CONSUMER
TRENDS 2015
UK
CONTENTS
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Get Smart
What’s happening in 2015?
Why consumers will buy into this
Where next?
Fight For Your Rights
What’s happening in 2015?
Why consumers will buy into this
Where next?
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E@sy Street
What’s happening in 2015?
Why consumers will buy into this
Where next?
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Toxic Avengers
What’s happening in 2015?
Why consumers will buy into this
Where next?
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GET
SMART
WHAT’S
HAPPENING
IN 2015?
Smart devices – from watches to
ceiling fans – appeal to consumers
because they save time and money,
promise convenience and control,
and – in our age of digital navelgazing narcissism – knowledge and
self-analysis. What’s changing is that
this is no longer the domain of startups offering home hub hardware –
the major players are now embracing
the trend and raising consumer
confidence in it.
The world of synced devices, home
appliances and wearable technology
will start to become mainstream, as
trusted retailers and manufacturers
move in to the market and convert
consumer appetite into action.
Apple and Google are both
introducing ecosystems to compete
for leadership in the connected
home. Apple’s Homekit software/
app creates a framework that will
enable consumers to use Siri voice
commands to control smart lighting,
doors, thermostats and other home
appliances, operating on Bluetooth
Low Energy and managed
through any modern Apple device.
Meanwhile, Google-owned Nest
– the pioneering manufacturer of
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internet-connected thermostats
and smoke alarms – has created
its own open-sourced framework,
Thread, also designed to allow
smart devices to communicate.
Samsung’s forthcoming SmartHome
ecosystem will compete on the
same grounds, using the brand’s S
Voice software, and the brand has
opened up its system to thousands
of new developers.
Retailers are also pushing synced
devices: Sears are currently testing
a connected device department
in its stores, ahead of a planned
expansion in 2015.
New software is also coming onto
the market to make it easier for
consumers to sync their mobile
devices with their health-monitoring
tools. Google Fit will provide a
centralised activity tracker in
competition with Apple’s iOS8
software and HealthKit app, bringing
users’ data from various fitness
devices into a single location, with
the participation of Nike, Jawbone
and Fitbit.
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New software
is coming onto
the market to
make it easier
for consumers to
sync their mobile
devices with their
health-monitoring
tools and home
appliances.
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Apple Watch
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oPhone Uno
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Philips Hue
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A host of new product launches in
2015 – from tablets to smart watches
and smart TVs – will also pique
consumer interest in syncing up.
Google is launching Android TVs,
while LG is launching a new webOS
operating system for smart TVs.
LG is also tipped to be launching a
Flex 2 smartphone, while Samsung
are expected to introduce a foldable
tablet and Lenovo will present a
new wearable device at CES 2015.
Beyond that, the Apple Watch is sure
to give wearable app development
a further boost ahead of its retail
launch in 2015.
It’s important to consider that smart
devices needn’t be about health or
home economics – they can also
be about aesthetics and ambience.
We’re also going to see oPhone
‘scent messaging’ devices go on
sale in 2015, theoretically allowing
consumers to remotely fragrance
their homes or send odours as
a form of communication. Ralph
Lauren is the first mainstream
fashion/sports brand to work with
wearable technology, having
3
Smart devices
– from watches
to ceiling fans
– appeal to
consumers
because they
save time and
money, promise
convenience and
control, and – in
our age of digital
navel-gazing
narcissism –
knowledge and
self-analysis.
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designed a polo shirt to be worn by
ball boys and a collegiate player
at the US Tennis Open, featuring
sensors knitted into the core of
the product to read biological and
physiological information.
Network providers and the
authorities are also making it easier
for us to remotely connect to our
smart devices. AT&T is aiming to
bring 4G Wi-Fi to planes across
the US in late 2015, while British
Airways is in negotiations with
satellite operator Inmarsat to provide
a similar pan-European version of
a high-speed air-to-ground internet
service and the UK Government
is set to commence a £90 million
investment to boost internet signal
across the country’s train network.
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Sears Smart Home
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Misfit Shine Bloom Necklace
Ralph Lauren,
Polo Tech Shirt
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WHY CONSUMERS
WILL BUY INTO THIS
Mintel’s data highlights that
consumers are already
thinking about how their
devices sync as part
of their research and
purchasing process.
