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For centuries, man has been trying to predict the future, only to find that their vision – being too detailed – encounters problems when faced with reality. In order to achieve commercial success it is often sufficient to sketch future scenario’s with a certain amount of leeway. My ‘Ten Global Giga Trends’ are based on this principle. They provide us with an idea of what people who live in a relatively affluent society, find important. Companies will gladly use their new products, services and processes as a response to market demand. I challenge you to recognise new trends in your own line of business. Now develop your own future perspective! In this publication I portray the important trends, ongoing changes, which in my opinion, the next few years will hold. Chances usually occur at the interface of two or more trends. Some trends may seem to be conflicting at first glance, e.g. ‘More Mobility’ versus ‘Safety Web’ (yearning for hominess). Yet a careful analysis of these trends will make you discover the correct interface. The aforementioned two trends can lead to actual new chances when you realise that the yearning for hominess is also present when we are travelling. How can you deliver a new product or a new service to meet those two (or more) trends at the same time? That is the correct mode of thought! Trend 1: Time-On-Demand (Determine your own time to act) Consumers have become used to the so-called 24-hour economy. It makes us expect that everything can be used at a time of one’s own choice. This is ‘Time-On-Demand’: we want to control our own timetable and determine when to act. Time is a scarce commodity which requires careful use. The new “consuman” [Gerard van Vliet, 1997] has a self-centred image of the world, caused a.o. by the stress of daily life by a growing supply of products and services, and by the general globalisation. An early manifestation of Time-On-Demand is the VCR: the consumer determines his own moment for watching television. Modern versions are e.g. Video-On-Demand (through digital interactive television), and the internet. Another manifestation of Time-On-Demand is the possibility of online home-shopping and home-banking 24 hours a day.

Ten Global Giga Trends Richard Lamb, MSc ~ Managing partner Trendwatcher.com

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Trend 2: Safety Web (Yearning for hominess) In a world where change seems the only constant, we experience a lot of stress which makes us search for a solid basis. For some, this solid basis is found in a stable family at home, or cocooning with a partner. For others this may be the familiarity of the pub or the sports club. One searches for a ‘safety web’, a yearning for hominess. This ‘comfort zone’ is the basis from which outings are made to the more risk-prone environments such as a company with a non-flexible organisation structure and continuing reorganisations. The modern ‘air, light and love’ is combined with the restored ‘rest, regularity and cleanliness’. Trend 3: Time for Sale (Time-saving services and products) It seems as if time is not for sale. Wrong! It is! The trend ‘Time for Sale’ shows in which ways one can buy time. More and more, consumers are looking for time-saving products and services, caused by a growing pressure of work and an intensified social life. This is not only true for so-called double-income couples but for almost all students and workers. How does one buy extra time? One example is by shortening the time it takes to prepare dinner. The supermarkets give us the choice of “raw” French beans, already washed and packed beans or even a ready-made dinner with beans. The consumer decides how much extra time he prefers to buy. In general, there is a growing need for luxury ready-to-use products, be they groceries or book cases which are fitted at home by the supplier. Book case-suppliers are already experimenting with book case designs which warn the buyer when he is fitting it incorrectly. It is possible: but at a price. Trend 4: Interactive Society (interaction is everywhere) Only a few decades ago, the ringing of the phone started the entire family, as this usually happened only once a week. In the interactive society of today, the phone seems to ring continuously. The answering machine provides only temporary relief. And there is more: we are now expected to interact with our environment not only with the telephone, but also through e-mail, SMS, television and radio. En route we are confronted with (train) ticket machines, ATM machines, coffee machines, security passes, mobile phones, organisers, laptops, MP3-players and the talking navigating system in the car. Trend 5: Twinning (Birds of a feather) The trend ‘Twinning’ means that kindred spirits will increasingly look out for each other and shield themselves from other groups: birds of a feather. It is a search for a sounding board to test out one’s own standards and values. As there is a strong attachment to the group identity, compartmentalisation occurs. One could speak of ‘hidden apartheid’. This ‘silent separation’ is a counter reaction to what is socially considered to be a desirable response to the axiom that a multicultural melting pot with obligatory integration is the ideal society. This Twinning is in no way to be seen as traditional apartheid; it means rather that people from the same social layer, or who share the same political convictions, sports or hobbies seek each other out. Trend 6: Quality of Life (Live consciously) One tends to become more conscious of the options offered by an affluent economy and behaves accordingly. The trend ‘Quality of Life’ refers to this critical ‘consuman’ who generally envisions a quite detailed future perspective. Especially the better educated are aware of items like health, food safety, spirituality, fitness, body care and personal development by following extra courses or studies. Trend 7: Pure Communication (People want sincere communication) In an age where everyone seems to be in a rush and fleeting contacts proliferate, many people feel a growing need for honest, sincere communication. This can be through a good heart-to-heart, or through some sort of therapeutic talk in which the speaker expects an extra attentive and involved listener. Modern society seems to cater less to this latter group. They will thus have to look for professional help: a ‘paid’ ear. The trend ‘Pure Communication’ does not just refer to personal communication. Companies and governments will have to be upright in their dealings with the public, especially in case of calamities. Leading residents such as general practitioners, lawyers, notaries, aldermen and councilmen will be expected to communicate in a

