Trends are long-lived customer behavioral changes.  Trends cause customers to develop new needs and allow companies to supply new solutions.  Thus, trends are loaded with opportunity, and the source of obsolescence.  But far too few companies use trends in their planning.

This podcast overviews how we verify trends, identify trend reinforcers, and then use those trends to plan. We dig deep into the 4 trends we identified at the pandemic onset(Mobility, Asynchronous Work, Artificial Intelligence and Gig Economy) for verification of their ongoing importance – including new technologies, government programs and environmental changes like real estate, e-commerce use and applications of social media.  Then we explore the importance of the emerging trend around sustainability and environmental awareness – and the overall impact of demographic trends on all business trends.

Thinking points:

• Have you incorporated the 4 big trends into your planning?
• Are you tracking events for their impact on trends and customer behaviors?
• Are you aware of how trends are changing, adapting and affecting your products and services?
• Are you updating your scenarios for events and their impact on trends?

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