Trends of 2021

WPP Wunderman Thompson agency released its annual Future 100 report, unveiling trends for the next 12 months. The 100 trends are drawn from the sectors of culture, technology, travel, branding and marketing, food and beverage, beauty, retail, health, business, and finance. For the first time, the report examines trends in the workplace, as the mass shift to remote work and rising unemployment are changing our professional lives. After reading the 217-page document, we selected 9 game-changing tech trends.  Contactless TravelAll aspects of air travel are being reimagined to restore consumer trust in a sector severely impacted by COVID-19.Amadeus offers a fully contactless system for passengers using the app instead of touch-screen terminals. Lufthansa is expanding self-service options by sending SMS notifications about baggage delays, reducing queues. In addition to contactless check-in and baggage tag printing, Alaska Airlines is implementing a remote boarding system where staff can scan boarding passes from a distance of two meters.Why this is interesting:New contactless technological solutions to ensure traveler safety will revitalize the tourism industry. [caption id="attachment_304" align="alignnone" width="600"] Contactless Travel, Source: assets.bwbx.io[/caption] Gaming RevolutionGames will become the next dominant platform, just as search engines, mobile phones, and social media defined industries in previous decades.According to research by consulting firm Activate, the consumer gaming industry will grow to $198 billion by 2024, excluding hardware sales and advertising. This growth is driven not only by players playing more and spending more on games. Digital games increasingly serve as a backdrop for various events, from attending concerts to celebrating graduations and holding protests, the report notes. Why this is interesting:In gaming universes, you can communicate, create identities, buy and sell, build businesses and careers. Conditional Fortnite is the new Instagram, with yet untapped potential.[caption id="attachment_301" align="alignnone" width="600"] Travis Scott Concert in Fortnite, Source: rollingstone.com[/caption] Protecting Generation AlphaDigital presence has become ubiquitous and inevitable — what does this mean for the youngest generation?Tech giants are seeking ways to reassure parents regarding their children's digital footprint. In February 2020, the Facebook Messenger Kids app updated its parental controls. In November 2020, Rego Payments introduced Mazoola, a new digital wallet app compliant with COPPA regulations (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act). In addition to teaching financial literacy, the app allows children to shop in parent-approved retail stores and make peer-to-peer payments while maintaining their privacy.Why this is interesting:Privacy risks online now begin almost from birth. Millennials have become parents and are investing in new gadgets and software to shield children from harmful content.[caption id="attachment_305" align="alignnone" width="600"] Protecting Generation Alpha, Source: metro.co.uk[/caption] Antimicrobial PackagingBrands are responding to increased consumer attention to cleanliness.In October 2020, strategic agency Designsake Studio in San Francisco presented Matter, an antimicrobial protective coating that can be applied to materials such as paper, cardboard, glass, metal, and textiles. Matter was created using advanced silver technology, as the metal disrupts virus reproduction, providing protection against 99.9% of microbes. The antiviral coatings market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.3% from 2020 to 2027, reaching $1.3 billion.Why this is interesting:As consumers are highly aware of the virus's ability to survive on surfaces, antibacterial and antiviral packaging is expected to become an important factor in purchasing decisions.[caption id="attachment_306" align="alignnone" width="600"] Matter Antimicrobial Packaging, Source: intelligence.wundermanthompson.com[/caption] Live CommerceRetail is moving online, offering an engaging and personalized shopping experience for consumers who prefer digital technology.Combining the simplicity of e-commerce with the theater of advertising, live commerce includes brand broadcasts where they demonstrate products and interact with their audience in real-time. The format has been popular in Asian markets for several years and is now experiencing a global boom. China is the market leader, where during Double 11 (Singles' Day) 2020, Taobao Live utilized 30 live channels, each generating over $15.3 million. In June 2020, streaming platform Livescale announced a partnership with e-commerce platform Shopify. Live shopping broadcasts via Livescale took place on the websites of Urban Decay, NYX Professional Makeup, Kiehl’s, It Cosmetics, and Shani Darden in 2020. Facebook also launched Facebook Shop and Instagram Shop in May 2020, adding real-time shopping capabilities in the US during the summer.Why this is interesting:Live commerce competes with traditional retail, and its growing popularity shows that consumers still seek entertaining shopping. Access to brand representatives provides a new level of brand interaction that consumers crave, which cannot be found in a regular store.