On Tuesday 10 January 2023, our team of business futurists shared our 12 transformative trends for the year ahead during a one-hour webinar.
Following our Foresight Framework methodology, we explore the macrotrends shaping the Planet, the Culture, the Economy and the Self, and how these macrotrends will impact brands and businesses.
Using a carefully curated selection of case studies, and with the help of our AI tracking tool, we turn those trends into actionable insights for retailers, FMCG, luxury and hospitality players.
Follow this link to watch the full webinar.
Overview of GDR’s 12 transformational trends for 2023:
THE PLANET
1. Holistic Regeneration
The Anthropocene climate system that we are moving towards is as much the result of excessive carbonisation as it is about colonisation. The concept of Regeneration we covered in 2022 is therefore evolving towards more action directed specifically to climate victims and communities at the forefront of extinction.
2. Power Shifts
The combination of climate emergency, energy crisis and cost-of-living issues has prompted brands and start-ups to crowdsource their efforts towards net zero and enable their customers and fans to share the power so that they don’t have to choose between heating or eating.
3. From Brands to Stands
Consumers are becoming more sceptical of environmental claims and purpose-washing initiatives. As the next generation of consumers reframes the sustainability debate around the theme of ‘extinction’, there will be laser-focused attention on claims and acts, and preference for niche brands and products that don’t waste their time with greenwashing.
THE ECONOMY
4. The Dopamine Economy
In challenging times, we look for that shot of the happy hormone, DOPAMINE. The retail world is well placed to pump it up with affordable treats and now – thanks to digital technology – with immersive luxuries. And most importantly: do it responsibly, with wellness and purpose at heart.
5. Homegrown Movements
A new consumption trend has emerged as an answer to conflict-related supply chain disruptions and global waste impacting negatively on some industries. In an effort to support ecosystems and businesses that feel close to home, shoppers are gravitating towards neighbour businesses and hyper-local experiences.
6. Omni-Rational Retail
With the ongoing fulfilment revolution tempered by cost-of-living, retailers are reprioritising value-for-money over pushing convenience further (convenience remains a given), flexing their omni-channel capabilities to bring more valuable services, loyalty and value to customers and suppliers.
THE CULTURE
7. Primitive Tech Society
The negative effect of too much virtual technology coupled with scarcity of chips and rare earth materials has prompted some creators to promote off-the-grid lifestyles. The rise of open source tech, repair kits and old-school flip phones, goes hand in hand with ‘Luddite’ teen movements weaning themselves off social to protect their mental health and data privacy.
8. Decentralised Creativity
Brands’ cultural credibility is increasingly driven by the quality of their community-generated content and products. Businesses will grow these tailored direct connections through the power of tokenised technologies like DAOs and NFTs.
9. Silicon-based Lifeforms
The proliferation of AI in all aspects of our lives, from chatbots to design to tracking devices, is prompting consumers to learn to interact with computer brains. This is an opportunity to enhance human software with interfaces that bridge the gap between flesh and chip, cell-based and silicon-based lifeforms.
THE SELF
10. Cultured Everything
Meat has been grown in labs for a while. But over the last few months, we’ve seen a flurry of other foodstuffs being manufactured in labs instead of fields. Cultured dairy, oils and even vegetable extracts are now the focus of up-and-coming start-ups. All claim that the process provides the maximum nutritional benefits and a healthier experience, whilst freeing up arable land and fighting deforestation.
11. Psychoactive Care
As consumers seek to extend their wellbeing rituals and take care of their health more holistically, disruptive changes are occurring in various industries. It is becoming difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal drugs, treatments and cosmetics, further blurring the line between care and escape.
12. Omni-Biome
Beyond the well-known space of microbiomes, recent scientific and medical research has highlighted the importance of our mycobiome, archeobiome, macrobiome and more ‘biomes’. In this space, start-ups are exploring the potential of the gut-brain / gut-skin links, and bridging the gap between nutrition and medication, gut health and mental health in an ever more holistic way.
If you would like to receive the full presentation of the 12 transformative trends 2023, please reach out to rachel@gdruk.com