Magazine: TOP 10 shopper trends in 2018

Euromonitor International has collected those factors that will have the biggest influence on the world’s shopping habits in 2018. The main characteristic of ‘clean-living’ shoppers is that they are trying to plan their minimalistic lifestyle with the help of a well-defined system. Those 20-29 year old, well-educated consumers belong to this category who have a wide perspective, and want order in the world. Clean-lifers have a strong set of beliefs, they say no to alcohol and control their spending. They want experiences for their money, which they like to share with others. Many of them are vegetarians or vegans. Based on this knowledge, restaurants and cafés can build on the further strengthening of the vegan lifestyle, and demand is likely to increase for festivals or weekend programmes where the main star isn’t alcohol.

For those who belong to the youngest generations it is completely normal to think in terms of communities, and to share what they have with others. ‘Borrowers’ like to use ‘sharing economy’-type services such as Uber or Airbnb. What they want is access and not ownership. Borrowers follow a hectic lifestyle, they want to get what they need instantly, and in accordance with this attitude they actively use their mobile devices, e.g. for shopping, watching movies, etc.

‘Hashtag activism’ is rather common these days, it is enough to think of the worldwide success of the #IceBucketChallenge or the #MeToo campaign. Social media has made it easier than ever before for people to join forces and call attention to important matters. According to a US survey from 2017, 46 percent of shoppers have already shared their opinions on products on a website. What is more, if they read a negative opinion about a product or service, 65 percent of consumers do thorough research and only buy the given product or service afterwards – and only if they could be convinced to do so at the various official forums.

People are increasingly interested in their own genetic code: What is it that differentiates them from others? In line with this trend, demand for special innovations is on the rise in the categories of health and beauty products. Genomics service provider 23andMe has already uncovered the genetic background of more than 1 million Americans. Based on this new-type knowledge a new group of shoppers is emerging: people who build their whole lifestyle around their own genetic characteristics.

The entrepreneurial spirit is stronger in the members of younger generations. Young people don’t want a 9-to-5 job, they prefer complete freedom. Those who wish to live this way have to be very adaptable and flexible. Employers must take these factors into consideration when they are recruiting new workforce. Those shoppers who belong to this category aren’t loyal to brands and aren’t really influenced by the traditional channels of marketing.

Virtual reality (VR) glasses will usher in the next stage of online shopping. People like to shop while sitting in their living room, but very often at the last moment they decide to not buy something, because they can’t try it on or can’t ‘hold the product in their hands’. With the technological development that is happening in the world of smartphones, VR technology will soon be available more widely and at a lower price. In Ikea’s virtual store furniture can be looked at in its actual size. Since November 2017 Amazon has been offering an application, with the help of which consumers can furnish their apartment in real time, using the camera and the display of their smartphones.

Those shoppers are called ‘I-designers’ who would like to feel that it is them who make the products, or at least that they get to use their creativity to make changes in the products in order to personalise them. They don’t really care about owning things, what matters to them is the creative process – the experience involved in the buying process. A very good example of this trend is the meal kit trend: cooking ingredients delivered to one’s home. Social media plays an important role in this, as people like to share the creative process these days.

There are detective-type consumers too: they got disappointed in the market and don’t trust brands or companies any more. Before buying, they study the principles of the given company that manufactures the product. They can really go into details because without trusting the manufacturer they won’t buy anything. The good news for companies is that these are the most loyal consumers. If they find that a brand meets their expectations, they will stick with it no matter how expensive the product is. It is needless to say that small and medium-sized businesses are in a better position to convince these shoppers than large firms.

The number of people living in a household has a big influence on shopping habits. In the last few years the number of single-person households increased in cities. As a reaction to this trend, the ‘co-living’ lifestyle developed: individuals – mostly young people, but often those older than 65 years too – share a house or flat and do the tasks which are necessary to maintain a household together. These people can constitute a special target group to retailers.

Last but not least we must also mention the fact that the gap between the rich and the poor keeps growing. Those who earn just enough to get by often have trouble buying the food they need daily. These families only look at the price tag when shopping, so they tend to go to discount supermarkets. In the western world there are more and more social supermarkets too. //