1、Accenture Life Trends 2024A word from Accenture SongWe create these trends every year as a window into the interplay between people and their behaviors and attitudes to the world around thembe it business,technology,or other societal shifts.Its now commonly accepted that customer-obsession is the be

2、st growth strategy.Superb customer experiences are expected.It takes meticulous orchestration to play a meaningful and relevant role in your customers lives.However,customers are messy.Theyre emotional and theyre changing faster than you can change your business,so keeping pace is a constant challen

3、ge.These trends examine these shifts,and seek to help businesses define how to catalyze growth by staying relevant to customerswhich is Accenture Songs mission.Accenture Life Trends 20242There are various layers that mediate between people and the way they live their lives,influencing what they thin

4、k,how they interact,and how they feel within the world around them.Whether driving consumption,maintaining authority,progressing culture,or sharing information,organizations are part of a matrix of intermediaries on which economies are built.Theres undeniable fragility in the relationships between p

5、eople and these influences,because theyre changing.Some are emerging,some declining,some adaptingand all hold significance to peoples lives.This is putting society into a state of flux,where people are now deconstructing everything as they try to figure out who they are in the world.And that goes in

6、to the heart of Accentures Life Trends this year.So where should we begin?Where should we begin?Accenture Life Trends 20243ContentsTrend 1 Wheres the love?5 16Trend 2 The great interface shift17 27Trend 3 Meh-diocrity28 37Trend 4 Error 429:Human request limit reached38 46Trend 5Decade of deconstruct

7、ion47 57Accenture Life Trends 20244Trend 1Wheres the love?Necessary cuts across enterprises have shunted customer obsession down the priority listand customers are noticing.Trend 15For years,the correlation between customer experience and revenue growth inspired organizations to hold the customer at

8、 the center of every decision.Now,economic considerations are forcing cuts throughout enterprises,driving friction between customers and brands across channelsin the form of price increases,quality cuts,illogical subscriptions,and poor customer service.Customers are noticing,and some feel hard done

9、by.The key question:How do brands keep their product in the basket in the long term?Accenture Life Trends 20246Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|*Source:Accenture Life Trends survey,August 2023*Source:Accenture CxO Puls

10、e survey,June 2023Whats going on Businesses are scrambling to cut costs and protect profits against a strained economic backdrop.Theyve made tough decisions to survive,with one major consequence:the erosion of customer experiences.Like it or loathe it,consumerism is a socio-economic fact of life for

11、 billions of people,with much of their day-to-day experience influenced or mediated by consumer culture.The changes described in this trend are having a significant impact across multiple aspects of life,affecting how people feel every day.Until recently,the direct link between profit and customer e

12、xperience made the latter top priority,often at the expense of other factors.2 Widespread digital adoption in the 1990sparticularly the internet and,later,smartphonespushed focus onto experience,which hadnt previously been emphasized by many businesses outside hospitality.Screen-driven interaction e

13、xpanded designs scope beyond physical and graphic design to include usability and desirability.Accenture Life Trends 20247Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|of CXOs say they plan to raise prices to pass cost increases to

14、 customers.Accenture CXO Pulse survey,June 2023 140%of people worldwide think that many companies are prioritizing higher profits over better customer experience.37%Pine and Gilmores seminal 1999 book,The Experience Economy,brilliantly captured this shift.3 Designers realized that a user-focused app

15、roach yielded the best results,and people began comparing everything to their best digital experiences,fueling liquid expectations.Without profitability,organizations wont survive long.As the economic climate sharpens investors focus,leaders are seeking ways to reduce expenses and increase operating

16、 margins across their business.People feel the impact in multiple aspects of daily life,with many micro-disappointments adding up to a big dent in their lived experience.It seems the promises of value,choice,ease and empowerment are being downgraded,and it stings.For over a decade,brands seemed obse

17、ssed with their relationship with customers,flooding social media with relatable content in a tone of voice that drew people in.With unfathomably quick delivery,delightful personalization and customizable subscriptions,brands raised expectations to levels that were costly to maintain.From there,cust

18、omers came to expect brand relationships that far exceeded the transactional.That hasnt changed,but the reality of what brands now offer is feeding a tension that shouldnt be ignored and is manifesting in a few ways.Theres evidence of brands deprioritizing customer experience,with some companies cut

19、ting quality or quantity but maintaining prices.Some people understandothers find it dishonest.Leading reasons why customers feel less valued:47%poor customer service41%ignored feedback37%declining product quality25%worsening packagingAccenture Life Trends 20248Error 429:Human request limit reachedM

20、eh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|“Shrinkflation”describes a reduction in the quantity or size of a product,while retaining its price.An example is charging as much or more for a chocolate bar that looks the same but weighs less.4 This trade-off forces cons

21、umers to pay increasing prices for diminishing returns.5 While this isnt a new practice,the cost-of-living squeeze heightens consumers attention to valueand they can easily shout about it to alert others.6 Reddit community,r/shrinkflation,documents changes in sizing and quantity of products,and comp

22、ares to the original.7 A newer practice has been labeled“Skimpflation”by National Public Radios Planet Money in November 2021,describing a decline in the quality of service throughout the global economy,among travel companies,retailers and restaurateurs.8,9 It might mean swapping quality ingredients

23、 for cheaper alternatives,or compromising on quality-assuring manufacturing processes to save time and money.10 As peoples wages arent rising in line with inflation,the drop in value for their purchases hits hard.11“You notice they put less crisps in a packet which I think is robbery.”Nasser,aged 52

24、,FranceAccenture Life Trends 20249Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Pedro,aged 22-29,BrazilIts not just sizing and qualityits also surge pricing in places like restaurants and bars,based on peak moments like major sport

25、ing or cultural events.Fixed pricing has evolved to dynamic models in places where people wouldnt expect it.12 Customer service is taking a hit,too.A third of the respondents to Accentures global survey say its been difficult to get help from or even reach customer service agents in the past year,an

26、d a National Customer Rage Survey revealed that US citizens experience of dealing with companies over problems is getting worse.Theyre unimpressed with lackluster resolutions and have become more aggressive.The potential revenue loss for businesses failing to manage complaints properly could reach U

27、S$887 billion,up from US$494 billion in 2020.13 “When they lower the quality but keep the price the same,I simply stop going there.”Pedro,aged 22-29,Brazil,commenting on a practice hes frequently observed in food stores and restaurantsAccenture Life Trends 202410Error 429:Human request limit reached

28、Meh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|When customer service falls short,the small stones most customers can afford to throw at big companies in a battle for justice will simply bounce off.Services are starting to emerge to support customers with their grievanc

29、es,from refunds for canceled flights to repairs under warranty.14,15 Once hailed as a source of recurring revenue,subscriptions are becoming tedious to customers,and uptake is slowing down worldwide.16 People may become annoyed with subscriptions for products or services that shouldnt need regular r

30、enewalin some cases,the saving offered on subscription is clear,making it galling to pay more for a logical one-off purchase.Trying to leverage even more profit out of subscription services is a worrying trend and I hope there is a consumer backlash against it,”says Jack McKeown,motoring editor at T

31、he Courier.17 Peoples perception of purpose-led initiatives in todays context is becoming less favorable.While it may not be this simple,customers can find it contradictory to see brands sinking money into surface-level support for a cause while shaving value off the experience theyre buying.Further

32、,many of these messages are transparently insincere attempts to co-opt a current,high-profile cause,which often doesnt reflect the brand.In extreme cases,these actions polarize and alienate customers.They perceive that brands use purpose messaging to distract from measures to degrade their experienc

33、e,helping to fuel anger over such campaigns.Its particularly damaging brands with mass appeal,who risk millions of dollars if they lose even a small percentage of customers.Whatever they do around purpose,companies could attract criticism from somewhere.Solving this is front of mind for CMOs,but is

34、it too late to row back?“A lot of companies dont train their customer service agents properly.I often encounter agents with a very rigid attitude and totally ignorant to my questions.”Shu,aged 40-49,ChinaAccenture Life Trends 202411Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstru

35、ctionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Brands have long been on a customer-obsession bandwagon,earnestly lauding the importance of their customer relationships.Now,people see them quietly reversing these promises and feel the impact on their finances and quality of life.Wheres the love that

