#macrotrend

WGSN presented its Consumer Forecast for 2014/15 at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and identified consumer segments that will drive market positioning in the next two years. One of them was “New-Age Artisans".

But who are the "New Age Artisans”?

To have a background, as far back as 1970, the futurist Alvin Toffler predicted its emergence. Toffler state that the process of involve the customer in the design and production stage means that the client becomes a "prosumer". The prosumer is producer and consumer in concert, defining and producing the product

Also, a customization expert Joseph Pine published his seminal book in 1992, and the 2000 book Markets of One suggested that customization would change the fundamental structure of the American economy. I found an interview of Joseph Pine in 2007 and that impact me because his words today are more relevant than ever. In some interview questions was: Do you see any upcoming mass customization trends with regard to new players, technologies, markets, etc..? and he said "I think the biggest trend is the realization of everything implied by the principle That Anything that can be digitized can be customized. Once it Enters the realms of zeroes and ones, one can instantly change a one to zero and vice versa . With the advent of digital technology and Especially the rise of the Internet, so much more can be digitized today than before, and soon everything that can be will be "

He spoke about how digitization would be a revolution for the companies . This was going to change its way of offering products to customers. In this interview he talked about the concept "individual customer" but even when it was a obvious concept by that time , he said brands did not recognized the power on that theory. It is amazing how this concept about digitization is implemented currently by companies .

He stated that although the consumer experience in theory was something that could no be customized, that was going to change , and it would become a tool for enhance an unique experience . All this thanks to a technological transformation .

Right now this background is not a utopia is a reality. We see this trend reflected in a client who is a tec- savvy , who seek to be more unique within the mass . Human individuality is sought from the time where customers did not want to be a "mass society". The industrial revolution , with their knowledge , universities, and advances was the beginning of the search of a theory to be to be more authentic

Today, the human being in its searching to the happiness find "personalization" a really important factor. Because people do not want to be numbers, or labels , they want to be : "Johanna , Lori, Mary..etc". We seek to be more unique.

Technology advances have been always together with the categories of consumption , and Tech is vital to the evolution in this trend. Brands are looking for technologies whose help them to offer a more personalized service and experience. From Nike one of the pioneers brand, where you could put your name o shoe until today where you can get almost anything adapted to your needs and tastes . Premium brands like Louis Vouitton , Ferragamo etc have not been back to this world of possibilities.

It is so interesting to think what are behind a customization? Because shoes, clothes or any piece is going to have the same use with your changes, They are not going to be have a better perfomance, but the thing that change it is that it will be designed just for you.

WSGN describes this target as “they are less interested in being traditional consumers, and are instead paving their own way by inventing, creating and designing their own products. With the birth of new technologies and 3D printing, consumers can become makers rather than passive end users. These self-starters are challenging the traditional chain of production and moving away from the typical sales and marketing process. They want to feel empowered and respond to brands that allow them to customize, build their own versions of products and contribute to the development process. Says Kaufman, “We are seeing brands like Tesco capitalize on the maker movement by bringing 3D printers in-store for their consumers to create new product, as well as repair existing merchandise” .

This definition is in line with the thesis that technology plays an important role in this Macro Trend. Advances in manufacturing and technology allows customer decide about exact specifications, including, size, names, colors and features. And this Macro Trend now is going to be powerful, in my personal opinion each like that we share on Facebook, each website we visit is saying something about us. It is value information for retailers and they are using that for sending us a random ads about products or services. They use this information to offer a best experience. For me it is a little “scare” although it is just starting.

We can mentioned the followings products through categories that represent this Macro Trend :

-Indochino : companies for man suits online - $400

-Ferragamo: You can designed your own shoes - $300

-Louis Vuitton: Bags with your initials - minimum $500

-Neiman Marcus: has a "location-aware" app called NM Service which sends customer preferences right to its sales staff. A user checks in when they get to the store, letting staff give recommendations tailored for the individual.

-Evolvex, an Australian furniture seller, lets shopper customize and buy furniture online at IKEA-like prices. Customers use an online interface to design their furniture, and the pieces can be reworked at any time following the purchase.

-Hasbro will be releasing My Monopoly, which allows families to customize the board using their Facebook and Instagram photos. There is also a new toy called Super Hero Mashers coming out, which allows kids to create their own superhero using parts of other superheroes: for example, having Thor’s body but the Hulk’s hands.  (It is not available yet but it could be a around $100).

These are some examples that show this Macro Trend. Without doubt, this will be an important year to the consumer market, because companies should be aware of all the innovations that are coming and will help them retain a customer who is willing to pay to be unique.

Bejios