2. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
We interviewed 36 experts from the Canvas8
network about the key trends influencing
consumer behaviour across 12 sectors in 2016.
Here’s what they said…
3. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Stefan Cosser, chef director at Food Innovation Solutions
“The popularity of street food has led people to want
authentic experiences, so there are lots of restaurants
introducing regional cuisine we haven’t seen before.”
#1 AUTHENTIC EATS
Eating & Drinking in 2016
4. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Karen Barnes, editor of Delicious
“Making food ‘good’ and ‘bad’ is a trend – and it’s a trend
I don’t like. I’ve seen so many books in the past six
months that have the words ‘guilt-free’ in the title.”
#2 GUILT-FREE FOOD
Eating & Drinking in 2016
5. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“In 2016, people are going to embrace the idea that they
can become ‘slim by design’. They’ll replace the cookie
dish with a fruit bowl.”
Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#3 NUTRITIONAL NUDGES
Eating & Drinking in 2016
6. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Tracey McAlpine, founder and editor of Fighting Fifty
“The beauty industry is just waking up to the fact that
they don’t market well to older people. People aren’t
looking for a cure; ageing isn’t a disease.”
#4 BEAUTIFULLY AGED
Health & Beauty in 2016
7. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Julie Fredrickson, founder of Stowaway
“There’s going to be a lot more focus on lifestyle fits in
2016. People want something that fits into their purse
and makes them mobile.”
#5 LIFESTYLE FIT
Health & Beauty in 2016
8. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“Thanks to people posting ‘shelfies’ on Instagram –
pictures of bathroom shelves, cabinets or dressing tables
– products themselves are increasingly in the limelight.”
Daniela Morosini, beauty journalist
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#6 PRETTY PRODUCTS
Health & Beauty in 2016
9. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Goof Lukken, founder of Vrijetijdskennis
“People are looking for unique accommodation, like
sleeping in a train. People want a story to share on social
media, even if they’re only going on a short trip.”
#7 EXTREME STAYS
Leisure in 2016
10. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Julie Bonnar, editor of Craft Focus
“Customising your home is a part of modern living.
There’s a crossover between crafting and DIY; knitting
and painting are all incorporated into our homes.”
#8 UPCYCLED LIFESTYLE
Leisure in 2016
11. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“VR is going to allow you to have the most crazy
experiences. Why would you buy your kids a Scalextric
track when they can drive a Formula 1 car?”
Henry Stuart, co-founder and CEO of Visualise
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#9 VIRTUAL PASTIMES
Leisure in 2016
12. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Tom Chatfield, technology theorist and author
“People are growing intolerant of anything that wastes
their time. If something isn’t fully responsive, or doesn’t
serve up relevant information rapidly, it’s disregarded.”
#10 TIME IS MONEY
Technology in 2016
13. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Matt Hussey, editor-in-chief of The Next Web
“Technology is an established part of life and the way we
express our identities. Above functionality, it’s about how
it makes you feel, how it makes other people see you.”
#11 IDENTITY MARKERS
Technology in 2016
14. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“When people use a mobile, they don’t think of it as
futuristic – it seamlessly integrates into their life. But a
smart watch doesn’t provide any indispensable service.”
Daniel Booth, editor of Web User and Computeractive
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#12 THE NON-SHIFT
Technology in 2016
15. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Zack O’Malley Greenburg, senior editor at Forbes
“We’re going to start to see some clarity around the
streaming situation. There’s no doubt that streaming is
the present and future of the music industry.”
#13 DREAMS OF STREAMING
Media & Entertainment in 2016
16. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Barry Hertz, film editor for The Globe and Mail
“There’s a shift towards blockbuster franchises and
branded properties in cinema. Audiences are interested
in recognisable properties and names.”
#14 INDIE GUYS FINISH LAST
Media & Entertainment in 2016
17. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“Networks are more open to the fact that the more
places they give people access to content, the higher
the ratings will go.”
Alan Wolk, TV industry futurist and analyst
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#15 TELLY ADDICTS
Media & Entertainment in 2016
18. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Mitch Joel, president of Twist Image
“The macro shift will be in messaging. Messaging apps
are bigger than social networks at this point – private
apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.”
#16 SOCIALLY DIVERSE
Communications in 2016
19. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Tamsin Fox-Davies, senior development manager at Constant Contact
“Brands have come to understand that if they want an
audience to step away from what they’re doing and
interact with a message, it needs to be fun.”
#17 CUSTOMER FIRST
Communications in 2016
20. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“There’s a psychological shift between the TV on your
wall and your phone in terms of personal space. Brands
need to create value and be invited in.”
Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#18 PERSONAL SPACE
Communications in 2016
21. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Alastair Laidlaw, founder and CEO of Lux Worldwide
“Expect to see brands invest even more heavily in video,
augmented reality and mobile apps. Seismic shifts lie
ahead in the way people purchase luxury goods.”
#19 DIGITAL STORYTELLING
Luxury in 2016
22. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Alex Cheatle, founder and CEO of Ten Group
“There are a growing number of wealthy people who
aren’t that interested in luxury products, people who just
don’t wear a watch or own a top brand car.”
#20 FINE LIVING
Luxury in 2016
23. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“Ten years ago, ‘ethical’ was hemp and yoghurt, but
today it’s very much for the luxury market. People want
to know the provenance of the products they buy.”
Emma Hart, creative director at PUSH PR
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#21 SEXY SUSTAINABILITY
Luxury in 2016
24. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
James Dion, retail consultant and founder of Dionco Inc.
“People are obsessed with their phones; 24% of
Americans have admitted to making a purchase on the
toilet and 2% have even done it at a funeral.”
#22 SPEND ANYWHERE
Shopping in 2016
25. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Paul West, strategy director at Dalziel & Pow
“Look out for Nike’s 45 Grand gym. It’s a great example
of building customer advocacy – a retail space also used
for leisure and entertainment.”
#23 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION
Shopping in 2016
26. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“The high street looks healthier, but it’s the independent
stores that are really coming through. There’ll be a move
away from big name stores.”
Graham Soult, leading UK retail consultant
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#24 SMALL & MIGHTY
Shopping in 2016
27. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Chris Skinner, chairman of the The Financial Services Club
“In 2016, mobile wallets will mature into contextual
services incorporating advice, sales and marketing at
point of sale – as long as it’s consensual.”
#25 CONTEXTUAL WALLETS
Money in 2016
28. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Jonathan McMillan (pseudonym), author of The End of Banking
“As people try services like Apple Pay, Venmo or Zopa –
seeing how little effort is required – they will demand it
from their banks.”
#26 ZERO EFFORT
Money in 2016
29. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“The banking and financial services industry has finally
begun to understand what distributed ledger technology
is and the promise it holds for innovation.”
Duena Blomstrom, fintech and digital experience specialist
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#27 SHARED LEDGERS
Money in 2016
30. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Alex Ely, founder of architecture practice Mæ
“The chronic housing problem could be overcome if
retirees free up family homes, so housing providers will
tempt them with new, high-end designs for the elderly.”
#28 URBAN RETIREES
Home in 2016
31. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Philip N. Cohen, sociologist and demographer
“The increases in re-marriage or marrying later in life
create a dynamic where family rules, boundaries and
relationships are unclear.”
#29 UNCERTAIN TIMES
Home in 2016
32. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“In 2016, the home is going to be about comfort, not size,
especially as homeowners become more attuned to
provenance and materials.”
Emma J. Page, commissioning editor at 25 Beautiful Homes
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#30 HOME COMFORTS
Home in 2016
33. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Dr. Ryan Chin, managing director of the City Science Initiative at the MIT Media Lab
“Will high adoption rates of autonomous vehicles make
our cities worse or better? If they are privately owned,
we may just have autonomous traffic jams.”
#31 HANDS FREE
Getting Around in 2016
34. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Michael Kodransky, global research manager at the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy
“We’re seeing less focus on car ownership because cities
can’t cope with the traffic and consumers are put off by
the costs.”
#32 SHARING THE ROAD
Getting Around in 2016
35. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“Crowdsourcing travel data is part of a bigger trend of
decentralising information providers and the shift to a
bottom-up approach to services.”
Dr. Oded Cats, assistant professor in Transport and Planning at Delft University of Technology
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#33 DATA DRIVEN
Getting Around in 2016
36. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Andy Thornton, CEO of the Citizenship Foundation
“There’s going to be a greater sense of debate over how
much people’s locality matters to them and how well
these localities are served.”
#34 CIVIC SENSIBILITIES
Citizenship in 2016
37. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
Tomas Diez, urbanist and co-founder of Smart Citizen
“ In 2016 we will see more applications, hardware, and
technological innovations related to citizen involvement
in the city.”
#35 MASS PARTICIPATION
Citizenship in 2016
38. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
“Crowdfunding sites – Kickstarter, Just Giving or Kiva –
are essentially fundraising platforms. The potential of the
use of these sites in this sector is exciting.”
Jonathan Simmons, chief experience officer at pro-social digital agency Zone
#2 PEOPLE PARTICIPATION#36 OUTSIDE INFLUENCE
Citizenship in 2016
39. CONSUMER TRENDS IN 2016
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36 expert interviews | Trends across 12 sectors |
Key innovative brands to watch | 2016 cultural agenda