Future Consumer 2026: Redefining traditional sales cycles and retail calendars
With many adult milestones becoming financially unviable and many consumers’ plans and expectations changing, 2026 will see a redefinition of personal achievements. This will create opportunities for brands to tap into this market by supporting new types of celebrations.
The concept of chrono-normativity is changing, challenging social expectations of reaching life milestones at a specific age, such as getting married, buying a house or having children. We will see the market shift towards fostering connections between people at different stages of life and developing celebrations of other significant moments, however small they may seem.
In a highly competitive environment, building loyalty through incentives that go beyond the transaction will help win over this new generation of emotionally driven consumers. The majority of global consumers (79%) believe that the role of brands has changed in the past five years, with many (40%) seeing that role as making the world a better place to live.
Impact on product development and communications
By dismantling stereotypes and moving away from outdated timelines, brands will have the opportunity to redesign products and experiences for collective needs rather than specific ages. As a result, we will see a greater demand for brands that build more genuine connections through a culture of inclusion and acceptance, proving that age is just a number.
Brands will need to keep up with lifestyle changes not only in their product development but also in their communications. In the US, a third of singles say they have been in consensual non-monogamous relationships. Governments are increasingly recognising these unions with Massachusetts, in the US, becoming the first state to do so in 2020.
Celebrating new formats and milestones in romantic relationships
As relationship norms evolve globally, consumers will want to achieve milestones beyond the traditional ones. The term ‘situationship’ – an unofficial romantic union – has become so prominent in modern culture that it has entered the running for the 2023 Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year. This opens up space for brands to celebrate the achievement of alternative milestones by creating products and communications specifically for these new moments.
On Valentine’s Day, Sweethearts Candies launched Situationship Boxes, a limited-edition line that sold out in just four minutes. Meanwhile, American pizza chain Pizza Hut supported those going through a breakup with its Goodbye Pies campaign which allowed consumers to choose a personalised message and packaging for a Hot Honey pizza – a sweet and spicy flavour that promised to ease the pain of a breakup.
WGSN Future Consumer
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