Indeed, 41% of UK
smartphone and/
or tablet owners
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claim they are more
likely to buy a laptop or
desktop computer that uses
the same operating system as their
tablet and/or smartphone, while
40% that it is important that their
smartphone and tablet use the
same operating system; this figure
rises to 52% of 16–24 year olds.
In addition, consumers are also
interested in investing more in smart
home appliances – with some 76%
of potential TV buyers claiming to be
interested in a TV with the ability to
wirelessly stream content from other
devices (whilst 28% would pay more
for this feature). In addition, over a
third (34%) of UK fridge shoppers
expect to or would pay more for a
barcode reader synced to online
shopping and nearly one in five
(18%) of US consumers who have
purchased a refrigerator in the
past five years say they
would be interested in a
model that had a built-in
computer to keep an
inventory of products.
Wearables have
already been adopted by
consumers to a degree, but
the potential is far greater. Indeed,
over one in five (21%) of UK adults
already use either a wearable device
or a health-related mobile app and
over one in 10 (13%) say that they
have a wearable digital product in
their household. Furthermore, nearly
a third (31%) of UK consumers are
interested in using a smart watch
with fitness functionality, 40%
showed interest in a device that
tracks heart rate, blood pressure and
movement and 34% are interested in
a device that tracks steps and sleep.
In the US, 59% of consumers say
they would be interested in using an
app or website to control their home.
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Nest Thermostat and Airwave
34% of UK fridge shoppers expect
to or would pay more for a barcode
reader synced to online shopping.
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Trends 2015 UK
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CONSUMER ATTITUDES TO
WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY
increase in innovations that help to
charge mobile devices on the go,
wearables that analyse our mental
– as well as physical – health,
smart food and drink containers
that automatically re-order
replacements, and companies
that analyse our data in order to
customise services and costs.
21%
of UK adults already
use either a wearable
device or a healthrelated mobile app.
13%
of UK adults say that
they have a
wearable digital
product in
their household.
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31%
WHERE
NEXT?
of UK adults are
interested in using
a smart watch with
fitness functionality.
For the ‘smart home’ to flourish, security
concerns need to be addressed. In
the UK, we’ve already seen a BBC
investigation reveal how vulnerable
smart devices are to hacking, which is
why the intervention of OS from Apple
and Google is so vital. In the near future,
we expect home internet providers (such
as Sky and Virgin in the UK) to offer
synced leisure and home appliance
systems. In the US, AT&T and Comcast
have already moved into smart home
security, suggesting that they might do
the same for smart utilities.
40%
of UK adults are
interested in using a
device that tracks heart
rate, blood pressure
and movement.
34%
of UK adults are
interested in using a
device that tracks steps
and sleep.
Smart home systems will go beyond
economising and utilities to embrace
ambience and decor. We’ve already
SOURCE: MINTEL REPORTS 2014
Trends 2015 UK
seen Philips ‘Hue’ LED lighting systems
and oPhone fragrance diffusers
controlled remotely, and more will follow.
Staying on this theme of aesthetics,
we’re going to see more attractive,
appealing, fashionable takes on
wearables. These devices are as much
about signalling status as numbercrunching and the ante needs to be
upped in this department if consumers
are going to truly want to be seen
with them. However, with the onset of
‘glance’ smart watch technology we also
expect digital device etiquette in social
venues and situations to become a
mainstream cultural issue.
Improvements in connectivity and
security are likely to bring us more
companies like Atom – the UK’s first
digital-only bank, which is set to launch
in 2015. We also expect to see an
Data analysis will become a key
area of expansion for companies
– witness the fact that Nike+ is
backing out of the actual device
space to focus on data and apps
– and humans will increasingly
share data with professionals for
analysis. Examples of this include
black boxes that monitor driving
habits, Russia’s Alfa-Bank giving
preferential interest rates based
on running data, and myhealthpal –
a platform that shares a patient’s data
on medication, diet and exercise with
neurologists. Apple’s Healthkit is part
of a next stage in development where
doctors, banks and grocers do more to
develop these data relationships.
Data analysis is already playing out in
the cosmetics space through Sephora’s
ColorIQ that matches shoppers’ skin
tones with the appropriate shade of
foundation, but we’re seeing how this
may go further in the health space.
