6 Trends and 1 Colour for 2012

What does 2012 hold?

In an uncertain world, it’s always good to hang on to someone else’s predictions of what lies ahead, and in that spirit here is a summary of some of the key trends outlined by trendwatching.com in their end of year report (link here). Some of these trends seem very similar to previous years perhaps, and some are less relevant for Asia, so I will focus on six that I find most relevant and intriguing plus a tip for which colour to wear to your New Year’s party on Saturday night.Screen culture

Screens are becoming ever more pervasive, personal, interactive and immersive and wherever I go in Asia I always see many glued to their own small & not so small screens (sadly, sometimes more connected to the screens than the people around). This trend will continue in 2012, becoming more ubiquitous with the growth of mobile access, the ‘cloud’ and more available wi-fi (just today I read that Bangkok has announced the availability of free wi-fi throughout the city).

They are now also to be found in supermarkets and other retail outlets, and in China even in restaurants. The Sichuan hot pot chain Hao Di Lao have introduced telepresence screens in their Beijing and Shanghai outlets in conjunction with Chinese electronics company Huawei, so that customers can share their hot pot experience with family and friends who are elsewhere. They already have iPads for customers to make their orders in the restaurants.

There will be more of this over the coming year, particularly with the introductions of iPhone 5, iPad 2 and the Aakash (see below), as well as interesting prototypes of the OmniTouch, which transforms any surface into a touchscreen via projection, and Samsung’s experiments with flexible screens and screen embedded windows.

Technology for all

Despite experiments with low cost laptops and phones, which have had mixed (or little) success, next year may be when computer power really becomes enabling for consumers at the bottom of the pyramid with innovation truly tailored for their needs. The Aakash is an wi-fi enabled and Android powered tablet computer  designed to be a fully functioning device at a cost of around 60 US dollars (and the Indian government plan to subsidise this cost for Indian students to around 35 dollars).

Similarly, NCR have developed the Pillar ATM to use biometric technologies to provide cash at the press of a thumb and intend to roll this out in developing markets. Pepsi in India have launched several products in the past year aimed at the poorest consumers, including a glucose and electrolyte based energy drink (Lehar Gluco Plus) and a fortified iron snack (Lehar Iron Chusti).

Self diagnosis

Do it yourself health is gradually becoming a reality, especially as tablet computing power and applications become available to more and more consumers. Apple’s app store offers more than 9,000 apps already which are focused on mobile health (eg cardio fitness, diet, women’s health, stress and relaxation) and this number is expected to grow by more than 50% over the coming year and it’s predicted that this market will be worth more than 4 billion dollars in a year’s time.

Jawbone’s Up is a personal tracking device which you can wear on your wrist and synchronise with your phone or tablet device recording all your moving, eating and sleeping habits, reminding you to do certain things, and even making comparisons with your friends and family. There are other devices for checking your back pain, hearing, blood pressure, skin and heart health as well as many other aspects of your body’s performance. Even Ford have got  into the act with an in-car health monitoring system. You can track your body wherever you go!

The Oscar treatment

As the Chinese economy and Chinese consumers become more important (and that goes for other Asian countries too), companies are ramping up their efforts to give attention, focus and respect to a growing source of business, tailoring services and perks specifically for Asia (and especially China). This has been seen most prominently in the travel and hospitality industries with hotel chains such as Hilton introducing specific guest programs for Chinese travellers. It’s not surprising given that more than 30 million Chinese travelled abroad in 2011, forecast to increase to 100 million by 202o. These programs include native speakers, specialised check-in services, local food menus and entertainment services (eg Chinese TV channels).

Indian and Brazilian consumers are also being catered for (Brazil has just passed the UK as the world’s sixth largest economy). Retail outlets such as Harrods have also been gearing up to capture the spending power of Asian consumers with Chinese speaking staff and the introduction of UnionPay facilities.

Trading in

Businesses are making it increasingly easy for customers to unlock the value of past purchases, and not just for large durables but anything goes in 2012, including electronics and clothes. Brands are increasingly encouraging buy backs, trading up is encouraged by trading in, exchange is becoming more important and open marketplaces are proliferating. Just for myself, I have received multiple emails from Amazon in the past 2-3 months encouraging me to trade in old textbooks which can be resold.

In Singapore, Levi’s recently ran a promotion where customers could receive 100 dollars for a pair of old jeans with a discount off their new purchase and vouchers thrown in too. In difficult economic times, and with the need to make better use of the Earth’s finite resources, this trend can only grow and grow.

Click and see

More and more applications and devices are focusing on the power of instant search to provide real time information on everything we find in our environment. Text search is pervasive, and QR codes are increasingly being used to provide information about objects in an instant (as well as promotions and customer relationship tools). These tools are providing information, enabling comparisons (especially of prices), sharing contents, ingredients and origins and telling brand stories.

For example, Google Googles is a free image recognition app which can be used from your phone or other handheld device, using a picture (of an object or place) or a barcode to find relevant information. Amazon Flow is a similar app, which helps users to find items they see anywhere in the Amazon store, and many companies have been using QR codes and most notably Starbucks (helping consumers to understand its mobile payment systems and branded apps).

What to wear

To finish off, Pantone have recently announced their colour of the year. 2011 was the year of Honeysuckle (nicknamed Mad Men pink by some) which was described as vibrant and energetic. For 2012, Pantone have got a little warmer on the colour charts, turning to ‘Tangerine Tango’. a citrus red hue which is described as sophisticated, seductive and dramatic, “reminiscent of the radiant shades of sunset, combining vivaciousness with an adrenaline rush of red and the friendliness and warmth of yellow.”

In what looks like it will be a troubling year, Pantone claim that Tangerine Tango will continue to provide us with the energy boost we need to recover and move forward. Designers are already incorporating the colour into their coming collections, and I look forward to seeing many people wearing this over the weekend.

Even if it’s not 2012′s colour, it’s certainly a great way to dress for a party!