Trends en ontwikkelingen 4
Maatschappelijke veranderingen
Maatschappelijke veranderingen
Status Kills
September 2006
(…)
It’s still a pretty straightforward picture: owning a Maserati Spyder, signing up for a NetJet membership, or spending two weeks at Le Saint Géran in Mauritius or the Four Seasons Bali at Sayan, are a guaranteed way to increase one’s status, as these physical and experience-based status symbols will still impress the hell out of most fellow consumers.
However, no single status symbol is safe from devaluation, as these symbols are mere agreements: the moment ‘society’ would agree on a car just being a utilitarian method to safely move from A to B, and not one of the dominant indicators of one’s standing (as it is now), luxury car manufacturers would have a problem. Shifts like that could occur in societies that are no longer exclusively about consumption. Mature consumer societies in which many consumers have ‘out-consumed’ themselves, and have started to truly value and promote creativity as a necessary ingredient for innovation and competition on a macro-economic level. Sounds familiar?
(…)
The end of motoring
25 september 2005
Young people today would rather have the latest smartphone than a flashy car. And the number of them who can drive is plummeting. Is Britain’s love-affair with the car really over?
In Britain, the percentage of 17- to 20-year-olds with driving licences fell from 48% in the early 1990s to 35% last year. The number of miles travelled by all forms of domestic transport, per capita per year, has flatlined for years. Meanwhile, road traffic figures for cars and taxis, having risen more or less every year since 1949, have continued to fall since 2007. Motoring groups put it down to oil prices and the economy. Others offer a more fundamental explanation: the golden age of motoring is over.
“The way we run cars is changing fast,” says Tim Pollard, associate editor at CAR magazine, “Car manufacturers are worried that younger people in particular don’t aspire to own cars like we used to in the 70s, 80s, or even the 90s. Designers commonly say that teenagers today aspire to own the latest smartphone more than a car. Even car enthusiasts realise we’ve reached a tipping point.”
(…)
The most radical change is that “in big societies, there is a huge status shift happening, where we are losing the idea that you use a car to define your status. So the industry needs more flexible leasing, financing and car-sharing models. And second, they have to find new revenue streams.”
Underpinning all these innovations and ideas is what Liske sees as a major behavioural shift among the generation of “digital natives”. “They don’t care about owning things. Possession is a burden, and a car is a big investment for most people — not just the vehicle, but the permits, the parking space.”
(…)
Transportation in transition
4 december 2013
Americans’ transportation habits have changed. The average American drives 7.6 percent fewer miles today than when per-capita driving peaked in 2004. A review of data from the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration and Census Bureau for America’s 100 most populous urbanized areas — which are home to over half of the nation’s population — shows that the decline in per-capita driving has taken place in a wide variety of regions. From 2006 to 2011, the average number of miles driven per resident fell in almost three-quarters of America’s largest urbanized areas for which up-to-date and accurate data are available. Most urbanized areas have also seen increases in public transit use and bicycle commuting and decreases in the share of households owning a car.
(…)
Statusphere
Mei 2010
STATUSPHERE | As consumers are starting to recognize and respect fellow consumers who stray off the beaten consuming-more-than-thou-path, ‘new’ status can be about acquired skills, about eco-credentials, about generosity, about connectivity… All of this makes for a far more diversified ‘STATUSPHERE’ than most brands and organizations have traditionally catered to. Time to really figure out how and where your customers are now finding their status fix.
Not a single status symbol or story is ever safe from devaluation, as these symbols and stories are mere agreements between groups of people. For example, the moment ‘society’ agrees that a car is just a method to safely move from A to B (or a nuisance that needs to be avoided due to environmental worries and space constraints), and not one of the dominant indicators of one’s financial standing (as it is now), luxury car manufacturers will have a problem.
Traditional consumption is about buying (and enjoying and showing off) more and/or better stuff than fellow consumers. We’ve dubbed this the BIGGER, BETTER, HARDER realm. Which is by no means dead. The recession is just a blip on the radar when it comes to some consumers’ appetite for expensive, in-your-face brands and products that feed off status anxiety.
And even if (a big if) conspicuous consumption were ever to subside significantly in mature consumer societies, then count on the emerging middle classes in China, India, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, Nigeria, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil to pick up the slack.
Guilt Free Status
December 2013
Growing numbers of consumers can no longer escape an awareness of the damage done by their consumption: to the planet, society, or themselves. But a mixture of indulgence, addiction and conditioning mean that most can’t substantially change their consumption habits. The result? A never-ending guilt spiral.
Indeed, GUILT-FREE STATUS will be the ultimate indulgence in 2014. Time to create products and services that deliver a guilt-free status fix by being one of these:
- Known by all. Iconic, well known GUILT-FREE products such as the Tesla Model S will act as instantly recognizable signals of great sustainability.
- Visibly guilt-free. High status, chic or fashionable products that are visibly sustainable, ethical or healthy will deliver a GUILT-FREE STATUS hit. Get inspired by Nudie’s rugs made from recycled jeans.
- Storied. If a product or service isn’t known or visible, it will need a GUILT-FREE story that the owner can tell others (and impress them with).
Personaliseren
Juli 2011
Can a brand ever customize, if not personalize its products and services enough? Forget letting customers just pick a color or pattern; hyper-personalization will be the name of the game for years to come.