36、was such a priority a short while ago?Brands will need new strategies to present their value,and a new way to define and develop their relationship with their customers.The extent to which people feel these have their best interest at heart:This reveals a lack of trust across all sectors.favorite te

37、ch brandfavorite fashion/beauty brandelectricity providerfrequently used travel providermain bank/insurance provider14%15%13%15%22%22%grocery retailersAccenture Life Trends 202412Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Whats

38、nextAt the center of this trend is a critical perception problem:where companies see moves to ensure brand survival,some customers see greed.Most brands do what they must to remain viable in a difficult economy,but customers who dont see behind the scenes often view those actions differently.For cus

39、tomers,it doesnt make sense when essential service providers publish record profits after hiking rates,and this heightens their suspicions that other price rises or quality compromises are intended to short-change them.Both brands and customers are having to reduce costs.If brands continue to offer

40、customers less for more,resentment will quickly build and places like Reddit will become awash with dissatisfaction,fueling a negative impact on the brands long-term health,growth,and viability.Companies should find a way to balance cost and profit without passing the price increase onto the custome

41、r.”Yaotao,aged 30-39,China“Accenture Life Trends 202413Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|While consumer behaviors are complex,tweaking the dials on customer experience will impact brand desirability.Customers will alway

42、s try to create their desired lifestyle.When finances are squeezed,their brand loyalty will become weaker,so price and value become the most influential levers.A major brand challenge becomes how to keep their product in peoples basket.When pushed hard enough,more people might turn to illegal means

43、to acquire what they want for a price they can justify.IPTV services,an illegal form of content piracy,have grown in popularity across Europe in response to prohibitively expensive subscriptions for sports programming.18 While users may be relatively few,these behaviors often prompt larger shifts to

44、 combat them,just as Napster,a workaround for music fans,inspired the worldwide streaming model in place today.19 Customers will continue to budget(as theyve always had to do)its almost inevitable that theyll cancel subscriptions,cut back,trade down if they dont feel the value.As they do,a new risk

45、arises:the flip side of the concept of liquid expectations,“liquid suspicions”describes the idea that when customers are let down by one brand,theyll be wary of all others.Meaningful,competent customer experience will probably become a critical factor that defines their relationships with brands.The

46、y will only be persuaded by initiatives that earn trust through tangible support and stability.Discrepancy here is most evident in the declining efficacy of cause-led marketing,where risk of backlash can outweigh possible gain.For some brands,what was once a differentiator is now a hazard.Accenture

47、Life Trends 202414Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|We expect to see the essentials of great marketing returning to brand strategy.When effectively managed to serve the customer,the four Ps of marketingprice,product,pro

48、motion,placeare a winning formula for growth,and a reminder that growing a brand means balancing value with sales volumes.Marketers appear to have been so focused on promotion,that the other Ps have fallen through the cracksparticularly price.Revisiting pricing with a careful eye on perceived value

49、and fairness is key,as making considered sacrifices in margin could translate to gains in trust and loyalty.Building a strong,trustworthy brand while trying to convert sales is the job of every marketer.The emotional value of a brand can be an effective tool in times of economic difficulty.Companies

50、 like Airbnb and PepsiCo have found success by investing in brand,marketing,creativity,design,and storytelling,which has been attributed to a growth in sales.20,21Costcos decision to keep prices steady yielded a 15%jump in sales in 2022s third quarter.22 The retailer is maintaining loyalty and provi

51、ding small moments of joyjust whats needed in a recessionary climate.Speaking to Canvas8 for the 2023 Expert Outlook,Karen Barnes,the editor of Delicious Magazine,said:“There is a need for security and comfort because people still want to have treats and small luxuries,even if theyre not the kind pe

52、ople wouldve had before.”To rekindle customer loyalty,organizations must renew their focus on customer experience as a route to growth.Joint ownership of the experience should harness the best efforts of service,marketing,and design to deliver consistent value to customers.Successful collaborators w

53、ill quickly discover the value of having an advocate for customer experience in efficiency discussions.The path forward means identifying and eliminating the breaking points that lead to resentment,and returning to the four Ps of marketing to find new balance.To rekindle customer loyalty,organizatio

54、ns must renew their focus on customer experience as a route to growth.Accenture Life Trends 202415Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Are compromises on customer experience across touchpoints in the marketing funnel jeopa

55、rdizing trust,conversion rates,and long-term loyalty?Are you aligned organization-wide on what is required to keep your product in customers baskets?How do you balance cost-cutting measures that might compromise customer service and quality with long-term customer relationships?01Explore the potenti

56、al of Generative AI as a long-term solution for enhancing meaningful customer experiences.Assess your brands“elasticity of forgiveness”to determine the extent to which your customers are willing to overlook and forgive negative experiences with the brand.Connect sentiment feedback to responsive syst

57、ems.What tools do you have in place to track shifts in customer sentiment?0203010203What to think about nextWhat to do nextError 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Accenture Life Trends 202416The great interface shiftGenerativ

58、e AI is upgrading peoples experience of the internet from transactional to personal,enabling them to feel more digitally understood and relevant than ever.Trend 2What shapes peoples views on the world?The information they consume,perspectives they create,and ways they communicate are heavily mediate

59、d through the internet.Generative AI is upgrading the internet from informative to intelligent,and the experience of using it from transactional to personal.Benefits are on both sides of a key relationship:customers will be more deeply understood than ever,while brands will use that understanding to

60、 shape hyper-relevant products,services and experiences.Smart brands will see a huge opportunity for responsive brand development here,too.Accenture Life Trends 202418Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Whats going on Peo

61、ple and machines will never interface in the same way again,because its not the same machine and peoples behaviors have changed.Through conversational interfaces,people will be able to steer machines in new ways and machines will be able to interpret people in finer detail,unlocking new behaviors,at

62、titudes,and expectations for their digital interactionsand brands will be caught in the middle.The way people use the internet to find information is largely dispassionate.Its a transactional relationship,with a browser serving as the middleman between the person and the task they want to complete,c

63、onnection they want to make,or content they want to consume.That middleman is set to become more intelligent,more informed,and more empathetic,thanks to generative artificial intelligence(generative AI).Specifically,large language models(LLMs)are powering a radically new interface through which peop

64、le access information,and prompting a significant shift in how people relate to the world around them.It promises to make people feel understood digitally,and therefore have more relevant experiences.Source:Accenture Life Trends survey,August 2023Conversational AI(like ChatGPT)is a prime opportunity

65、 for enhanced customer engagement and personalization.77%know about it52%have used it(or know someone who has)42%are open to its product recommendationsAccenture Life Trends 202419Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|The a

66、bility to create a sense of being understood is powerful and much needed.Being truly understood validates peoples thoughts,emotions and experiences,and affirms their worth.It strengthens their sense of connection and belonging to a community,making them feel relevant within social contexts.As people

67、 interact with machines in new ways,it changes the way they interact with each other,and gives companies an opportunity to connect meaningfully with customers,creating relationships that feel personal.How is this shift playing out?The journey for LLMs is only just beginning so theres plenty more to

68、discover than is explored here,but its clear that information discovery is moving from a search mode to a conversational mode,which is far more flexible,nuanced and personalized than its predecessors.Because of ChatGPT and AI,I can search for information faster and search for more accurate informati

69、onI see that with the new AI there are new ways of working,new ways of researching and new ways of discovering the world.”Pedro,aged 22-29,Brazil“Companies like Google have already set out their ambitions in this area.23 People are adding complexity and context into their conversations and new tools

70、 like ChatGPT are merging search and service into a single response by using plug-ins with third-party applications that arent controlled by OpenAI.24This represents a new way to get answers:its a leap from“I want a”to“I want to.”Where they would once have searched,“best restaurants central Barcelon

71、a”,people can engage in a two-way chat that will ultimately lead them to ask for“highly rated traditional tapas restaurants in Barri Gtic,popular with locals,with availability for four people to dine outside at 9pm on Friday”.Other examples include Instacart,which enables people to place orders from

72、 their favorite local grocery stores using ChatGPT,while Expedia helps to build all elements of a trip.25 Accenture Life Trends 202420Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|AI is now doing things for people through autonomou

73、s agentstrained AI entities that can complete tasks independently.Examples include Auto-GPT,which can take a goal,write its own“to do”list,and connect with other services to check off tasks on the list towards achieving the goal.26 It needs less human intervention than ChatGPT and can set itself new

