In 2016, consumers will crave more authentic interactions with brands on every level. Whether it’s customers returning to brick-and-mortar stores for more personal engagement or wanting to experience brands through multichannel, multisensory experiences, consumers are responding to storytelling and incorporating products and services into their lives in unprecedented ways. Landor, one of the world’s leading strategic branding and design firms, analyzed innovations, consumer behavior, the changing market, and attitudes from a multitude of industries and global locales to determine the leading trends for 2016.
Stuart Sproule, Landor’s President of North America, commented, “In today’s world, whether marketers put the latest spin on an established practice or develop a first-ever innovation to capture consumers, they face the challenge of keeping brands agile: continuously evolving the brand to be relevant while staying true to its essence. Many of the 2016 trends reflect ways to navigate this agility paradox by encouraging brands to be adaptive, principled, open, responsible, global, and multichannel.”
Online shopping threatened to eradicate the traditional retail experience. However, customers once again want in-person interactions in the real world. Brands are responding by returning to brick-and-mortar stores, combining the service consumers expect from a physical store with the information, flexibility, and customization they get through digital. Even historically online brands are believers. Amazon just opened its first bookstore in Seattle, where customers can browse books and also read customer reviews.
