Mintel’s 2016 EMEA Predictions: How Did We Do? (2/5)

Ahead of Mintel forecasts for 2017, Senior Trends Consultant Richard Cope, takes a timely look back at how we fared with our 2016 predictions.

Time Space Continuum

Space and time are at a premium, becoming new currencies in their own right and creating new marketplaces, as we wait less, own less and rent and share more. This prediction was a big success, generating not one, but two, new Trends on our site - Straight to You and Cashing In. In the former, consumers’ digitally-driven demands mean they expect products and services to be brought directly to them, wherever they are. Google’s report that 20% of people won’t wait more than 5 seconds for a page or stream to load translates into a real-world retail landscape of same-day and within-the-hour distribution, that will reach its logical conclusion in drone delivery and ultimately be nurtured by the needs of an at-home, ageing population, craving independence. In the past couple of months alone our Trends analysts have reported on Tesco’s same-day click-and-collect services, the arrival of Amazon Dash’s instant purchase buttons in the UK and, in Germany, DHL and Smart becoming the latest brands to explore using smart car apps to offer ultra-convenient car-boot deliveries. The next stage in ultra-convenience will involve social media messaging and this is something we’ll be exploring with you in 2017. With the Cashing In trend, we’ve seen consumers recognising their time and their physical space as currencies they can profit from, driven in large part by entrepreneurs (there are 4.56 million self-employed workers currently work in the UK, according to Mintel’s Small Business Banking UK 2015 report). Most recently we’ve seen SpotterU, a Danish app that lets people look for, and offer, help with everyday chores, Heygo in Spain, an online marketplace where people can offer their services for a bit of extra cash and a trio of initiatives in France: Mon P’ti Voisinage (MPV), an app where people can offer up their own skills and expertise, ShareMySea, an Airbnb for boats and 1000Cooker, which connects people who don’t have time to cook with those who can cook for them. Mintel’s 2017 Predictions are coming. Please contact us to get your digital or hard copy, attend one of our Big Conversation events or have us visit you to present our findings.

See how Mintel's On the Waterfront trend prediction played out in 2016 here.