Top 10 Consumer Trends for 2012: Smartphone Universe

Displacing computers worldwide, in 2012, smartphones are reaching out to the lower end of the mass market so expect apps to reflect this.

This piece is the seventh in a weekly series of consumer comments exploring each of the trends Euromonitor International identified in the recent Top 10 Trends for 2012 article.

Worldwide, smartphones are the communications accessory of choice, including in emerging markets where consumers are taking up new, more basic models as this prop moves from being a luxury item to a necessary lifestyle aid. According to Euromonitor International data, annual smartphone sales surged from US$7.9 billion to US$83.3 billion between 2005 and 2010, with China surpassing the USA as the largest national market during 2009. Real global smartphone sales are forecast to reach US$137.4 billion in 2012. For many developed market consumers, PCs and laptops are beginning to take a backseat as most smartphone owners use these convenient devices to surf the internet and watch TV anywhere from parliaments to buses. New aids such as Hive Dock, designed to assist elderly people with visual impairments to use smartphones will expand the population of smartphone users still more. 2012 will see more consumers using their smartphones to make transactions, using mobile, cashless technologies from Near Field Communication to QR codes to personal card readers.

Top 10 Consumer Trends for 2012:Tech Lifestyles Versus Slow Living and The Best of Both

Some consumers are embracing an 'always-on' lifestyle while others are trying to disengage.

This piece is the eighth in a weekly series of consumer comments exploring each of the trends Euromonitor International identified in the recent Top 10 Consumer Trends for 2012 article.

For the 2012 consumer – from toddlers upwards, technology is part of life with a lot of simultaneous tech consumption (watching TV and using a computer at the same time, for example). Access to the internet has extended to accompany people as they go about their daily lives, at work and on holiday. We're moving into a technology space where mobility is becoming less about devices, and more about the mist of data that we each generate with every interaction on the internet.

Top 10 Consumer Trends for 2012: Reality Culture and Consumers

Scripted reality or celebrities living the dream - consumers are gripped, sharing views and being moved to change their purchasing behaviour.

This piece is the sixth in a weekly series of consumer comments exploring each of the trends Euromonitor International identified in the recent Top 10 Consumer Trends for 2012 article.

'Reality culture' has changed the paradigm of who we see as an opinion leader. Around the world – 'ordinary' people appearing in reality programming are claiming the spotlight of the 'talented' famous and consumer attention as well as lifestyle aspirations. Euromonitor International's Annual Study 2011 found that respondents rank celebrities slightly more highly than political or community leaders in terms of whom they most look up to. Acknowledging their grip on the population, US President Obama recently shared his sentiment on reality TV by saying: “I don't want my daughters watching 'The Kardashians' either.”

Flavours and Textures: How Local Consumer Taste Palates Are Defining Global Soft Drinks

Analyst Insight by Jonas Feliciano, Beverage Analyst at Euromonitor International

As global soft drinks companies compete with local manufacturers for share in developing nations, textures and flavours that cater to domestic consumer tastes take centre stage.

For generations, “a Coke and a smile” (and an unparalleled international distribution arm featuring local bottlers, licensed manufacturers, and a deep retail presence) was enough to capture significant market share in developing nations. The idea was simple. Much like blue jeans and rock and roll, Western beverages represented a lifestyle for which consumers in these markets would pay a premium. As of 2012, however, things have changed—growing consumer sophistication has put the focus squarely on developing products specifically tailored to consumer taste, to develop products with flavours and textures that local consumers find both familiar and satisfying. And, more often than not, these preferences are outside of the carbonate category.

Home Cooking and Eating Habits: Global Survey Strategic Analysis

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 This report focuses largely on the “Eating and Drinking” section of Euromonitor International’s 2011 Annual Study of global consumers, and is enriched by strategic analysis, extensive desk research and illustrated with Euromonitor International market data. The aim is to explore how new trends are impacting home eating and cooking habits.

South Africa: Spotlight on Key Market Trends in Luxury Goods

With value sales of R5.6 billion (US$684 million) in 2010, the South African luxury goods market ranked 23rd out of the 26 countries covered by Euromonitor International's luxury goods research and accounted for 0.4% of the global market. Click to tweet! In terms of real growth over the 2005-2010 period, South Africa ranked 10th, just behind Hong Kong and ahead of Singapore.

Over 2005-2010, four of the 10 categories researched recorded positive real value growth. Luxury electronic gadgets led the way with constant retail value growth of 68%, followed by fine wines/champagne and spirits (21%), super-premium beauty and personal care (14%) and luxury travel goods (7%). Luxury jewellery and timepieces (-4%), writing instruments and stationery (-7%), accessories (-14%), fine china and crystal ware (-16%), tobacco (-35%) and designer clothing and footwear (-9%) all registered negative growth. Click to tweet!

Top 10 Consumer Trends for 2012: Emerging Market Shoppers

This piece is the fourth in a weekly series of consumer comments exploring each of the trends Euromonitor International identified in the recent Top 10 Consumer Trends for 2012 article.

According to Christina Ko, blogging at HK Fashion Geek, the Asian love of the luxury bag has become “...a cultural fact. In the same way that Asians prefer rice to potatoes, they also prefer luxury handbags to non-branded ones,” she says. Click to tweet! An appetite for luxury is extending beyond China's nouveau riche as ever more white-collar workers are demonstrating an enthusiasm for it. In 2012, throngs of emerging market shoppers around the world are aspiring to more consumption. They are now enjoying malls and chain stores and learning to rely on credit while those with wealth are blending shopping with tourism as they spread their consumption wings.

Morocco - Turning a Crisis into an Opportunity

Analyst Insight by Nadejda Popova

Several major factors influenced the performance of the travel and tourism industry in Morocco in 2011. The uprising in the Middle East, the bombing in the city of Marrakech and the EuroZone crisis all contributed to a rather sluggish year for the country's tourism industry. Tourism accounts for nearly 10% of GDP and one tenth of the country's workforce. 

Retailers’ Strategies in Sub-Saharan Africa

Analyst Insight by Cedric Bra, Retailing Analyst

South African retailers are looking to expand northwards, while companies such as Kenyan-based Nakumatt Holdings Ltd and Zambian-based Zambeef Retailing Ltd are searching for opportunities in high growth markets and are investigating the strategies being employed by their larger South African competitors. Together these retailers highlight the opportunities provided by the countries in question but also the different methods being used to expand in their target markets.

Differing markets ask retailers a variety of questions

The African continent is made up of very diverse economies. Different countries are at very different stages of development and therefore, have very diverse retail landscapes in 2011. South Africa is considered a developed country thanks to its relatively high living standards and a diversified economy. Oil exporters like Equatorial Guinea and Gabon enjoy fairly high GDP per capita but their small populations and difficult business environments remain obstacles for large-scale retailers.

Tourisme dans la zone MENA: Etat des lieux post printemps arabe

 

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Suite a son intervention au sommet/conference Invest in Morocco 2012 a Casablanca, Aziz Khyari, consultant regional chez Euromonitor, partage ses analyses au sujet des dernieres tendances regionales du tourisme au sein de la Zone MENA, en mettant en avant les differents impacts qu’a eu le printemps arabe sur les industries du tourisme en Afrique du Nord, et les differents shifts qui s’y sont operes.