Learn the ABCs of consumer product trends for 2015! A is for Autonomous driving, B is for Biometrics, C is for Collaborative economy, ... Note: All opinions in this presentation are my own, and do not necessarily represent that of my employer.

1. Consumer Product Trends:
A Year in Review
FROM A TO Z
By: Rachel Rothman, @GHGadgetGIrl

2. A
AUTONOMOUS DRIVING
It’s been an ongoing evolution, from modern cruise
control in the 1940s to more mainstream functions
like backup cameras that we’ve come to expect in
a car. The Newest vehicles have even more
advanced features such as adaptive cruise control,
lane-keeping assists, and auto stop for pending
crashes.
This year’s winner: Tesla. Not the first to incorporate
lots of advanced tech options, but it got people
talking about things like unassisted lane switching
and self-park and pick up.
Assisted  Semi Autonomous  Fully Autonomous

3. B
BIOMETRICS
Thanks to intelligent micro components
consumers can collect and analyze facial,
fingerprint, and retina recognition as well as
monitor heart rate for increased
understanding and access.
This year’s winner: Valencell. Just as Intel
makes computers smart, this company’s
making it possible to put accurate heart rate
monitors inside our wearables.

4. C
COLLABORATIVE
ECONOMY
The sharing economy affords individuals the
ability to use products and services without
taking full ownership. Instead, they can
share, rent, subscribe, become a member, or
have them delivered. Sounds like a win-win!
This year’s winner: Consumers. They save
time, money, and headaches from this
approach, and can even garner an income
from these platforms.

5. D
DRONES
While the word alone conjures up scary
visions, by definition they are simply
autonomous mini flyers. While they’re mostly
used by consumers for photography and
videography purposes, applications in the
future are far-reaching, from the much-hyped
Amazon drone deliveries to more
accurate agricultural management.
This year’s winner: 3D Robotics. It’s a
company that believes in creating a
supportive, reliable, intuitive community.

6. E
ELECTRONIC CURRENCIES
Electronic currencies, like Bitcoin, are a
medium of exchange that are electronically
transmitted and stored. They operate
completely separately from banks. Once
used in illicit settings, they’re becoming
mainstream and may represent the future of
money.
This year’s winner: Overstock.com. It was the
first major etailer to accept Bitcoins for
purchases.

7. F
FREEMIUM CONTENT
Freemium = Free + Premium.
ID a market that’s already paying for
particular content or services, but can offer
some value-add and you’ve found an area
ripe for freemium content! Apps leverage
this: Many are free for initial download but
offer premium add-ons.
This year’s winner: The New York Times. Its
online paywall continues to bring in monster
revenue.

8. G
“GREEN” IS COOL
Values are shifting, and consumers are
looking for emotional empowerment. That’s
why consumers are growing
increasingly interested in investing in
companies that have an environmental and
social conscience.
This year’s winner: Patagonia. It has high
brand EQ and led the way by being a
“caring” company long before it was cool.

9. H
HEALTHIER WORKSPACE
You’ve may have heard that “sitting is the
new smoking.” Well, companies are taking
note. Ergo-friendly workstations are
becoming mainstream. They allow for
increased health benefits through easier
alternation between sitting and standing.
This year’s winners:
UpDesk and RebelDesk are two of the big
companies helping to reform office spaces.

10. I
INTERNET OF THINGS
More like the Internet of Everything. All of the
connected, data-gathering sensors built into
devices are providing more insights, control, and
efficiency than ever before. From home and
kitchen appliances to smarter automobiles to
health and fitness applications, the implications are
far-reaching. While sensors will eventually be built
into just about anything you can imagine, those
that will succeed will be able to passively collect
data and provide contextually relevant information.
This year’s winner: Lowes. This mega-retailer
brought IoT to the masses.

11. J
JOURNALISM EVOLUTION
Brands and content are living side by side
more than ever before– with native
advertising becoming increasingly
commonplace. In general, strategic
partnerships are becoming more and more
important, in some cases even relying on
citizen journalism to expedite content
creation.
This year’s winner: Buzzfeed. While not the first
by any means, it really catapulted native
advertising.
Images courtesy of Buzzfeed

12. K
KICKSTARTER MENTALITY
We are living in the Innovation Age, a time
when anyone (thinks) she can be an
inventor. With the advent of rapid printing
technologies and crowdsourcing and the
right dedication and an apt marketing
campaign, just about anyone can..
This year’s winner: The slide title reveals the
winner, Kickstarter. While not new, it has long
been a leader in the consumer-centric
revolution that we’re currently experiencing.

13. L
LOCATION-BASED SERVICES
With the advent of low-energy Bluetooth,
location-based technologies really
blossomed this year. Using geo-sensors,
companies leverage smarter
analytics to provide more
personalized experiences, better customer
service, and more targeted deals.
This year’s winner: Beacon
technology. These sensors will enable a rapid
evolution in the retail industry.

14. M
MOBILE PAYMENTS
Consumers demand convenient
prompt interactions, especially at checkout,
both online and in stores. Whether it’s a two-click
payment online with PayPal or holding
your phone up to the register at Starbucks,
there’s a definitive uptick in mobile payment
options. Features are growing, too, with the
ability to split bills and garner more mobile
insights.
This year’s winner: Apple Pay. While it didn’t
reinvent the wheel or introduce anything
new, the sheer abundance and simplicity it
affords has allowed mobile payments to
become more prevalent.
Image courtesy of Apple.

15. N
NON-PROGRAMMING
PROGRAMS
Coding is becoming the new literacy and
companies are building products leveraging
coding to build smart products. There are a
slew of new programs and services that are
designed to empower users to create their
own websites and apps and provide
productivity tools for redundant mainstream
tasks like checking the weather or saving
photos.
This year’s winner: IFTTT. It does the work for
you, automating tasks between services. Use
a ready-made “recipe” or create one of
your own. See some of my fave recipes at
right.