74、 tasks as it goes along.Even in its early days and despite teething problems,its incredibly impressive.Further capabilities include translation,where this latest development in generative AI proves its worth.Chat interfaces with real-time translation make it easy for those who dont share a common la

75、nguage to communicate,and AI-powered Speak teaches people foreign languages.27 This breaks down barriers,enabling effective understanding and collaborationincluding cultural nuance and idioms.It promotes inclusivity and facilitates global interaction.One example is in South Africa,where generative A

76、I is translating educational materials into the countrys eleven official languages,helping students who struggle with educational content taught only in English.28 Chat interfaces with translation capabilities can also enhance communication for individuals with language-related disabilities,such as

77、hearing impairment,by providing real-time translation into accessible formats,enabling them to participate inclusively.29 This feature helps bridge the language gap and promotes accessibility,removing a key barrier to effective communication and engagement.of people globally who have tried the techn

78、ology said this tool or similar would be their main method to help planning a vacation.12.9%Less than a year after the launch of ChatGPT,Accenture Life Trends 202421Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|A virtual companion

79、that can chat about anything in a natural way,Pi and tools like it have brought emotional intelligence into chatbots by providing empathy in its personalized responses that acknowledge the users situation,within context.30,31 Be My Eyes is a generative AI-powered digital assistant that helps visuall

80、y impaired people navigate their surroundings,complete tasks and live more independently.32 Adoption of LLMs continues to grow,with more uses being explored.Soon,there may be a proliferation of open-source LLMs that people can use on their own devices.Hardware giants are already building devices,inc

81、luding Apples M-series laptops,powerful enough to support processing needs without connecting to the cloud,bringing performance and privacy benefits.33 A shift is emerging,and it could be a big one.Moving from search to two-way chat with generative AI allows for conversational experiences,providing

82、a more engaging interaction,and driving inclusion.People can seek clarification,ask questions and receive real-time support,fostering deeper satisfaction.Using natural language processing,the chat interface enhances engagement,eliminates the need for specific queries,and creates more intuitive exper

83、iences.Accenture Life Trends 202422Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|D-ID launched an interface for chatting face-to-face with a digital“person”,which can be integrated with LLMs.34 One day,every connected person could

84、have their own AI companion that can predict their preferences based on past choices and become the mediator between them and the internet.This represents a potential transformation in the way people are heard and understood by machines,the importance of which shouldnt be underestimated.The depth of

85、 understanding should enable people to find and access highly personalized experiences that are entirely relevant to them.In certain contexts,AI companions will use their knowledge of an individual to prioritize the most relevant products,services,media and experiences.Its early days,but this is the

86、 potential human impact of whats unfoldinga world in which each person is deeply understood for who they are and what they want,and then able to build an experience of the world thats highly relevant to them.of people aged 18-34 are excited about conversational answers over standard internet searche

87、s.39%Accenture Life Trends 202423Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Whats nextIntelligent conversational interfaces can enable brands to understand their customers on a more granular and flexible level than ever,fueling

88、strong,personal relationships.We expect LLMs to change the relationship between people and brands.Whether they manifest as a virtual person,or in other creative ways to present content to customers,brands can come alive through conversational AI interfaces.Adding these human-like dimensions to digit

89、al channels requires an extension of the brand identity.Every brand should ask itself:How should this incarnation of the brand sound?What is its personality?How(if at all)is it embodied?These are all elements of the underlying question:Who are we as a brand?This creates a conundrum.If the brand beco

90、mes hyper-personalized to every customer,does that effectively mean managing a million brand variants?How do they preserve DNA?Itll become important to find a new balance between maintaining global consistency and delivering relevance for each customer.The implications for brands are huge,as people

91、will start to expect them to offer increasingly personalized,relevant products and services.To be clear:this is an entirely new level of personalization,capable of flexing around each individual rather than algorithms.Generative AI has moved on from its one-trick pony days,and is developing somethin

92、g seriously impressive:multimodal capabilities.Rather than handling elements separately,its learning to juggle text,images,soundeverythingsimultaneously.This upgrade lets AI make sense of information in a more human way,resulting in content thats cleverly written,visually appealing and audibly engag

93、ing.Its expected to unlock the door for next-generation sensory experiences where AI can create content that resonates with people in ways never seen before.35 It will transform physical experiences,like Paragraphica Camera,a lens-free camera that uses location data to produce AI-generated images.36

94、 Accenture Life Trends 202424Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Todays chatbots cant fully interpret requests,which is frustrating.37 Generative AIs understanding of context promises to enable a non-human entity to respo

95、nd to peoples changing needs,preferences and moods in an increasingly insightful way.However,while LLMs are being refined,delivery may be patchy,so companies will need to craft a strategy to minimize disruption.We expect to see LLM-native brands set up to take full advantage of this shift in the per

96、ception of brand.For instance,a sportswear brand could be shaped from the outset as a super-smart,perceptive,empathetic fitness coach,offering tailored conversations that build a relationship on trust and personal connection.Personalization in commerce will likely be redefined.Customers might tell b

97、rands what they want,with context,personalizing their own commerce experiences through conversation.Interpreting those conversations and delivering the right answer/product/service in the right moment will enable organizations to deliver real-time relevance.Interfaces may soon be able to roll the sa

98、les process,the act of buying and customer service into one digital breath,making the customers experience more fluid than ever.Instead of searching“42-inch TV”,they could ask,“my space measures 1m x 1.5m and my couch is 2.25m away what size TV is best?”This has implications for the way businesses a

99、re organized,as the interface may drive structural change.Accenture Life Trends 202425Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Itll be fascinating to see the aesthetics of generative AI evolve.Will it remain a chat interface,o

100、r will brands do something more interestingmore humanwith it?Visual design will have a substantial role.This development will take time but within five years,we expect peoples interactions with the internet to look very different from todays apps and websites.Its hard to overstate how different this

101、 technology is from whats gone before.It represents a new frontier,where the experiential overtakes the theoretical,and we havent even discovered everything it makes possible yet.We know its multimodal and that it can help people search,and complete tasks,but people are still experimenting with it,e

102、xploring new uses and risks.Right now,its certainly applicable for all parts of customer-interfacing servicesand will serve as a differentiator for brands that use itbut soon,we see it becoming a necessity for relevance.Accenture Life Trends 202426Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDec

103、ade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Common user pain points across all digital interfaces will become opportunity spaces for brands and platformsfrom search to visibility to service.Do you want to lead in creating a new interface paradigm or wait for others to do so?And is

104、 your data ready?How fast will user expectations of your brand experience change as the ecosystem integrates generative AI into everyday interface interactions?010203Scan your data to identify unique value that is created when built upon a large language model(LLM).Dive in now but remember that this

105、 is more than just a technological innovation.Shifting human behaviors and expectations will be a significant and rapid change for businesses to adapt to.Integrate your approach and expertise into your core teams,rather than isolating them in a separate“innovation”squad.Organize and plan for seamles

106、s customer engagement that will unify your marketing,sales,and service processes through conversational interfaces.0102030427What to think about nextWhat to do nextError 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Accenture Life Trends

107、 2024Meh-diocrityCreativity was once about the audience,but has become dependent on playing the tech system.Is this what creative stagnation feels like?Trend 328Audiences are boredand so are creators.Entertainment and brand content seems to have lost its edge,leading to a feeling of blandness.Creati

108、vity was once all about the audience,but its become inhibited by efficiency mindsets,and by middleman technologies playing tastemaker and gatekeeper.With potential cultural stagnation on the horizon,those willing to invest in genuine innovation and creativity have a powerful opportunity to stand out

109、.Differentiation will mean pivoting away from the safety of the familiar and restoring faith in novelty.Accenture Life Trends 202429Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|These days,products seem indistinguishable.Technologi

110、es often offer similar functionalities.”Max,aged 25,UK“Novelty drives excitement and emotional connections,but much entertainment and brand content feels unimaginative at the moment.There are more apps,experiences,content,and products available than ever,yet theres a feeling of disappointment in the

111、 mediocrity of whats on offer.The larger pool of content means that standouts are harder to find,and special no longer feels special.Have we reached a point where technology has become dominant as cultural tastemaker and gatekeeperonce exclusively human roles(for all the good and bad that came with