PRESUMERS en CUSTOWNERS
December 2013
In 2013 worden twee nieuwe ‘consumptiemodellen’ omarmd door gepassioneerde consumenten: ze worden PRESUMERS en CUSTOWNERS.
PRESUMERS willen, al voordat een nieuw product het licht gezien heeft, betrokken zijn bij de ontwikkeling, financiering en promotie ervan. Dankzij de talloze crowdfundingsites en de nieuwe productietechnologieën die eindelijk voor het brede publiek beschikbaar zijn geworden, hebben ze de mogelijkheid zich als PRESUMERS te ontpoppen.
Custowners zijn consumenten die geen genoegen nemen met passief consumeren maar die actief willen investeren (of zelfs een belang willen nemen) in de merken waarvan ze producten kopen.
The internet of Cars
1 mei 2013
Basically, cars have become the “ultimate mobile device” and we, the people, are becoming “connected drivers”. These aren’t just buzzwords: As a longtime strategic adviser and analyst of this space, I’ve been using these terms since 1998 to describe this fundamental transformation of the automobile. And it’s coming within this decade. For example, by 2016, most buyers in mature automotive markets (U.S., Western Europe) will consider vehicles’ ability to access web-based information a key criterion when purchasing an automobile. For premium vehicle brand buyers, this tipping point will be reached even sooner: 2014. That’s just one year away.
To be successful, connected vehicles will draw on the leading technologies in sensors, displays, on-board and off-board computing, in-vehicle operating systems, wireless and in-vehicle data communication, machine learning, analytics, speech recognition, and content management. (That’s just to name a few.) All of this leads to considerable benefits and opportunities: reduced accident rates, increased productivity, improved traffic flow, lowered emissions, extended utility for EVs, new entertainment options, and new marketing and commerce experiences.
Besides providing automobiles and drivers with new function, connected vehicles will also expand automotive business models to include a much broader set of industries — IT, retail, financial services, media, consumer electronics. This is significant, because it could challenge the traditional automotive business model: Rather than focusing only on the sale and maintenance of a vehicle, companies will focus on the sum of business opportunities the automobile represents.
Consumers do show a strong interest in the features of a connected vehicle. For example, from analyses Gartner conducted over the last year, we found that of all U.S. vehicle owners:
- Almost half (46%) are interested in safely accessing mobile applications inside the vehicle. These applications include receiving on-demand wireless map or software updates, finding available parking spots, and conducting local searches; nearly 40% would also opt for remote diagnostic capabilities that alert them when parts need replacement.
- More than one-third are interested in a self-driving, autonomous vehicle.
- Thirty percent are likely to opt for a vehicle that allows them to tether their smartphone to get internet connection there.
Concluderend
De mens verandert de wereld en dat heeft gevolgen. De internetgeneratie heeft nieuwe behoeftes en dat vraagt om nieuwe maatregelen. Deze jonge generatie heeft weinig baat bij autorijden. Auto’s zijn duur, slecht voor het milieu en bovenal niet praktisch in de steden waar deze jonge mensen gevestigd zijn. De status van een auto wordt minder belangrijk gevonden in Westerse landen, maar de status van een persoon blijft nog steeds een belangrijk kenmerk van ons dagelijks (consumenten) leven (mooie smartphone). De aankoop van een product dient zo min mogelijk negatieve gevolgen te hebben, want de consument wil zich niet slecht voelen. Het personaliseren van producten zal de komende jaren blijvend zijn.
Voor Carable betekent dit een aantal dingen. Ten eerste zal de markt voor Carable met name liggen in Westerse (ontwikkelde) landen waar de status van een auto niet veel meer betekent. Carable is zeker te gebruiken in andere niet Westerse landen, maar daar zijn ze nog niet ver genoeg om de status van een auto irrelevant te achten. Carable dient daarom met name praktisch te zijn om status buiten spel te zetten in niet Westerse landen.
Hoewel de vraag naar auto’s afneemt bij jonge mensen, zijn auto’s voorlopig niet weg te denken uit het dagelijks leven. Als auto’s namelijk over een aantal jaar zelf kunnen rijden, kan iedereen zijn of haar eigen ding doen en brengt de auto je (net zoals het OV) veilig bij je bestemming. 5 km of 5000 km verderop, dat maakt niet uit.
Carable zal rijden op waterstof of op batterijen, want beiden zijn op termijn goedkoper en milieuvriendelijker (het is het waard). Carable zal langzaam maar zeker gekoppeld worden aan het internet (of things). Dit maakt auto’s duurzamer, praktischer en dus aantrekkelijker voor de internetgeneratie.
De internetgeneratie zal wellicht auto’s op grote schaal delen. Als ze zelfrijdend zijn, kunnen ze altijd besteld worden wanneer nodig. Wellicht dat auto’s een openbaar vervoersmiddel worden die naar hartenlust besteld kunnen worden, maar dit maakt voor Carable in wezen niet uit. Zolang gebruikers kunnen doen en laten wat ze willen in en met een auto, voldoet Carable.
Lees verder
Carable — Usable for you
Trends en ontwikkelingen 1 — De zelfrijdende auto
Trends en ontwikkelingen 2 — Elektrisch rijden is de toekomst
Trends en ontwikkelingen 3 — Auto’s van de toekomst
Trends en ontwikkelingen 4 — Maatschappelijke veranderingen
Design Onderzoek — Gebruikers spreken voor zich
Stakeholders — Veel te behalen voor iedereen
