The Main MACRO trends - New Value Economy.

The New Value Economy is the final one of today's current MACRO trends. It is about consumers getting back some privacy, after years of distributing their information consciously and unconsciously around the globe. 

Due to the recession consumers are becoming more wary, about what online sites they enter their data into. And this is where the old, heritage brands survived, as consumers wanted to run to brands that they were familiar with. It became all about quality over quantity, in terms of who the consumer decided to invest their details and finances with; it has progressively continued on like that. 

As today's growth of 'online sharing pages' like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are becoming ever so apparent there is new emphasis on design optimised for visual distribution. Although, this is creating a clash with old institutions that were established way before these new craze pages. But even though there is a clash, brands are able to survive in this economy, provided they learn to accept, adapt and move forward with emerging consumer mindsets. 

In order to make consumers feel more at ease, brands have now created things so that they feel more in control of their own information. An example of this is instead of a business asking you to put in your details just to answer a feedback question, they have now created 'rating systems'. These are encouraging consumers to trust brands more than the actual consumers themselves. In tern, consumers want the businesses that they are associated with to become less transparent, and more approachable! They would appreciate it going as far as one-to-one interaction, so that not only do they feel valued. But, their questions and quires will always be answered in an understanding way (as opposed to an automatic email.)

Also as brands are constantly searching to find consumer's data, so that they can tailor their products or services to the general needs of today, and consumers have cottoned onto this. It is stated that it would not be as much of a problem if the brands were more honest and open about what they are going to do with different individuals data. This in tern would be sure to create and establish trust!

It is not just about the online interaction, through a screen anymore. It is about brands conversing with their customers' through both online and offline methods. This is due to consumers wanting to feel valued by the brands that they invest in. Also to continue this, brands should understand that creating 'reward systems' for their loyal customers will keep them even longer.