112、that)?Its widely known that algorithms control the way people discover brands or products,but their governance over design of content and products is problematic.This marks a change in intent:once,breaking the rules to be original was something for which designers were celebrated,but now the risk of

113、 not being discovered clips their wings.Whats going on Accenture Life Trends 202430Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Brands success has long relied on their ability to differentiate from competitorsto offer products,ser

114、vices and content that truly stand out for being better,more convenient,or more creative.Customers are looking out at a landscape of blandness that presents creators with an opportunity to break through,but few are managing to do so.Efficiency culture has a hand in this shift.When economic condition

115、s are tough,businesses seek to drive up efficiency,and to squeeze maximum value from every invested cent.Efficiency and creativity often make for a counterproductive partnership,which today can result in lower-quality work fueled by data rather than human imagination.As CFOs need to manage costs,org

116、anizations across sectors usually start reducing budgets for creativity and innovation.In entertainment,large media conglomerates are knocking more impactful(and expensive)“prestige”television down the list in favor of reality TV,which is cheaper and faster to get on air.Advertising budgets have als

117、o taken a hit throughout the industry,affecting even the largest spenders in digital media and creative.38 Yet these constraints can create the conditions for exceptional inventiveness,if allowed to flourish.“The lack of original content is frustrating;its just reboots and film series now.Its become

118、 boring and seems lazy.”Matt,aged 22,UKLets not go to the lobbyAccenture Life Trends 202431Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Efficiency mindsets and squeezed budgets have made many cautious about taking risks on new app

119、roaches,settling instead for whats worked in the past.In many cases,creatives know that if something that worked before suddenly flops with customers,they wont be questioned for trying it,but the same cannot be said for trying out radically new ideas.The incentive,therefore,isnt to be bold and imagi

120、native,but rather to recycle old wins.In entertainment,the balance between novelty and familiarity is important.However,the scale has tipped towards the latter,as the proportion of popular movies that were sequels,spin-offs or remakes increased from 16%in 1981 to 80%in 2019.Studios have been leaning

121、 on formulas that have worked before rather than pushing new ideas,and people are noticing.39,40 Boundary-pushing creativity is being pushed aside in favor of its less talent-led cousin:design by data.Businesses are building what the data says people want,and the data tends to point towards familiar

122、ity.“There are sequels to films that never end.Theyre trying to make money using the same codes.”Maxime,aged 25,France Another factor that constrains creative output is technology templates.For this trend,thats a catch-all term for the guardrails of tools used to transform idea into reality,the plat

123、forms through which theyre distributed,and the algorithms that dictate how theyre discovered.In many ways,these layers of mediation between creator and audience tend to exert a soft control over the output itself.Increasingly,this leads to a feeling that everything follows a template or formula,and

124、that designers must design for algorithms rather than audiences.TikTok is an example that brings this to life,since it makes it easy for people to create their own content,but the sounds and visuals are often reused many times by many creators,until the next trend captures a new moments zeitgeist an

125、d away the cycle goes again.Accenture Life Trends 202432Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|of respondents find app designs indistinguishable across brands,a sentiment that rises to nearly 40%among 18-to-24-year-olds.35%T

126、he algorithm has become visible in how it shapes culture.It isnt just influencing content production choices,but also the format preferences of dominant platforms,such as the preference toward short form vertical video.This form of soft control forces creators to compromise to fit a specific mould t

127、o maximize discoverability and engagement.Streaming services like Spotify,Apple Music and Tidal pay artists according to how many times a song is played all the way through,regardless of how long the song is.The knock-on effect being that pop songs are becoming shorterafter all,why bother crafting f

128、our minutes of music when 90 seconds will earn as much income?41 Conversely,YouTubes advertising rules incentivize creators to make sure their videos exceed 10 minutes to maximize income.42 The circumstances set out above put brands in a position where they must devise strategies that enable them to

129、 stand out and drive revenue simultaneously.With technology placing a certain level of creativity within reach for everyone,originality and creative skill are at risk of being undervalued.Accenture Life Trends 202433Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the

130、love?The great interface shift|Whats next Customers actively seek out novelty for its inherent ability to captivate and engage.As the saying goes,“too much of a good thing isnt a good thing.”Familiaritywhile comfortingcan breed complacency and diminish excitement.According to a YouGov survey,45%of g

131、lobal respondents find shopping experiences dull.43 In a rapidly evolving landscape,people are drawn to experiences that sate their desire for uniqueness.Whether in the form of cutting-edge products,immersive campaigns,or unexpected collaborations,novelty delivers sustained interest and emotional co

132、nnection.Customers yearn for the thrill of newness,underscoring the imperative for brands to infuse their offerings with a well-calibrated blend of familiarity and innovation.The likelihood is that the mediocrity problem will not fix itselfin fact,the conditions are right for it to become increasing

133、ly complicated,particularly as we fully expect more organizations will deploy generative AI in their creative processes.With this rise in generative AI for content,an algorithmic aesthetic is emergingnovel at first,but quickly becoming commonplace.This approach will continue to flood an already satu

134、rated ecosystem with content.On one hand,it could become more difficult to stand out,as competition for attention becomes insurmountably fierce due to the sheer volume of content being churned out.In other words,the haystack will keep growing while the needle stays the same,making it harder to find.

135、But on the other hand,differentiation could become easier because as more organizations lean heavily on generative AI,human creativity could set others apart.Where theres a void of novelty,theres opportunityin a sea of familiarity,originality truly stands out.Photography is a good comparison:everyon

136、e with a relatively recent smartphone now has the technology to create decent images,but few are on display in the worlds finest galleries.It takes talent and a commitment to honing a skill to be able to craft something excellent.Accenture Life Trends 202434Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-d

137、iocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|The major opportunity here is for creatives to learn new ways to use this technology to their advantage.Used well,generative AI can come up with an idea that creatives can build out,make creatives own ideas reality,or both.We e

138、xpect to see more creatives producing better work faster,with this technology and technologists as new co-creators.It can automate the boring tasks,help with development tasks and be a major contributor to innovation.With technology democratizing the ability for the masses to produce a flood of aver

139、age content,the ambition for creatives and artistic craft skills will be consistently to beat“average”.The bar will continue to be raised,but creatives can transcend that bar with enough time and freedom to be audacious with their ideas and experiment.While working with generative AI,creatives must

140、remember two golden rules:firstly,its critical to care about the work and about getting to the best result for the right people;and secondly,they must keep a razor-sharp focus on their brief,to avoid getting lost in the endless possibilities suggested by the technology.The implications for the craft

141、 of creativity are enormous,and creatives are terrified that the temptation to save money through delegating to technology will outweigh the benefits of employing people to produce output that will inspire,surprise,or delight their target audiences or customers.Organizations should be interrogating

142、what modern creative excellence is,and what it looks like for them.Accenture Life Trends 202435Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|There are some key principles to followDifferentiation has long been a core challenge for

143、businesses,but arguably feels more acute than ever.People will always seek out novelty,and people want to create.Whatever business theyre in,brands need to believe once more in the power of creativity to set them apart from the competition,and give creatives the budget,time and opportunity to renew

144、their focus on the craft and learn how best to harness technology for good.Know thyselfIn the end,deep understanding of the brand makes it possible to take creative risks,to try something new,and to focus on the right metrics rather than all metrics.Before budget,and before deciding on which risks t

145、o take,its critical to have clarity on the brands identity and culture.Break the technology templatesThe growing adoption of creative generative AI threatens to compound the issue of templated design output.To avoid efficiency-first,recycled content,skilled creatives must be involved in the use of g

146、enerative AI,as those without expertise may be able to make something passable but not truly creative content that breaks through.Make friends with riskThe kind of creativity that produces effective results is not efficient.Many brands appear to have sacrificed quality for speed.Reintroducing craft,

147、creativity,fun and attention to detail will lead to profit.When discussing advertising through a recession,Marc Pritchard,Chief Brand Officer of Procter&Gamble said,“As we continue to face disruptions in the world around us,it may be more important than ever to double down on our core job,our collec

148、tive priority and responsibility,and the superpower that no other industry hascreativity for growth.”45A budget for lunacy is criticalCreativity means hands-on time for creativestime to ideate,experiment,develop and test.Creativity is expensive,and the investment usually pays off in richness of qual

