LSN : News : Need to know 14 : 08 : 17

1. Why brands should be prepared for the impact of harmful air

Smog Life by The Future Laboratory

Air pollution is the fourth-largest threat to human health after high blood pressure, dietary risks and smoking, and caused 4.2m people around the world to die prematurely in 2015, according to the Health Effects Institute. Both brands and consumers will need to ready themselves for the implications of toxic air, a topic we have been exploring throughout our Smog Life series. For more on how you can prepare your brand, book an Anti-pollution Futures presentation.

2. Calvin Klein flagship store takes a new direction

Calvin Klein store by Sterling Ruby, New York. Photography by Elizabeth Felicella and Esto Photographics

New York – Artist Sterling Ruby’s redesign of the Madison Avenue store is part of the brand’s new identity led by chief creative officer Raf Simons. With its brightly coloured scaffolding and hanging sculptures, the space is distinctly Anti-luxurian in feel.

The meaning of status is changing as consumers increasingly look for brands that take a more playful, experimental approach to luxury. ‘I wanted the store to generate a very immediate physical experience and to be intimately connected to the collections,’ Simons told Business of Fashion. For more on the changing face of luxury, buy our Luxury Futures Report 2017.

3. Summer camp for young social media influencers

Los Angeles – Social Star Creator Camp offers intensive workshops on monetisation, branding and video skills, and is aimed at aspiring social media tastemakers aged between 14 and 25. The three-day course also covers specialist topics such as cybersecurity, copyright law and extreme sports filming.

‘Our conference teaches young people about how to turn their posting hobby into a career,’ reads the brand’s website. ‘It has become increasingly important for creators to differentiate themselves and stand out from the crowd.’

As LS:N Global explored in our Kidpreneurs tribe, members of Generation Z have an increasingly entrepreneurial mindset. Brands such as Bauer Media are responding with new platforms and publications aimed at young, business-minded consumers.

Lula magazine editorial imagery. Photography by Arvida Byström

4. ASOS search tool encourages product discovery

Visual Search by ASOS, UK

UK – Introduced via the ASOS app, the tool enables users to search through 85,000 products using a photo from social media, a print publication or one taken in real life. The visual search engine will then display visually similar products.

According to the brand, almost 80% of UK traffic and 70% of sales on ASOS come from a mobile device. Similarly, customers spend an average of 80 minutes per month on the ASOS app.

We initially tracked the trend of using visuals as a way to search for products in our Visual-search Commerce Market report. With the tool set to add 5,000 new searchable items weekly, ASOS’s adoption is a mainstream iteration of the trend.

5. Technology is fuelling increasing impatience among Millennials

US – Fetch has revealed the findings of its new YouGov survey, The Instant Gratification Nation, highlighting the impact of technology on consumer impatience in America. Overall, the study found that as many as 41% of US consumers surveyed admitted being more impatient today than they were five years ago, owing to their over-reliance on technology to complete everyday life activities. For more on how your brand can best use technology to engage with consumers, see our Future of Service report.

6. Thought-starter: The future of commerce is automated

Automated Commerce is turning grocery retail into a novel experience – but there are greater opportunities for brands, reports The Future Laboratory senior writer Kathryn Bishop.

Convenience is king, as the saying goes. And by 2025, it will have re-invented grocery retail, transforming it into a frictionless, fuss-free exercise in which cash is dead and app-based payment reigns.

According to a study by Comarch and Kantar TNS, 86% of European shoppers expect digital and mobile payments to replace cash registers entirely by 2030, while the US Food Marketing Institute predicts that just-walk-out technology – as popularised by Amazon Go – will be the norm by 2025.

Consumers’ shorter attention spans and desire for immediacy, as identified by our macrotrend The Focus Filter, is driving the rising number of staffless, automated convenience stores. And while the novelty factor of these spaces is valid, in cultures where service jobs are shunned, Automated Commerce will give grocers a sustainable, efficient platform.

For more on how retailers should embrace Automated Commerce, read our latest microtrend here.