Wearables will accentuate analysis
and data trading, while humans are
becoming more open to offering up their
DNA data for medical research: and in
the UK, patients are ‘donating’ DNA data
to help fight cancer, opening up the next
stage in self-analysis, exploring Personal
Genome sequencing and beyond.
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Nest Protect
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E@SY
STREET
WHAT’S
HAPPENING
IN 2015?
We inhabit a digital era of instant
gratification, where we can browse
and buy at speed, and where – online
at least – the shops never close.
Consumers are clamouring for the
same levels of convenience in the high
street and the good news is that we’re
about to see a flurry of fast and flexible
solutions to bridge the gap between
online and physical shopping.
The on-demand, instant gratification
culture of the digital world is spreading
to the high street.
Better connectivity is allowing us to
browse and buy while on board planes,
trains and automobiles, nurturing our
need to buy on impulse. Rather than
wait for delivery, a series of initiatives
will allow us to access – or try out – our
purchases within the hour or on our
way home. Click-and-collect (C&C)
services are about to become far more
sophisticated: for example, Amazon’s
collection lockers across London
Underground railway stations, Doddle
opening pop-up parcel collection
stores across 13 UK railway stations,
Waitrose’s chilled food lockers, the
spread of Asda and Tesco’s C&C vans
and Drive Thru C&C points and eBay
Now’s expansion across 25 US cities
and its extension of a partnership
with Argos in the UK that will allow
customers to pick up goods at 650
stores, from some 80,000 sellers by
the close of the year. C&C services
are also being extended to remove
the major obstacles facing online
retailing – namely not being at home to
receive non-food items, and in fashion,
not being able to try things on. ASOS
has already trialled changing room
pods opening for business between
6–9pm and with the success of the
C&C changing room hubs at Westfield
London, we can expect this concept to
be expanded across the UK.
In 2015, Mintel
expects around
17% of all internet
retail sales to
be collected by
customers — up
from 15% in 2014.
In 2015, we expect John Lewis to build
upon its ‘testbed’ click and commute
store in St Pancras Station, London,
and fashion retailers to take inspiration
from initiatives like the ‘Room
Shopping’ service at Amsterdam’s
Dylan Hotel where garments from the
nearby 9 Straatjes fashion district are
delivered to try on – and then purchase
or return – within the hour.
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Room Shopping Service at
Amsterdam’s Dylan Hotel
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Amazon Locker
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Doddle Collect Screen
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58%
of UK consumers say that clickand-collect encourages them to
visit stores more frequently.
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Doddle – collect
and send parcels
WHY
CONSUMERS
WILL BUY
INTO THIS
Mintel estimates that click-andcollect orders will make up 15% of
all internet retail sales of physical
products by value in 2014. The
collection rate is much higher for
non-grocery orders (e.g. clothing,
electricals, furnishings) than in
groceries. In 2014, online retail sales
are expected to contribute to around
11.6% of all retail sales. This means,
in turn, that click-and-collect orders
will make up just 1.7% of all retail
sales in 2014. In 2015, Mintel expects
around 17% of all internet retail sales
(or 2.2% of all retail sales) to be
collected by customers.
Trends 2015 UK
In September 2014, Transport
for London reported that it had
processed 10,000 orders at its clickand-collect stations in the first 10
months of operation.
Over a third (35%) of UK consumers
have used click-and-collect services
in the past year and 64% say that
they shop online more now because
more retailers offer click-and-collect
services. Furthermore, over half
(58%) say that click-and-collect
encourages them to visit stores more
frequently, while 64% say they are
shopping online more because of
click-and-collect – suggesting both
channels gain from the service to
some degree.
Currently, 60% of UK consumers
only use click-and-collect for smaller
items that are easy to carry, but
over half (53%) say they would
like drive-through points that offer
click-and-collect for a number of
retailers – suggesting opportunities to
extend click-and-collect to heavier or
bulkier items. Millennials in particular
exhibit a desire to enjoy the instant
gratification of the digital experience
in ‘real world retail’ and 25–34s are
twice as likely to have collected online
grocery orders from a drive-through
collection point. Furthermore, 16–24s
are more likely to consider paying a
higher delivery charge for same-day
delivery of groceries (46% versus
34% on average).