149、ity in the result.A brand is,in essence,a bundle of promises that creative work can help deliveralongside a strong voice in the market.Airbnb is an example of a brand doing just this,with a pivot away from sales-focused marketing to brand-led PR.44Accenture Life Trends 202436Error 429:Human request

150、limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Are you being tech-led?Are the metrics you use effective?How can you be bold and differentiate while staying true to your brand identity and positioning?In a sea of excessive content that often leads to user o

151、verload,how can you make your brand distinctive?010203Bring focus back to creativity(and champion it),whether thats in product or service innovation,branding and marketing,design,or content.Use new and emerging tools to push the boundaries of craft,not to replace it and cause a permanent shift to av

152、erage.Ensure generative AI does not become railroad to clich.010203What to think about nextWhat to do nextError 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Accenture Life Trends 20243738Error 429:Trend 4Technology feels like its happen

153、ing to people rather than for themis a shift beginning,where they regain agency over its influence on daily life?Human request limit reachedHumanitys interaction with technology stands at a pivotal juncture.With the acceleration of innovation,peoples sense is that technology is happening to them rat

154、her than for them.Looking ahead,the tech industry and all who rely on it need to upgrade their responsibility from compliance to care,and work towards contributing positively to peoples wellbeing rather than draining their resources.Businesses cant hide from the oncoming tide of people seeking contr

155、ol of their relationship with technology,so their best approach is to become part of the solution.Accenture Life Trends 202439Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Digital technologys relationship with humanity has been inc

156、redibly positive,as it continually generates numerous benefits,including access to information,the ability to communicate instantly across vast distances,on-demand entertainment and art,healthcare services,convenient financial management,and new employment opportunities.But,as with many relationship

157、s,things are not straightforward.In return for such advantages,there are demands on people.Benefitting from innovative technologies means keeping a level of digital literacy,being attentive and open to learning about developments,and having the ability to adapt to rapid changes.It also comes with a

158、burden of responsibility to exercise self-control and limit negative impacts on wellbeing.Analysis of Accentures Life Trends survey data found that the more technologies people used regularly,the more likely they were to agree that technology had complicated their lives as much as it had simplified

159、it.46 Each time something new launches,people must evaluate the balance of give and take.Whats going on We already feel overwhelmed even when watching a film where tech overtakes humans but this is already starting to happen.ChatGPT is smarter than you because it knows more.”Maxime,aged 25,France“As

160、 a point of clarity,the types of digital technology this trend focuses on are those that battle for peoples attention,or that sit between them and their goals or tasks.Amid extensive public debate around generative AI,theres a growing unease that technology is becoming something that happens to peop

161、le,rather than for them.Changes feel too fast to manageor even to understandand the future seems daunting.Ipsos Global Trends 2023 found that in the UK,people are increasingly agreeing with the statement“I fear technological progress is ruining our lives”.In the three decades from 1990 to 2020,the r

162、ise here was four percentage points,while it rose by ten percentage points in just three years from 2020 to 2022.47 And according to a poll by Ipsos and Reuters,61%of US citizens believe“AI threatens the future of humanity”,while only 22%disagree.48 Accenture Life Trends 202440Error 429:Human reques

163、t limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Society has long been wary of how technology shapes the future,but the past two years have seen the arrival of technologies that promise to transform peoples lives.First came rapid advancements in spatial co

164、mputing,Web3,devices and biotechnologies.Then came generative AI,signalling a massive acceleration in technologys power to remake the way individuals live.People are understandably fearful for their jobs,and clueless as to how to advise their children on their future careers.49,50 What should they s

165、tudy?How can they build a secure income?Technology is completely changing how people approach their life journey.Intense hype cycles of technological innovations make people feel like passengers.Something new pops up,theres excited speculation about its game-changing potential,then it often finds it

166、s natural place among a smaller audience and everyone else moves on.People are becoming more confused about the possible impact of new technology,as these hype cycles seem to happen increasingly often,but the long-term reality rarely matches the short-term promise.Echoing this sentiment,the Accentur

167、e Life Trends survey found that 38%of people globally believe its more crucial than ever to apply critical thinking when choosing technologies.Technologys role in contributing to widespread loneliness has become a worrying issue,leading the US Surgeon General to label it as an epidemic,particularly

168、impacting teenagers who are experiencing rising rates of depression,suicidal ideation,and suicide.51 In Japan,services have started to emerge in response,including chatbots to combat loneliness,and programs to help landlords insure against and manage the aftermath of solitary deaths.52,53,54 find th

169、e speed of new technology overwhelming.Source:YouGov Global Profiles Q2,2023(n=400,454)47%Accenture Life Trends 202441Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|A common theme here is a feeling of losing control or a crisis in h

170、uman agency.This is illustrated in the 2023 CoreCore trend on TikTok,using post-modern imagery and voiceover to articulate the disconcerting reality of modern life,which has become so entangled with technology.More than ever,people appear to have lost faith that they,as a collective,have the power t

171、o shape their own future.They can no longer rely on what were once absolutes.Even the inevitability of death is being challenged by accelerations in anti-ageing science,which could have a questionable impact on society.55 During the emergence of web 2.0 and social media,there was some sense that wha

172、t was happening was the result of millions(and then billions)of individual actions,and the results were emergent properties not really under the control of anyone.Now,though,this AI revolution feels like an enormous,poorly understood power directly in the hands of a tiny number of tech leaders.Indiv

173、iduals increasingly feel they want to take back some degree of control over the trajectory of their lives,but the challenge is how to do it.And,in fact,is it even possible?Technology has catalyzed an erosion of trust in institutions,further straining users relationship with it,as the bodies that man

174、age online platforms face freedom-of-speech complexities when trying to identify and control spambots,disinformation or propaganda.56,57 This has prompted concerns about technologys impact on democracy,which strikes at the heart of what it means to belong to a society.58 In reality,its impossible to

175、 judge whether people have reached their limit with technology.They have,on average,16 waking hours in the day.Both psychological and practical factors are at play,be it complexity in tasks that were once simpler,the rapid pace of change,or feature overloads.Theyre mentally and physically strained s

176、itting in front of screens,and the cognitive load of managing multiple devices,apps,and platforms to get through the day feels the opposite of life-centered.Accenture Life Trends 202442Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|

177、Whats nextWe dont expect these to go mainstreamthey indicate a desire worth noting and may turn out to be a market,but not a wholesale return to analog.Observers like David Mattin and Ben Thompson are asking big questions,like:How does humanity find more harmony than harm in the relationship with te

178、chnology,and(re)discover the right balance of benefits and costs?Where are peoples limits now?Can they be extended through technology,or have people had enough?And most importantly,are individuals going to continue letting technology happen to them,or are they going to take back control?61,62 Can a

179、new harmony be designed,achieved and maintained,with challenges arising at an unparalleled pace and scale?We expect to see more people trying to boost their own personal resilience against the power of technology.Many can(and do)step away from technology,which may signal a larger societal rebalance

180、in favor of a more analog life.Were already seeing users regulate their behavior.Some use screen time management tools like Opal,others switch to alternative,less demanding platforms or use more nostalgia techdumb phones,film cameras,tape playersas a route to more meaningful,intentional and soulful

181、interactions.59,60 With the exponential pace of technologys advancements showing no sign of slowing,a critical moment approaches:people will soon have to make important decisions about how to create the type of future that ensures the wellbeing both of themselves and of the planet.I limit time spent

182、 especially on my phone because I was out of control.I overused it and it affected me physicallyI had to see an ophthalmologist and learnt my eyes were tired.”Cristiane,aged 40-49,Brazil“Accenture Life Trends 202443Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the l

183、ove?The great interface shift|Society should have a voice in the definition of its desired future,and resist technology shaping it without a vision.Corporate responsibility is more than merely being legal or compliantits a perspective change on whether its actively improving wellbeing.Should the 8 b

184、illion individuals of the world take responsibility for this,or is it a task for an organization that can provide guardrails on positive human wellbeing?As things stand,it seems people must take responsibility for their own wellbeing,but in August 2023,the European Union announced incoming,strict re