[caption id="attachment_307" align="alignnone" width="600"] Live Commerce, Source: coywolf.news[/caption] Virtual HeadquartersVirtual-first offices point to decentralized work in the future.Dropbox is radically rethinking its work structure. On October 13, 2020, the tech company announced that it would now be a "virtual-first" company, turning all its global campuses into Dropbox Studios — spaces for collaboration and community building, not just for work. This is a decisive pivot for a company that signed the largest lease in San Francisco history in 2017. Most of its 730,000-square-foot headquarters complex will now be available for rent.Other companies are getting creative by creating virtual copies of offices where employees can gather to socialize and work. WeTransfer opened a digital version of its Dutch headquarters in May 2020. Employees can create avatars to wander around and attend meetings.In April 2020, Sine Wave Entertainment launched Breakroom, a virtual world product for remote employees, providing 3D offices to companies including Virgin Group and Torque Esports. Italian energy company Enel has spent the last year working with Spatial Systems to assemble workers as avatars in virtual conference rooms, using a combination of augmented and virtual reality technologies.Why this is interesting:Virtual offices are replacing open-plan spaces. Workflows are going digital.[caption id="attachment_308" align="alignnone" width="600"] Virtual Headquarters, Source: images.wsj.net[/caption] Antiviral FabricsClothing is becoming armor we wear to fight disease. Startup Vollebak released an all-metal jacket in May 2020. It is 65% copper, which has antimicrobial properties. Swiss textile company HeiQ, in partnership with Pakistani company Artistic Denim Mills, released the "world's first antiviral jeans" in June 2020. The jeans are treated with HeiQ's Viroblock technology — a process where the fabric is coated with an invisible antiviral film effective against viruses for 30 minutes. The technology guarantees at least 30 wash cycles at 60°C and is certified as effective against COVID-19. Diesel also released a pair of antiviral jeans in July 2020 in collaboration with Swedish chemical company Polygiene.Why this is interesting:Fashion is taking a back seat to clothing functionality. Extreme climate changes and diseases may make the world more complex. Therefore, clothing designers are striving to solve this problem.[caption id="attachment_309" align="alignnone" width="600"] Antiviral Fabrics, Source: static.dezeen.com[/caption] Stratospheric EconomyThe high-tech industry is moving into orbit. Brands are targeting outer space.In October 2020, NASA and Nokia announced a new partnership to deploy a 4G network on the Moon. The initial goal is to improve data transmission to help astronauts navigate lunar rovers, orient themselves in lunar geography in real-time, and broadcast video. Analysts predict that by the end of the decade, total revenue from space-related cloud services could reach around $15 billion. Microsoft and Amazon are competing for leadership in developing this new frontier.Microsoft is partnering with SpaceX to target interstellar cloud services. The plan involves deploying new cloud computing services using a fleet of low-orbit spacecraft, as well as traditional high-altitude satellites. The initiative targets both government and commercial space business.Why this is interesting:It all starts with helping astronauts, but the ultimate goal is turning space into a profitable market. As investments in the space technology industry grow rapidly, companies are striving to develop commercial opportunities and become leaders in this field.[caption id="attachment_310" align="alignnone" width="600"] Stratospheric Economy, Source: images.firstpost.com[/caption] Cloud GamingBig Tech is competing in the cloud gaming arena.Netflix among games — cloud gaming. Players will abandon physical discs or large downloads and instead stream games directly from the cloud. Major players are making big bets on cloud gaming, including Amazon, Google, Tencent, Microsoft, Sony, and Facebook. In October 2020, the company announced the addition of free cloud games. In September 2020, Amazon promised to "help shape the future of gaming" by announcing Luna, its cloud gaming service. Unlike traditional competitors — Google Stadia, Microsoft xCloud, and Sony PlayStation Now, which require special equipment — Luna allows players to stream games from existing devices.Chinese tech giant Tencent is working on rapidly upgrading its cloud gaming technological capabilities through collaboration. In March 2020, Reuters reported that Tencent partnered with telecommunications company Huawei to create an innovation lab for developing a cloud gaming platform. Tencent Games Start cloud gaming service previously collaborated with American tech company Nvidia.Why this is interesting:The entertainment industry is shifting from broadcast television to OTT service platforms. This shift is attracting tech giants who are investing heavily in cloud gaming, as gaming on demand — is the future of gaming.[caption id="attachment_311" align="alignnone" width="600"] Cloud Gaming, Source: g.foolcdn.com[/caption]