Nex Media • Vol 5 Issue 3
45
Call Out Culture
This refers to the fast-growing culture of using social media platforms to rally
support for a specific campaign or protest poor service or negative behaviour.
Social media has immense power as has been witnessed in the United
Kingdom where tax of feminine hygiene products was abolished following
pressure created using the platform. The trend will only gain momentum as
more people come online. One measure used by Euromonitor showed that the
environment. Close proximity to each other has resulted in the tendency to
‘share’ ownership.
Three main factors are responsible for the growth of the sharing economy
– affordability, convenience and sustainability. Cost cutting is an important
element. In addition to making life easier, sharing also meets the need for
certain items without the expense of purchasing them. Sharing has become a
popular means of obtaining access to goods such as clothing, holiday homes,
entertainment, appliances, baby products and numerous others. As a result,
many big companies are re-evaluating their business models to adapt to this
mindset.
Source: Euromonitor International’s Global Consumer Trends Survey 2017
number of people visiting or updating social media sites increased by just two
per cent in one year on a global basis. In South Africa this figure matched the
average global growth with as many as 75 per cent of people active on social
media at least once a week.
The pressure is on businesses to interact with consumers in the public
space. This means that businesses are going to have to be increasingly
prepared to face social media criticism and to respond accordingly.
It’s in the DNA – I’m so special
As the demands of everyday life force us increasingly into specific boxes
designed to define us, so the need for differentiation grows. This is the basis
of the next trend – the era of genomics in which more people want to know
about what makes them unique and who they are. An entirely new arena of
business is developing in assisting consumers to find out about their DNA
make up. The extension of this is a range of products and services in the
health market which will continue to evolve and will result in numerous start-
ups all of which will have an impact on the business environment.
Source: Euromonitor International