185、gulations that will significantly affect some of the worlds biggest tech companies.We expect this huge change will ultimately have a global impact.Referring to the Depression-era law that regulated banks,tech analyst and former investment banker,Brian Wieser,commented,“This is a Glass-Steagall momen

186、t for big tech.Theyre going from effectively no regulation to heavy regulation.”Eventually,officials hope the changes may reduce the addictive properties of social media platforms,and force a more fair and open digital market.63 While some changes will immediately change how people use the internet,

187、others will be slower to take root as markets adjust to the scope of the regulations.In an ideal world,technology would be harnessed and controlled in the pursuit of a better quality of life,where societal challenges are properly addressed.Advanced technologies would be designed with a life-centric

188、approach,aiming to enhance individual experiences,improve connectivity,and create sustainable solutions.People would have easy access to information,allowing them to stay informed,make educated choices,and participate actively in shaping their own lives and society.But this isnt an ideal world.The p

189、andemic revealed vulnerabilities in global technology systems and consumerism,showing that even the largest,most influential institutions are not bullet-proof.With that and the rising concerns relating to technology,many people want to limit their dependence on them,and reclaim a slice of control ov

190、er their own futures.of respondents believe everyone has a shared duty to discuss responsible and healthy technology use in society.35%Accenture Life Trends 202444Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|However,this has creat

191、ed a pile-on effect of new technologies,channels and complexities,further stretching peoples limits.They feel the impact both at work and at home,as they juggle multiple communication and collaboration tools with an overwhelming number of notifications.As new technologies emerge,organizations must b

192、e thoughtful about how they will fit in to peoples lives.Will it replace or slot into an existing allocation of time,or will users need to ditch something to make time?Does it function in a way that means they have to train themselves up,research shortcuts,learn about new functions?Is it a new app o

193、r interface they need to make space for?Businesses cannot hide from the oncoming tide of people seeking control of their relationship with technology,so their best approach is to become part of the solution.Those who facilitate the much-needed conversation on how technology should support rather tha

194、n dominate a shared future will likely become peoples trusted partner.It will mean offering people a greater choice in how they use technology to interact with a brand,so they can have a more intentional experience that makes them feel a sense of agency.The responsibility shouldnt fall entirely to p

195、eopleregulation needs to step up the pace.Regulators were slow off the mark when social media started to take off,so generative AI is being proactively legislated in a bid to avoid making the same mistake twice.In the EU,a social media law was passed in 2022,25 years after the first social network w

196、as launched,while the first regulation on AI was passed in 2023,which is comparatively very early in its relationship with users.64,65,66 Governments and tech giants should be investing substantially in digital literacy to better educate users on the effects of technology on their lives and their he

197、althparticularly in children and teenagers seeking to avoid a digital divide.People can and arguably should demand better than the current regulatory setup,but its not clear who would answer that call.Social debate rumbles across big tech,media,politics,non-governmental organizations and global inst

198、itutions,and will need to yield an action plan soon.67,68,69 The approach to problem-solving for the past century has been to identify challenges and solve them through innovation.Accenture Life Trends 202445Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The

199、 great interface shift|Is new technology alleviating tasks or just adding another layer of mental load for your customers and employees?The rapid pace of technological innovation demands careful decision-making now,as choices will have long-term impacts on both your business and society,especially s

200、ince ethical considerations often lag new tech waves.How will you be able to accommodate the new digital divide between those that embrace the pace of tech changes and those that cant keep up or dont want to?010203Check for reputational risks around mental wellbeing as this goes up the agenda.If its

201、 in your power,simplify the technological introduced friction points in your processes.Be careful with how you bring updates and new technologies to your employees and customers.Its not peoples job to adjust to the technologyyou and the technology should adjust to them.010203What to think about next

202、What to do nextError 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Accenture Life Trends 202446Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Decade of deconstructionTra

203、ditional life paths are being rerouted by new limitations,necessities and opportunities,significantly shifting demographics.Trend 5There used to be a patha clear set of parameters and achievements that would almost certainly add up to what was deemed to be a successful life.Now,whether through neces

204、sity or opportunityand whether consciously or subconsciouslypeople are questioning everything that was once considered obvious,challenging long-standing ideas,and shaping new ways of thinking,acting and living.With macro and technical forces changing things so rapidly,its difficult for societal syst

205、ems to keep pace.It feels like a decade of deconstruction has begun,and the impact on systems and services will be far reaching.Accenture Life Trends 202448Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|My future planning horizon ha

206、s shrunk;I now focus on the next one to three years.I rarely think about five years ahead,given the rapid pace of societal change.Jiangfeng,aged 22-29,China“Go to school,get a job,climb the career ladder,get married,buy a home,have a family,and save for a stable retirement.These were once some of th

207、e features in peoples image of a successful lifethere was a degree of flexibility,and variations in different cultures,but most people broadly followed the same template.Now,it feels like a decade of deconstruction is underway,and billions of life paths are being rewritteneach of them unique.Reconst

208、ructing those paths will be faster for people than for the systems that influence their lives.These life milestones and societal norms are formed by systems of dependencies between individuals,groups,and institutions.As strains within these systems have become pervasive in peoples lives,theyre havin

209、g to adjust their mindset.Decisions must be based on the cards theyre dealt,so theyre reassessing the desirability and feasibility of what they always thought was their path.Whats going on Accenture Life Trends 202449Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the

210、 love?The great interface shift|49A similar shift started in 1963,prompted by cultural,medical and societal developments.Sixty years later,the driving forces behind this change are also a mix of new necessities and freedoms,which overlap in complex ways and collide with triggers including the shock

211、of the pandemic and an imbalance of generational wealth.The result is a quest to interrogate traditional definitions of success and identity,and the social structures on which they were based.Consequently,demographic changes are becoming obvious.The old template was shaped when life expectancy was s

212、horter,few women worked,most womens value was in keeping a home and raising children,and few people pursued education beyond school.Companies and employees were mutually loyal,so a job was for life,and one salary was enough to provide for an average family.Today,thanks to progress,the picture has mo

213、ved forward in thinking,inclusion,and equality.However,due to rising costs and changes in attitudes,long-term planning now feels like a luxury to many.Whether through systemic limitations or a growing sense of individualism,these big moments are becoming more diversified,scattering demographics in t

214、urn.These milestones are expensive,and increasing numbers of people either cant afford them or choose to funnel their resources elsewhere.The value placed on traditional milestones has shifted in the past three years.to Marriage to Moving out of parental home to On individual and societal levels,peo

215、ple are rethinking the features or milestones of life and crafting different paths.30%30%23%24%21%17%Accenture Life Trends 202450Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Education represents a microcosm of much of this trend.T

216、hough many people must accept life-long debt to do it,a degree is more widely accessible than ever.In 1950,3.4%of British 18-year-olds went to university,versus 38%in 2021.70 Access to education is always good news,but this does make a degree a weaker differentiator when trying to secure a dream job

217、.71 Further,the rise of generative AI could render an expensive degree almost irrelevant.The internet now offers people different routes to success,deconstructing outdated models and inspiring new career trajectories.Some who may once have dreamed of corporate superstardom now have online influencer

218、/creator/innovator as an option.The value of a degree is under question,as we see a shift towards skills-based hiring.According to TestGorillas report,The State of Skills-Based Hiring 2022,76%of employers use some skills-based hiring to find new talent,with almost 55%using role-specific skills tests

219、.72 Personal milestones like buying a home,getting married,and having children are being challenged.Some feel out of reach,some feel out of touch,and some conflict with other goals.In many countries,house prices are rising significantly faster than the salaries needed to pay a mortgage,placing this

220、life goal out of reach for many and prompting a fresh approach to living arrangements.73,74 Communal living is on the rise,including new ideas like“mommunes”collectives of single mothers sharing the financial,emotional and time burden of raising children between themselves.75 have delayed major life

221、 decisions more often in the past three years.29%make plans less than a year ahead,or dont plan at all.48%Accenture Life Trends 202451Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|An Ipsos poll found that more than half of Gen Z ar

222、e concerned about rising inflation and the cost of living,with just 39%saying they earn enough to live onand a percentage of them dont yet have families to support.76,77 No coincidence,perhaps,that birth rates are falling in almost all countries outside Africa.78,79 People choosing whether or when t