In addition, it seems new click-andcollect fashion hubs are likely to
drive up online sales. Today, 80% of
consumers agree that when shopping
online it is difficult to tell if clothes
will fit – consumers aged under 35
(the main clothes shoppers) see
this as the main issue. Half (50%) of
consumers (rising to 57% of women)
say the hassle of returning goods
through the post is one of the main
barriers to buying clothes online.
Nearly a third (31%) of consumers
prefer to be able to return their online
order to an actual store – and over
one in five (23%) of UK consumers
say that an option to deliver to a store
to try on before purchasing would
encourage them to buy from one
online retailer over another.
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53%
of UK consumers say they
would like drive-through points
that offer click-and-collect for a
number of retailers.
Waitrose Click & Collect
23%
of UK fashion consumers
say that an option to deliver
to a store to try on before
purchasing would encourage
them to buy from one online
retailer over another.
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WHERE NEXT?
The aforementioned retail initiatives are going some way
to satisfying consumers’ convenience demands, but we
can expect further solutions to develop.
In retail, generally we’ll see beauty pop-ups following
the fashion line – helped by use of devices like
personalisation apps or on-site intelligent beauty mirrors,
as well as pop-up sales parties and promotions. The
fashion pods might be boosted by the installation of onsite
3D body-scanning technology for better size profiling.
We may also see a rise in 3D print shops seeking to tap
into the creative side of the click-and-collect mentality –
and there’s a major opportunity here for retailers to offer
seasonal pop-up stores in the key spending periods of
Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter.
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In high street food service we’ve seen a growth in
gourmet vending and app ordering options, driven by
the fact that 25% of 16–24s say that they would be more
likely to use vending machines if they sold new or more
varied food and drink choices, compared with an average
of 15%. Traditional formats like vending machines can
also be revived and reimagined in retail to cater to
modern forms of convenience, stripped of associations
with unhealthy products like carbonate drinks and
cigarettes. Beyond an array of ingenious promotional
campaigns utilising vending machines (the best being
from Molson in Canada and Chilsung in Korea) we’ve
seen how this format can mix convenience with luxury
(in the form of Moët et Chandon’s machine in Selfridges)
as well as convenience and customisation (L’Oréal’s
smart hubs in the New York subway that photograph
consumers to dispense complementary product palettes).
More accessible retail and collection services will trigger
an increased craving for instant access to the human
element in service as well, with consumers expecting and
demanding expertise and advice on tap – whether it be
through services offering financial, sartorial, or medical
advice – delivered on site at transport hub pop-ups or via
video chat 24/7.
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Amazon Locker
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FIGHT
FOR YOUR
RIGHTS
WHAT’S
HAPPENING
IN 2015?
It’s fitting that on the 800th anniversary of the first ever citizen’s
bill of rights – the Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter) was sealed
under oath by King John at Runnymede, England on June 15th 1215 –
consumer rights are back in the spotlight. Following a year of political protest
– encompassing everything from Brazilian fury at perceived government
squandering of resources in the name of the World Cup, to Russian vodka brand
Stolichnaya being pressured to support LGBT rights, to the #bringbackourgirls
campaign as part of a wider drive towards women’s rights – the decline of
deference is set to escalate in the consumer space as customers are variously
empowered and presented with provocative facts on corporate practice.
We’re also going to see activists inspired by new freedoms around
things like sexual orientation and marijuana decriminalisation,
as well as the political whistleblowing of Edward Snowden. It’s
in the digital space where protest, and companies’ reactive
attempts at coercion and consultation, will play out.
Growing awareness of customer rights
and corporate misbehaviour will see
consumers demand more fairness and
justice from companies and companies
consult consumers more.
We are seeing examples of empowerment in the form of the UK’s
new Consumer Rights Bill, which will enforce pre-contractual
information, a default maximum delivery time of 30 days, and
consumers’ right to reject goods. The real story here is growing
media coverage of bad corporate practice, arming activists with bad
news with which to mobilise support. In America, growing media
coverage of US companies, such as Walgreens considering moving
their headquarters overseas, is raising consumer consciousness of the
issue, while the revelations from the Citizens for Tax Justice’s Offshore
Shell Games report have the potential to prove incendiary. The headline
news here is that the 55 Fortune 500 companies that have disclosed or
admitted their practices would collectively owe $147.5 billion in additional federal
taxes if profits were not officially registered offshore. That’s more than the entire State
budgets of California, Virginia and Indiana combined.
