Tech Consumer Insights

Trend - Incremental games are titles that progress over time without user input. This progress can be accelerated by actively playing the game. The passive progression model leads to consistent progression for the players, which is often satisfying and addicting, regardless of the players' busy schedules.

Insight - One of the fastest-growing markets in gaming is mobile gaming. With nearly every consumer having a gaming-capable smartphone in their pocket, the potential user base for these games is incredibly expansive. However, not all consumers have the time to actively engage with games. For these busier consumers who desire the satisfaction and relaxation of gaming with minimal free time, brands are releasing incremental progression games that automatically play themselves, even when the app is closed.

Trend - New startups are launching wearable sweat monitors for safe hydration levels. These are non-intrusive wearables that measure the sweat on the skin, rather than detecting moisture within the skin directly. This helps remind users when to hydrate, particularly during sporting activities.

Insight - Climate change has led to outdoor weather becoming increasingly unpredictable, with rising temperatures causing more regions to become near-uninhabitable at certain times of the year. These conditions cause consumers to pay more attention to proper hydration. When performing physical activities, these consumers are looking for non-intrusive solutions to ensure their bodies maintain healthy fluid levels. Brands are in turn creating hydration monitors with less intrusive sweat-monitoring designs.

Trend - Companies are launching artificial intelligence (AI)-powered scheduling tools designed to enhance productivity. These tools grant the AI direct access to your calendar, schedule, and required tasks, simplifying scheduling time with others while enabling the AI to generate an optimized day plan.

Insight - With many employees still working in remote or hybrid scenarios, it is paramount for these employees to ensure proper time management and planning. Additionally, the air gap between employees raises difficulties in scheduling time for meetings and events. Additionally, many individuals struggle with balancing work lives and personal lives, further adding to the importance of scheduling tasks. brands are recognizing this and are augmenting scheduling applications with AI to improve efficiency.

Trend - Tech companies are revolutionizing affiliate marketing by launching new shopping apps that break down traditional barriers. Platforms like Locker are leading the charge by ditching the follower-count and aesthetic requirements that often exclude potential affiliates. This inclusive approach opens the affiliate ecosystem to a wider range of consumers, empowering everyone to become a brand advocate and earn from their genuine endorsements.

Insight - Today's consumers are savvier than ever. Traditional influencer endorsements, once a marketing mainstay, are losing their luster. Empowering everyday brand advocates fosters trust, engagement, and loyalty. As social commerce continues to evolve, the brands that embrace this democratization can potentially see more engaged consumers and higher long-term value from a more authentic, community-driven approach to marketing.

Trend - Companies are opening new social media services with the intention of fostering more intimate connections between users. In a rebellion against social medias built around endless feeds, these platforms connect users with similar interests and have convenient public and private group chat systems.

Insight - While nearly everyone today engages with some form of social media platform, most agree that the social aspect of the platforms has become secondary to monetization and algorithmically-fed content streams. Many of these users find popular social media platforms isolating, and cite difficulties trying to foster real connections. In recognition of these complaints, smaller social media services are focusing on fostering direct connections between users and communities.

Trend - Brands are launching pest control devices designed to integrate seamlessly into modern home designs. Utilizing technologies such as UV light trapping and ultrasonic waves, these devices are pet-safe and minimalist. These passive pest control designs avoid standing out as an eyesore in the home.

Insight - With nearly every device in the home having a smart alternative, consumers are prioritizing investing in devices with robust features at affordable price points, with particular focus on the devices that most seamlessly integrate into their lifestyles. Brands are recognizing the importance of crafting refined smart devices with functionality that does not intrude on the user, and as a result, are launching minimalist pest control devices that do not stand out or require frequent maintenance.

Trend - Smart home companies are releasing baby monitors with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered features. Rather than acting as cameras and recording devices, these monitors use AI features for non-intrusive monitoring of breathing or sleeping patterns, body temperature, and more.

Insight - New Millennial and Gen Z parents are tasked with balancing full-time work with social lives and raising their newborns. Rising costs of living have led to these parents often having less free time than previous generations. To alleviate the strain of home tasks, many of these parents turn to smart home or AI-powered products, such as robot vacuum or AI washing machines. In recognition of this demand, smart home and infant care brands are releasing AI baby monitors with time-saving features.

Trend - Brands are creating compact wearables powered by advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models. As wearables, these are non-intrusive devices that provide access to on-demand AI. These AI features can be used conversationally with hands-free commands to provide seamless access to information.

Insight - Most individuals in the western world, regardless of age, find themselves using their smartphone tens or hundreds of times per day, with most simply looking up information or responding to messages. Companies are aiming to use AI to reduce smartphone use to help consumers return to active living, rather than staring at screens. As a result, these companies are creating AI-powered wearables, such as pins or necklaces, that provide on-demand hands-free access to AI and smartphone features.

Trend - Magnetic power banks are transforming mobile charging for iPhone users with their innovative magnetic attachment feature. Sparked by Apple's MagSafe battery pack, numerous startups have introduced alternatives with extra features or better pricing, broadening consumer choices. This technology enhances convenience and meets the growing demand for seamless, integrated smartphone accessories.

Insight - The rapid adoption and development of magnetic power banks illustrate a broader shift in consumer electronics towards more integrated and feature-rich accessories. As these devices become central to daily life, users are looking for products that not only enhance functionality but also align with a mobile and dynamic lifestyle. There is a strong consumer demand for innovations that offer both enhanced usability and aesthetic coherence with their primary devices.

Trend - Embedded lending is reshaping financial services by allowing non-financial companies to offer loans and financing, such as Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options exemplified by Apple Pay Later. This trend extends beyond consumer finance into the B2B realm, providing small and medium-sized businesses with faster access to capital through various funding methods like merchant cash advances and revenue-based financing.

Insight - The rise of embedded lending showcases a pivotal shift in how companies across various industries integrate financial services, reflecting a broader trend towards embedded finance. This integration is driven by the desire to enhance customer experiences by providing seamless, on-the-spot financing options, effectively turning every company into a potential fintech player. The ability to offer tailored financial solutions not only improves customer engagement and retention but also opens new revenue streams for businesses.