223、o have children are now deciding based not on whats expected of them,but on their shifted values.Some are struggling with the conflict between a desire to have children and an understanding of the consumption impact a child has on the planet.80 Others are waiting until their finances or careers reac

224、h a level that would afford them more control over their life and work later.Repaying debts,building savings,acquiring assets and achieving financial stability simply isnt possible for many.Accenture Life Trends 202452Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres th

225、e love?The great interface shift|“Given the current state of the economy,traditional milestones like buying a house or starting a family seem increasingly unattainable.”George,aged 41,UK“Its not just the young who are rethinking long-held norms:older generations are reimagining what it means to be a

226、 senior.The good news is that people are living longer thanks to medical technologylife expectancy in the US was 47 years in 1900,and is now 78 but when coupled with stagnant wages,retirement in their early sixties is becoming less viable.81 The demographic definitions of what it means to be older a

227、re no longer useful.Retirement is now a pipedream for some and a more advanced age for many.If work doesnt lead to financial stability,what use is it?A knock-on effect of longer life expectancy is that funding retirement is different from how it was even 20 years ago.Accenture Life Trends 202453Erro

228、r 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Society is rethinking what was once a given.Its becoming common to reject or question the norms,milestones,expectations,and political legacies of the past.84 Its important not to become mir

229、ed in generalities around the shape new life paths take.The focus should be on disruption to traditional templates and the emergence of new paths,whether driven by necessity and/or opportunity.The point,for brands,is that traditional milestones have always been critical to defining customer journeys

230、 and building personas and cohorts,but now,customers are changing dramatically,adopting unconventional mindsets that will trigger a new perspective for products and services.As citizens,employees and customers,people will look to brands to inform,support and empower them as they navigate new realiti

231、es.Furthermore,societal safety net infrastructure is showing cracks.Healthcare access challenges in the UK,rolling blackouts in South Africa,water shortages in France,National Grid strains in Texas,and wildfires all over the world are deepening concerns that institutions responsible for societal ser

232、vices cant keep up.Financing the long-term fight against climate change is a priority,but will these systems be able to move fast enough?Investing in sustainability-related behavior change is becoming more important,exemplified by the transition to electric cars as a medium-term strategy in places l

233、ike Indonesia and Thailand.82,83 Theres a tension between acute awareness of climate change and muted willingness to change habits or accept the costs of net zero.People expect“the system”to help,and its not yet clear whether it can or will.Accenture Life Trends 202454Error 429:Human request limit r

234、eachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Whats nextFinancially,we expect to see a faction of people spending whatever they have on fun and travel,and worrying about family,career and housing later.85 They mayconsciously or subconsciouslydeprioritize traditi

235、onal milestones like buying a home in favor of investing in experiences that feed their souls and shape their characters.We expect others will find stability in preparing now for concerns of the future.People are already embracing the FIRE Movement(Financial Independence,Retire Early),living frugall

236、y and sinking up to 70%of their income into savings.86 People have always had to make the best of suboptimal situations or circumstances,but with traditional milestones having less prevalence than ever,demographics are being deconstructed.Instead of defining success by the milestones they achieve,pe

237、ople are shifting their focus to less clearly defined goals like mental wellbeing,personal enrichment and contentment.The flexibility people now exercise enables them to pivot in their ongoing pursuit of their goals,but makes it harder for brands to assume needs and wants based on factors like phase

238、 of life.For some,goals include cultivating a fulfilling career and/or enjoying adventures instead of/before having children.Flaws in the systems that are supposed to support peoples lives mean they cant keep pace with their ever-changing demands.Theyre no longer fit for purpose,and we expect there

239、will be constant pressure for change.Aiming to regain a sense of control over their own lives,people in regions where systems and processes are failing them will minimize risk and reliance on authorities,and try instead to become self-sufficient with whatever they have.In South Africa,for instance,i

240、n response to rolling energy blackouts,an“Ubuntu”movement is gathering momentum.Ubuntu focuses on interconnectedness and communal responsibility,encouraging people to unite and collaborate to become self-reliant.Todays adults have experienced strange times,the legacy of which will remain with them.T

241、heyre multifaceted,changeable,and almost impossible to pigeonhole.Accenture Life Trends 202455Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|We may see a rise in spiritual practices that have always brought stability and comfort,but

242、 that have been in decline.Peoples return to spirituality might be on their own terms,perhaps accepting the lessons and rituals they find helpful but quietly discarding aspects that feel less applicable.Though religious affiliation continues to fall,spiritual openness and curiosity are on the rise.8

243、7 Mindsets that redefine what people want and need from brands are emerging,prompting short-and long-term shifts.Brands must retire assumptions about how people choose to live,and adapt to customers evolving needs.They must offer solutions,become integral to peoples lives,and promise reliability.Und

244、erstanding customers individually is key,as they break old molds and develop their expectations of personalization.Cultural reference points will evolve,affecting imagery used in advertising and story lines in entertainment,and new services will likely emerge for a more active generation of older pe

245、ople,retirees aged over 70,and those working multiple jobs.As birth rates fall,well see a degree of adjustment in the balance from young to old in society.88 It will affect culture,expectations and habits on a fundamental level,and we expect technology to play a major role.Innovative products and se

246、rvicesmany enabled by data and artificial intelligencewill be embraced by people carving their own path.Shifts that support new lifestyles will resonate as marketing stories that represent customers reality.A life-centric approach enables brands to craft seamless experiences that challenge norms.89

247、Simply knowing a customer is 64,female,and lives in Sydney will never again be enough to support useful predictions.And make no mistake:peoples expectations of personalized offerings will only grow.Organizations should adapt fluidly,and capitalize on opportunities to support peoples unique paths.A l

248、ife-centric approach enables brands to craft seamless experiences that challenge norms.Accenture Life Trends 202456Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|How are shifting life milestones,narrowing planning horizons,and evolv

249、ing lifestyles reshaping the relevance and demand for your products and services?As people rethink major milestones like home-buying,marriage,or starting a family,how does this impact their spending power and willingness to engage with your brand?As peoples planning horizons shorten,how does this af

250、fect the timing of your marketing campaigns or product launches?010203Understand the new priorities and life milestones of your target demographics by revisiting market research,user journeys,and customer mindsets using the data to adjust marketing strategies.Ensure that your brand messaging and off

251、erings are aligned and agile enough for the changing consumer landscape.As consumer behaviors and needs evolve,its critical to adapt your engagement tactics to stay in tune with these shifts.010203What to think about nextWhat to do nextError 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of decon

252、structionWheres the love?The great interface shift|Accenture Life Trends 20245757In the intricate landscape of modern life,how people perceive themselves in the world is shaped in part by mediated layers that drive their interactions and facilitate their experiences.The speed of change in the worldf

253、rom technology,from macroeconomic forces and morehas increased for both customers and businesses.Whether its defined as disruption or just plain change,theres a pressing need for brands to welcome these changes as an opportunity for growth.ClosingAccenture Life Trends 2024Error 429:Human request lim

254、it reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|5858AuthorsGlobal Sustainability and Thought Leadership Lead,Accenture SongMark Curtis Mark is Accenture Songs global sustainability lead and has led the creation of the Life Trends report for 17 years,since its

255、inception as Fjord Trends.Mark is a serial entrepreneur and innovator,who has worked in media,digital,mobile,and design for over 30 years.Global Thought Leadership Lead,Accenture SongKatie BurkeAmong other client facing roles,Katie is the global thought leadership lead for Accenture Song,focused on

256、how future technologies are changing the future of interactions,human behavior,and marketing.With over 17 years of strategy experience,Katie serves as a futurist and the lead content writer for the annual Accenture Song Life Trends report.Global Research Lead,Accenture SongAgneta Bjrnsj Agneta is th

257、e global thought leadership research lead for Accenture Song.She has been with Accenture for nearly 24 years,focused on leading global research projects for a rich variety of industries and specialisms,including high tech,communications and media,and consumer technology.Agneta leads the research for

258、 Accenture Life Trends this year.North America Design Lead,Accenture SongNick de la MareAs a Managing Director and Co-lead of Song Design in NorthAmerica,Nick is responsible for craft excellence,and driving the region in the pursuit of paradigm-shifting,impact-driven convergent design that breaks ne