Elsewhere we’ll see women’s rights grow as an issue in the corporate and
consumer spaces, with Germany’s Government implementing a quota plan
demanding that supervisory boards of public companies be at least 30%
female by 2016. Meanwhile, following the EU’s “right to be forgotten” ruling, the
revelation that Facebook carried out a psychological experiment on its users
without their permission in 2014, and the continuing conflicts between internet
service providers and video streaming services in the US, ‘digital rights’ for small
businesses and consumers will be a key issue.
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WHY CONSUMERS
WILL BUY INTO THIS
Trust in governments and
businesses is diminishing.
Indeed, Mintel’s research
reveals that under half
(46%) of UK consumers
trust their bank to give
them a fair deal and a
quarter (25%) of Canadian
consumers think that most
banks don’t really care
about their customers.
Consumers in the UK
have already shown some
willingness to boycott
brands they differ with. In
2013, some 24% of UK
adults agreed with the
statement “negative press
(e.g. tax issues) put me off
visiting Starbucks”.
When it comes to clothing,
UK consumers prioritise
their rights, with 79%
of shoppers saying a
company’s returns policy
influences their shopping;
in addition, 44% say ethical
treatment of workers and
33% that environmental
policies influence their
shopping choices. Globally,
customers are increasingly
encouraged to use ethical
restaurants and food and
drink companies. The fact
that company policies
influence consumer
choices is highlighted by
Mintel’s research, revealing
that 82% of US adults
who visited a restaurant
in the past month say a
restaurant that treats its
employees fairly influences
their choice, and that
63% of US adults choose
a restaurant because it
actively supports humane
treatment of animals.
Furthermore, 77% of
Brazilian carbonated soft
drink consumers say they
would pay more for an
ethical soft drink brand.
Mintel’s research also
highlights that corporate
malpractice and consumer
disillusionment can
drive localism. Almost a
third (31%) of US small
business owners say that
large businesses motivate
them to be a better
small business owner.
In addition, it seems
younger, more progressive
generations are attuned
to ‘political purchasing’
– 18% of 19–26 year-old
consumers in the US go
out of their way to buy from
companies or brands that
support LGBT issues.
24%
of UK consumers
agreed with the
statement “negative
press (e.g. tax issues)
put me off visiting
Starbucks”.
79%
of UK shoppers claim
a company’s returns
policy influences their
shopping.
44%
of UK shoppers claim
that the ethical treatment
of workers influences
their shopping choices.
33%
of UK shoppers claim
that environmental
policies influence their
shopping choices.
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Trends 2015 UK
SOURCE: MINTEL REPORTS 2014
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WHERE
NEXT?
For those consumers who
are willing to stand up and
fight (or sit down and click),
the Mintel consumer trend
‘Buydeology’ has become a
way to support or express
one’s opinion on a brand,
company, or issue.
In the US, we’ve seen
Russian vodka boycotts
in support of LGBT issues
and sales at McDonald’s
dropping, due to healthy
eating trends, as well as
protests over worker wages.
We expect to see a
continuation of protests
against perceived corporate
transgressors, from loan
shark and payday loan
companies to tax dodgers,
animal-rights abusers, and
those non-progressive
companies that pay low
wages, or exclude or take
a stance against same
sex couples and LGBT
consumers. A growth in
boycotts may well translate
into a wider adoption of
local and independent
businesses and producers
(if they take the opportunity
to push their community
credentials).
It’s fitting that on the 800th
anniversary of the first ever
citizen’s bill of rights – the Magna
Carta – consumer rights are back in
the spotlight. Following on from a
year of political protest, the decline
of deference is set to escalate in
the consumer space as customers
are variously empowered and
presented with provocative facts.
