESPN is about to completely reimagine the power of podcasts in sports with well-told, addictive story-telling.

• Marvel (Disney) is bringing Wolverine to podcasts with "The Long Night." Will see more blockbuster franchises in podcasting.

• Audible tagline ‘Learn to love your commute’ cleverly taps into consumer need for overcoming stress or boredom with pleasure, culture or education.

6. Lots of BotsThe Internet of Things is about to explode, driven by friendly bots and personal assistants like Samsung’s Bixby and Amazon’s Alexa. Many households already have smart speakers, and voice assistant sales like Google Home are in growth.

What does this mean for Brands? The strength of bots is in tailored conversations, personalised offers, and offering convenient purchases, analysing patterns in voice to optimise ad targeting. Can also increase engagement and bring a brand personality to life.

Who is doing Bots well?

• Microsoft free app ‘Seeing AI’, narrates physical surroundings to the visually impaired and can also recognise friends, their facial expressions and read things like business cards

• Assist learns as it goes, aggregating on-demand services like Dimmi, Uber, Lyft, and Foodora. Users can text, FB message, or talk to Assist to book hotels, order delivery, or get a ride.

• Pana is a virtual travel agent giving you access to a human travel team and a messaging A.I. It also acts as your concierge and can recommend where to eat and places to go.

7. Experience Economy+Consumers see services and products as increasingly commoditised and they want more value. They crave experiences that say something unique about them, that they can share with their friends and followers to create stronger and even more intense experiences.

What’s happening? Antiquated rules of engagement no longer apply. Brands need to be agile, flexible and able to master emotional engagement, by giving the stories, moments and experiences consumers crave to feel connected and emotionally engaged.

Who is doing Experience Economy well?

• Virgin Holidays will open a ‘Departure Beach’ in 2018. Tourists are picked up from hotel, baggage checked for them and then head to beach where they are given a boarding pass and locker. They can enjoy the beach, towels, showers, refreshments, and an air-conditioned lounge.

• Dollar Shave Club subscription service posting blades for as little as $3 a month with an irreverent magazine. Customers felt part of something ‘anti-corporate’, and it grew to more than three million subscribers - in 2016 Unilever, bought it for US$1bn.

8. Waste Not, Want NotConsumers are demanding waste free products and packaging that can be easily recyclable or repurposed. The growth in this trend is being driven by Millennials & Boomers who are willing to pay more for sustainable options.

Why? Awareness campaigns such as ABC’s War on Waste is taking the story of everyday consumer waste behaviour and mythbusting misperceptions.

What is happening?

• KeepCup has seen a 400% increase in sales since the doco “War on Waste’ aired it’s coffee cup episode that disputed the misconception that the 1 billion cups sent to landfill each year were recyclable.

• Disco Soup offers is a German concept that brings people together to prepare and cook unsold fruit and veg from local markets.

• Councils like Manly and Torquay have banned plastic bags with interest groups urging retailers to ban plastics.

• Major British supermarket, Iceland Foods, has vowed to eliminate all plastic packaging in its home brand products after understanding that 80% of customers would support the move.

9. Cannabis MaximusExpect to see crafted and upmarket cannabis, with farms and cultivators producing special strains in limited batches like a micro brewery. Cannabis will also lose its stoner reputation as it moves into skincare, healthcare and wellbeing.

WHY? Consumers are getting used to it’s benefits and positive health stories (cancer). Now reaching its tipping point as the new magic bullet ‘health’ trend- purveyors are now ramping up its role as an anti-inflammatory for psoriasis, eczema and allergic dermatitis

Who are the brands operating new Cannabis offerings?

• Whoopi & Maya (Whoopi Goldberg) has her very own medical marijuana company focused on menstrual pain relief. With THC infused bath soaks and a skincare line.

• Marley Naturals offers upmarket herbs, accessories and skincare with earth friendly formulas blending cold pressed hemp seed oil and Jamaican botanicals.

• Diego Pellicer – talks like fine aged whiskey and hand-rolled cigars, and offers a superior product to those wanting a luxury cannabis experience including gold papers for rolling and fine grained walnut pipes.

10. Board Game RevivalThere has been a massive rise during the past year in the sales of board games with Millennials driving the trend in their quest for screen free time.

Why is it happening?: Table games are a break away from the stressfulness of constantly ‘on’ media lives, allowing consumers to chill out, connect and be real – role play is part of this

What is driving this boom?

• Pandemic was inspired by premium drama – Lord of the Rings where players cooperate as one of the four questing hobbits. It is a game of self sacrifice and role play and has been a runaway success where you develop your characters, get new rules and the state of the world changes.

• Cards Against Humanity, originally funded through Kickstarter, is a game that aims to make people laugh by answering questions with politically incorrect response cards.

• More out there titles include: Operation F.A.U.S.T., a game where you have to rescue art from Nazis, Machine of Death: The Creative Assassination Game, and FUCK—The Game.