259、w ground for clients and contributes to positive systemic change around the world.Managing Director,Global R&D Lead,Accenture Song Alexandre Naressi Alexandre leads R&D for Accenture Song and incubates new areas such as Generative AI with a 3-5 year horizon at the intersection of human,business and

260、technology trends.Alexandre also leads the Accenture Song Innovation Center in Sophia Antipolis,a unique ideation space dedicated to the future of customer experience.With a background in Computer Science and Physics Research,and 20+years of international R&D experience,Alexandre is a prolific inven

261、tor with a passion for AI,Marketing and UX.Accenture Life Trends 202459Error 429:Human request limit reachedMeh-diocrityDecade of deconstructionWheres the love?The great interface shift|ContributorsAcknowledgementsBaiju ShahChloe CappelierDavid MattinHelen TweedyJosh WoodsJuliana AzueroLewis HarveyM

262、ark SherwinNadia MalikNick LawOmaro MaseliPauline Norkiewicz Prakhar MehrotraQuezia Soares Rahel RasuSimbi LadipoThe Accenture Life Trends report is labor of love from our amazing creatives and design studios across the globe.A special thank you to our studios for their contribution.Amsterdam,Nether

263、landsAthens,GreeceAtlanta,USAAustin,USABangkok,ThailandBarcelona,SpainBeijing,ChinaBerlin,GermanyBogot,ColombiaBrussels,BelgiumBuenos Aires,ArgentinaChicago,USACopenhagen,DenmarkDublin,IrelandFrankfurt,GermanyHamburg,GermanyHelsinki,FinlandJakarta,IndonesiaJohannesburg,South AfricaKuala Lumpur,Malay

264、siaLisbon,PortugalLondon,UKLos Angeles,USAMadrid,SpainMexico City,MexicoMilan,ItalyMunich,GermanyNew York,USAOsaka,JapanOslo,NorwayParis,FrancePhiladelphia,USAPrague,Czech RepublicRio de Janeiro,BrazilRome,ItalySan Francisco,USASan Jos,Costa RicaSo Paulo,BrazilSantiago,ChileSeattle,USAShanghai,China

265、SingaporeSt.Petersburg,USAStockholm,SwedenTokyo,JapanTurin,ItalyUAE/KSAWarsaw,PolandWashington DC,USAWien,AustriaZurich,SwitzerlandAccenture Life Trends 202460Acknowledgements(continued)Accenture CanvasAgnieszka SzlendakBart KlubaGreg KaplanJulie OBoyleKevin JohnsonMagda ZaslonaMark LaycockMartin Co

266、wmanPaddy LynchRodrigo LimaRonnie TroutonTorstein VeierlandAccenture M+CAlexander ClaremontAndrea BarabinoAndrea DonatucciAndreea MacsiniucAndy Flight Artur Scherer Ashley Williams Ashlie PerryAtique UllahDede JacksonElisabeth EdvardsenFlorencia ShekerdemianJulian McBrideJulie McNeeKeith Upton Leo R

267、yder Lucy Salat Maigan TriplettMartin ReckeRobert ZapalskiRosie Milton-SchnemannSheryl-Sue SoberTatjana BergTina JanczuraAccenture ResearchDonovan Griggs Gabriel SchmittleinKonrad SucheckiVincenzo PalermoAccenture Life Trends 202461Crowdsourcing Each year,we ask Accenture Songs global network of des

268、igners,creatives,technologists,sociologists,and anthropologists to watch out for potentially influential signals and trends impacting their communities and countries.We run trends workshops throughout March in 50 studios around the world,then teams pitch their top ideas to the editorial team in Marc

269、h-April.This year we also expanded our reach and interviewed 10 thought leaders spanning academia,business and social enterprises to identify trends on their horizon.Taking together all the crowdsourcing inputs,we developed a tool that would let us synthesize the content.We processed nearly 10,000 s

270、entences of text and audio data and used them to develop a knowledge base for a custom Generative AI tool.The tool ran on-demand topic modelling,plotting,and summarization based on a user-submitted query about the trends conversations.The outputs from this tool were used to accelerate and inform the

271、 trend synthesis process.From there,the editorial team worked together to further create,shape,and refine the trends report.About the researchExperience Innovation Radar We worked with Accenture Song R&D in Sophia Antipolis,France,to broaden our perspective of emerging signals using the Experience I

272、nnovation Radar,a proprietary high-frequency signal research process focused on the intersection of human,technology and business trends.Validating our trends We validated our trends externally in two steps.First,we video-interviewed 49 people in 7 countries to get elements of the trends described i

273、n their own words.Secondly,we ran an online survey across 21 countries with 15,227 respondents in August 2023 to validate the magnitude of the trends.Once the trends were refined,we put them to the test with Accentures own experts in Talent and Organization,Commerce,Technology,Sustainability,Researc

274、h and Development,among others.Throughout the process,we have worked closely with our colleagues in Accentures Tech Vision team to build on each others findings and perspectives.Survey sample size by countryCountry Sample size Brazil 500 Mexico 500 US 2000 Colombia 500 Indonesia 500 Vietnam 500 Indi

275、a 500 Malaysia 500 Philippines 500 France 500 Germany 500 Italy 500 UK 1000 Spain 500 UAE 500 Egypt 500 Singapore 1000 South Africa 1000 Australia 1000 Canada 1000 Japan 1000 Throughout this report,all statistics are taken from our Accenture Life Trends survey unless otherwise stated.Accenture Life

276、Trends 202462References1.Accenture CxO Pulse survey,June 2023(n:2325)2.https:/ 3.https:/hbr.org/1998/07/welcome-to-the-experi-ence-economy 4.https:/ 5.https:/ 9.https:/ 10.https:/ 12.https:/ 14.https:/ 18.https:/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65697595 19.https:/ 20.https:/ 23.https:/ 24.https:/www.geeky- 30.

277、https:/pi.ai/talk 31.https:/ 33.https:/ 34.https:/ 36.https:/bjoernkarmann.dk/project/paragraphica 37.https:/www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/why-customers-still-prefer-speaking-to-a-human-not-chatbox/articleshow/91955173.cms 38.https:/ 41.https:/ 42.https:/ 43.YouGov Global Profiles Q2,2

278、023(n=400,454)44.https:/ 01 Where is the loveTrend 02 The great interface shiftTrend 03 Meh-diocrity 46.Respondents were asked which of a select list of 14 tech-nologies(devices and apps)they regularly used.We then analyzed how the number of technologies they selected would impact their likelihood t

279、o agree to the statement that technology has complicated my life just as much as it has simplified it.We found that people who said they used 14 devices or technologies regularly were 4.6x more likely to agree with the statement than those who use just 1 regularly(67.9%vs 14.9%).47.https:/ 48.https:

280、/ 50.https:/inews.co.uk/news/politics/ai-fear-jobs-uk-public-robots-act-against-human-interests-2385893 51.https:/www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/03/new-sur-geon-general-advisory-raises-alarm-about-devastat-ing-impact-epidemic-loneliness-isolation-united-states.html 52.https:/ 54.https:/ 55.https:/ 5

281、6.https:/www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/davos23-trust-in-tech-3-ways-rebuild-it/57.https:/en.unesco.org/inclusivepolicylab/learning/social-media-and-trust-science-%E2%80%93-%E2%80%9Cits-complicated%E2%80%9D Trend 04 Error 429:Human request limit reachedAccenture Life Trends 20246358.https:/ 61.https

282、:/ 62.https:/ 65.https:/ 66.https:/ 70.https:/commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7857/71.https:/ 72.https:/ 74.https:/www.oecd.org/housing/no-home-for-the-young.pdf 75.https:/ 76.https:/ 77.https:/www.oecd.org/governance/trust-in-government/78.https:/ 79.https:/ 80.https:/ 82.https:

283、/ 83.https:/www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/thailand-du-ty-electric-vehicles 84.https:/www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/articles/milestonesjourneyingthroughadulthood/2019-12-1785.https:/ 86.https:/www.thetimes.co.uk/money-mentor/article/how-to-

284、retire-early-the-fire-method/87.https:/www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/09/06/more-americans-now-say-theyre-spiritual-but-not-reli-gious/88.https:/ 89.https:/ 05 Decade of deconstructionReferences(continued)Accenture Life Trends 202464Accenture Accenture is a leading global professional services

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