We’ll see more consumerfacing businesses follow
the example of Sumitomo
Bank in Japan and make
a show of offering more
senior positions to women,
responding to government
calls for more women in
top management positions,
as well as more ventures
like Walmart’s launch of a
‘women-owned’ packaging
label, which, from
September 2014 onwards,
aims to raise awareness
of products that are
created by businesses
owned by women.
Consumers will demand
clarity on things like
ingredients in food,
beverages and beauty
products (i.e. what
exactly constitutes
‘natural’?), and either
request certification or
arm themselves with apps
to find out. We expect
an escalation in cases
of food manufacturers
being forced to respond to
activist organisations and
viral campaigns. In the
past year in the US, we’ve
seen successful consumer
campaigns cause
Coca Cola to remove
brominated vegetable
oil from sports drinks, and
Cheerios to cease the use
of GMOs.
If protest is indeed
underpinned by politics,
then continuing conflict
on frontiers such as
Ukraine/Russia and Israel/
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Palestine can be expected
to ferment political
purchasing and consumer
brand boycotts. By way of
example, we have already
seen the Malaysian
Muslim Consumers
Association (PPIM)
urging staff at McDonald’s
and Starbucks to resign
over their employers’
alleged links to Israel.
Companies will
increasingly be forced
to apologise, admit their
mistakes and show a
contrite, human face,
ensuring that they consult
their customers on their
products, promotional
campaigns and policies.
People feel that they
have the power to help
get things done because
digital platforms give
consumers a voice;
however, they are also
part of the problem –
witness the massed
outrage over the right to
be forgotten by Google
and Facebook’s negative
social engineering
experiments. We expect
consumers to fight the
power of governments
and digital corporations on
‘net neutrality’, demanding
an ‘open internet’ of
unified standards,
unfiltered results and
free competition.
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Underground car
park in Düsseldorf that
reserves safe spaces
for women
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We’ll see more consumer-facing
businesses follow the example
of Sumitomo Bank in Japan and
make a show of offering more
senior positions to women,
responding to government
calls for more women in top
management positions, as well
as more ventures like Walmart’s
launch of a ‘women-owned’
packaging label, which aims to
raise awareness of products that
are created by businesses owned
by women.
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TOXIC
AVENGERS
WHAT’S HAPPENING
IN 2015?
In 2015, pollution will become a key media focus. The
abandonment of the Carteret Islands in Papua New Guinea due
to rising sea levels and the Milan Expo 15’s investigation into
the future of clean water supplies will revive discussion around
emissions, while controversy will grow in relation to Canada’s
Northern Gateway oil pipeline to Asia. All of this follows on from
consumers’ raised levels of consciousness, demonstrated by
more than half a million people marching globally for ‘Climate
Action’ on September 21st in the UK, after London and the South of
England experienced record pollution levels in April 2014, due to a
combination of European emissions and dust from the Sahara.
International events – some catastrophic, some
inspirational – are putting emissions and toxicity
back on the agenda, but it’s the threat of pollution
to human, rather than environmental, health
that’s driving technological innovation and a
spate of clean, protective product launches in the
Consumer Packaged Goods space.
However, it’s the growing awareness of the link between urban
pollution and cancer and premature deaths that will provoke
a reaction, following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO)
revelation that pollution is the world’s biggest environmental health
risk. Consumers are learning about the problems of PM 2.5 – ‘fine
particulate matter’, an air contaminant associated with asthma,
heart attacks and other health problems and solutions in the form
of apps and devices e.g. the Airbeam that can empower them
to keep tabs on air pollution in their own neighbourhoods. The
cosmetics industry in particular has been awakening consumers
to the immediate, visible, personal effects of pollution, with Avon
even coining the term ‘urban dust’ to describe the ‘environmental
aggressors’ that threaten our skin and general health.
The cosmetics
industry in particular
has been awakening
consumers to the
immediate, visible,
personal effects
of pollution, with
Avon even coining
the term ‘urban
dust’ to describe
the ‘environmental
aggressors’ that
threaten our skin
and general health.
26 27
Trends 2015 UK
26
Get Smart
E@sy Street
Fight For Your Rights
Toxic Avengers
WHY
CONSUMERS
WILL BUY
INTO THIS
The case for going clean has clear
global resonance. Research from
the Pure Earth/Blacksmith Institute
reveals that pollution kills 8.4 million
people each year, almost three times
the deaths caused by malaria and
14 times those caused by HIV/AIDs.
