'Nowism'
Oct 20 2009
Retail Wrap >>

Dubbed 'NOWISM', this mega trend has, and will continue to have, a big impact on everything from your corporate culture to customer relationships to product innovation to tactical campaigns. 

It is defined as consumers’ ingrained lust for instant gratification, and it is being satisfied by a host of novel, important (offline and online) real-time products, services and experiences. Consumers are also feverishly contributing to the real-time content avalanche that’s building as we speak. As a result, expect your brand and company to have no choice but to finally mirror and join the ‘now’, in all its splendid chaos, realness and excitement.

A handful of stats and signs of the times all paying tribute to a world in which currency truly is the new currency:

• A Datamonitor consumer survey in April/May 2009 established that less than half of consumers across 17 countries are satisfied with their work-life balance. People are looking for speed and convenience and anything that allows them to feel more in control of time. (Source: Datamonitor, August 2009.)
• More than 30% of the people who visit a business for service expect instant attention - in some cases even if they do not have an appointment. (Source: Beagle Research Group, August 2009.)
• According to Mintel's Global New Product Database, new energy drink product launches increased by more than 110% from 2004 to 2009, boosting sales in that sector during the same time-frame by more than 240 percent. (Source: Mintel, August 2009.)
• Office furniture manufacturer Details’ Walkstation is an electric, height adjustable work station attached to a commercial grade treadmill with a maximum speed of 2 miles per hour, and is designed to allow office workers to burn up to 100 calories per hour without leaving their computer screens(!)

With everything from drinks to shampoo now coming with a caffeine boost to help consumers make even more of the now, its no surprise anti-energy drinks are popping up, too:

• Launched in August 2009 and claiming "euphoric relaxation", Mary Jane's Relaxing Soda uses Fijian kava extract, which the company claims mirrors the effects of alcohol without the negative side effects. The soda also contains passion flower extract, a calming herb used to treat anxiety and insomnia. Similarly, Canadian Slow Cow is positioned as a "relaxing, anti-energy drink”, promoting the benefits of de-stress rather than speeding up.

Source: www.trendwatching.com, October 2009