16. O
ON-DEMAND SERVICES
In the consumer-driven world we live in, users
demand instantaneous supply of goods and
services. The market for such is growing at a
rapid rate because consumers demand
convenient, efficient, and simple means to
obtain instant gratification. Why pack and
ship your own goods when you can pay
someone to do it for you (thanks Shyp!)?
This year’s winner: Uber. Whether it was
winning and giving you free rides or creating
a frenzy around surge pricing, it stayed in the
spotlight.
Image courtesy of Uber

17. P
PRODUCTIVTY
In our increasingly busy lives, we’re trying to
multitask more than ever before. That’s why
tools that are able to aid hyper-productivity
are becoming so important and
beloved. Products that allow for
customization and greater efficiency will
reign supreme.
This year’s winner: Evernote. It plays nicely
with everything from Moleskin notebooks to
mobile app Pocket, which lets you save
articles to read later. It’s my go-to for
keeping organized and sane!
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

18. Q
QUANTIFIED SELF
Through a growing number of products that
allow consumers to gather data on their
activities, health, and habits, including heart
rate, food consumed, sleep cycles, and
calories burned. Expect companies to get
smart and start passively collecting data and
then serving up personalized feedback and
coaching based off of an immense data
set.
This year’s winner: Scio. It showcases that
devices thought to be exclusively for
professionals are viable for consumer use.
This map was created by Rachelle DiGregorio to help others
learn about self-tracking tools.

19. R
RETAIL EVOLUTION
Technology allows the retailer to be more
informed about its consumer and for the
consumer to have a more targeted
experience. Retailers that leverage
interactive and personalized experiences are
leading the way. In our increasingly global
world, consumers still crave localized actions.
This year’s winner: PayPal. New features like
“available now”, ASAP, and schedule a
delivery offer consumers more flexibility for
fulfilling their retail needs.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

20. S
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Whether it’s for consuming media (Netflix,
Kindle, Spotify, …), a productivity suite (like
Office 365), or a monthly treat (the Birchbox-types),
consumers demand fast and
convenient service. This model ranges from
fixed goods to unlimited service to pay as
you go models. What they have in common
is that consumers can save time and money
on repeat purchases.
This year’s winner: Netflix. House of Cards
and Orange is the New Black propelled it
into a viable competitor to traditional
providers.
Image courtesy of Netflix.

21. T
TRANSPARENCY
Consumers are innately trusting, but as more
dubious marketing claims are exposed, they
demand more transparency. And not just for
physical products but for digital products as
well. They want more clarity and control as to
where and how information about them is
being used.
This year’s winner: FTC. This consumer
watchdog has never been as relevant –
cracking down on everything from
“slimming” shape wear s and
unsubstantiated “weight loss” products to
unfounded “unlimited” data plans and
deceptive “anti-aging” claims.

22. U
UX & UI
User experience (UX) and user interface (UI)
have become increasingly important as
consumers demand better and more intuitive
digital experiences everywhere. That even
extends to the automobile as intuitive
systems mean not only increased productivity
but safety as well.
This year’s winner: Apple CarPlay. Already
available on select new cars, it lets your
phone take over the brains (and screen) of
your car.
Image courtesy of Apple.

23. V
VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
Why waste your time or brain power figuring
out what you’re thinking when a machine
can do it for you? Have your assistant keep
you on schedule, get you where you need to
go, post to social media for you, send your
texts and emails, make your restaurant
reservations, and more. Beyond recognizing
natural language inputs, it can proactively
deliver info to you.
This year’s winner: Google Now. This
intelligent personal assistant is available
through Google Search on Android and iOS
and through Chrome online.
Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

24. Action
being monitored
and data
collected
Recommendation
via expert, social
community, and
Feedback
via measuring
incentives
W
WEARABLES
The market is still in its infancy, and the
potential is really limitless. What is becoming
clear is that consumers
like wearables that are attractive,
intuitive, personalized, and provide
contextually relevant information.
This year’s winner: Fitbit. It understands the
varying needs of individuals and offers a
range of products from a basic counter to a
more advanced smart watch. It’s
incorporated heart rate monitoring and
seamless sleep tracking capabilities into its
new bands.

25. FAMILY PURCHASE DECISIONS
94% 92% 91%
80%
60%
51%
Men
Women
X
“XX” – GIRL POWER
Female empowerment is nothing new, but it
sure is experiencing a growth spurt right
now. As gender roles evolve, modern
preconceptions are changing. Women are
earning more, taking leadership roles, and
expanding into territories previously
dominated by men. Results: increased
buying power and influence.
This year’s winner: Women in STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and mathematic)
fields. What a great year for us!

26. Y
YOUTH INFLUENCE
The future belongs to Millenials (those born
1980-2000) and they’re already yielding
tremendous power and influence. They
spend over $200 billion a year and make up
nearly 50% of the global
population. Millenials are socially
connected, demand authenticity, and crave
unique experiences.
This year’s winner: Nike. It recognizes that
one size doesn’t fit all and offers specialized
stores (even one just for women!) and
personalized offerings like Nike ID.
Image courtesy of E. Podell.

27. Z
ZEN MINDSET
Today’s society is recognizing that health
and wellness require a much more holistic
approach. The players that will succeed will
recognize this and passively collect data to
provide actionable, personalized feedback
and instruction.
This year’s winner: Headspace. It’s a great
meditation app and the company teamed
with Westin hotel chains to offer holistic mind-body
experiences while traveling.
Nutrition
Fitness
Regeneration