About Richard Lamb Futurist and trendwatcher Richard Lamb, MSc, managing partner at Trendwatcher.com, is one of the most requested speakers in The Netherlands. During his interactive presentations he’s discussing subjects like Global Trends, Innovation and Information Technology. Richard Lamb is specialised in translating trends into innovative products and services. He prepares companies for future scenarios. www.Trendwatcher.com

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customer-oriented way. Internet and television have in a great measure contributed to our expectation of communication to be transparent. We thus see a greater openness around medical operations, politics and even the royal family. Trend 8: More Mobility (Increasing Mobility) The trend ‘More Mobility’ refers to the phenomenon of man becoming increasingly more mobile. The affluent society and globalisation through the influence of the media are factors directly influencing this phenomenon. Mobility can be seen in two different aspects: on the one hand there is increasing mobility in the homes and on the work floor. We expect more and more that our needs for information can be met without a jumble of wires; computers and other equipment are directly wireless connected to the internet. Of course the switchboard is also operated wireless. Quite a few people do no longer have a fixed telephone connection: they communicate with the outside world through their mobile phone. Trend 9: Experience Industry (Explore one’s own boundaries) To many people, the routine of daily life does no longer offer any challenges. The trend ‘Experience Industry’ denotes the desire of people to explore personal boundaries, in a safe way. It is the need to feel a rush of adrenaline pumping through our veins, as our ancestors might have needed in their ‘struggle for life’. It is the desire to live fully, to experience life in every fibre. This ‘Experience Industry’ finds its most striking exponents in the entertainment business with parks like Disney World, Jurassic Park and Ocean World. Other examples are risky sports like rafting, bungee jumping, kite surfing, a survival mission with colleagues from the work floor. Trend 10: Pull Economy (Demand-controlled economy) The trend ‘Pull Economy’ relates to the New Economy, which has brought about ‘chain-reversal’. Production chains produce on the basis of: you ask and we produce. The demand-controlled economy has gained momentum through the emergence of the internet. Those organisations which have geared their operational processes to the demand-controlled economy in the 1990s will easily survive the present economic crisis. Lean times invariably show which companies have grown ‘sloppily’; these will eventually go down as their cost structure is too high.

Richard Lamb, MSc. Speaking Engagements:www.Trendwatcher.com Richard.Lamb@Trendwatcher.com

10 Global Giga Trends

1. Time-On-Demand 2. Safety Web 3. Time for sale 4. Interactive Society 5. Twinning 6. Quality of Life 7. Pure Communication8. More Mobility

9. Experience Industry 10. Pull Economy