According to the WHO, outdoor air
pollution was linked to an estimated
3.7 million deaths, while indoor air
pollution, mostly caused by cooking
on inefficient coal and biomass
stoves, was linked to 4.3 million
deaths in 2012.
A strong minority of consumers
already consider the green
credentials of what they buy and who
they buy from. Indeed, over threequarters (76%) of UK adults pay
attention to the ethical and green
credentials of products, including
manufacturing and distribution
processes, as well as the reputation
of companies or brands. Some
41% of US consumers claim they
are influenced by the environmental
impact of the products they buy,
and 64% of US consumers claim
they expect companies to be
more environmentally friendly.
Furthermore, 91% of Brazilian
consumers believe that “green
actions from companies can
really have an effect on the
world’s environment”.
Furthermore, consumers realise that
lifestyle – if not yet environment –
affects their skin, with 83% of UK
adults feeling lifestyle has a big
impact on skin and 22% of women
looking to cleansers to protect
their skin from the environment or
pollution. Older consumers are a
particular target: 28% of UK women
who use facial skincare products use
a moisturiser to counter the effects
of pollution or the environment on
the skin, but the figure rises to 42%
of women aged 65+. In the US, the
figures are 39% on average, rising
to 49% of women aged 65+. This
could be a useful avenue for brands
looking to reverse the usual pattern,
whereby usage of skincare and
make-up drops once women hit
their mid-60s.
CONSUMERS REALISE
THAT LIFESTYLE – IF NOT
YET ENVIRONMENT –
AFFECTS THEIR SKIN
76% of UK adults
pay attention
to the ethical
and green
credentials of
products, including
manufacturing
and distribution
processes, as well
as the reputation
of companies or
brands.
83%
of UK adults feel lifestyle
has a big impact on skin.
28%
of UK women who use facial
skincare products use a
moisturiser to counter the
effects of pollution or the
environment on the skin.
22%
of UK women look to
cleansers to protect their
skin from the environment
or pollution.
42%
of UK women aged 65+ who
use facial skincare products
use a moisturiser to counter
the effects of pollution or the
environment on the skin.
SOURCE: MINTEL REPORTS 2014
28
Trends 2015 UK
28 29
Get Smart
E@sy Street
Fight For Your Rights
Toxic Avengers
WHERE
NEXT?
Consumers are already embracing
apps that scrutinise a product’s
environmental credentials, and
we expect this concept to grow in
the food and beverages market.
Meanwhile, we can expect protective
claims against PM 2.5 to grow in
product marketing in skincare and
across other sectors.
Consumers are expected to care
more about apps that measure
food miles and cleaning products
made from ‘all natural’ ingredients
like lemon, vinegar and baking
soda; they are then likely to buy into
foods and beauty goods that make
‘protection from pollution’ an actual
product claim.
Trends 2015 UK
We’ll see more technological
solutions in the form of self-cleaning
surfaces, using permanent treatments
to enable flooring, worktops and
windows to repel dirt and grime.
We’ll also see more wearable
devices and clothes that variously
measure, guard against and combat
dangerous levels of air pollution. In
advertising, we’ll see more initiatives
like billboards that fight pollution as
well as home, office and even shop
frontages made from materials that
absorb carbon, reflect heat or absorb
light to emit it at night time. In the
home, retail and office spaces, we’ll
also continue to see a major uptake
of LED lighting systems.
In the automotive sector, it’s possible
we may see repeats of the Parisian
anti-smog experiment of March 2014
that saw the city authorities reduce
traffic by 50% after levels of minute
particles of PM 10 emitted by diesel
exhausts reached more than double
the designated safe level of 80
microgrammes. Smaller electric cars,
ride share services and urban biking
schemes will receive further pushes
and brand sponsorships.
Consumers are already
embracing apps that scrutinise
a product’s environmental
credentials, and we expect this
concept to grow in the food and
beverages market.
Water purity – from manufacturing,
to agricultural run-off, to home
waste – will see efforts to reduce the
incidences of chemical fertilisers,
microbeads in cosmetics or chemicals
in personal care soaps or household
cleaners polluting our waterways.
30
30 31
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