Pulse Legacy Archive January / February 2011 | Page 15

Emerging
Generosity.

embedded health benefits that
improve their quality of life.

Social-Lites and
Twinsumers.
Online search and social
media have created a new
type of consumers:
Twinsumers (consumers with
similar patterns, likes and dislikes who are valuable
sources on what to buy and
experience) and Social-Lites
(consumers who act as curators or actively broadcasting,
reviewing and sharing products and experiences to a
wider audience). The rise of
these types of consumers can
be a double-edged sword for
companies and spas as consumers now have the power
to either make or break a
business overnight with just a
few taps on their keyboards.

Generation G (stands for
Generosity) is a new breed of
consumers who increasingly
expect brands to give,
donate, care and sympathize
versus just sell and profit. In
fact, 86 percent of global
consumers believe that business needs to place at least
equal weight on both
society’s and business’s interests. Eight out of 10
consumers in India, China,
Mexico and Brazil expect
brands to donate a portion of
their profits to support a
good cause (Source:
Edelman, November 2010).

Planned
Spontaneity. Instant
connections made through

smartphones and the popularity of location-based sites like
Facebook Places, Google
Hotspot and Foursquare have
helped create a trend called
“planned spontaneity.” It’s
when consumers rush to sign
up for services that allow
endless and almost effortless
mass mingling. There is great
business opportunity for spas
here, perhaps offer timelimited spa parties to
spontaneously encourage consumers to bond and mingle
while having a mini facial?

Eco Superior. Green
consumption will not go outof-style. In fact, the emphasis
for 2011 will be on “eco supe-

rior products” or those that
combine superior design with
increased eco-friendly functionality. Consumers may
demand to see more of this
trend in leading beauty brands,
fitness equipment or even in
today’s spa architecture.

Owner-Less. More
consumers prefer accessibility
over ownership; thus, expect
to see the rise of “sharing
and renting” in consumer
consciousness. These types
of consumers do not want
the commitment and cost of
owning a product but seek
the convenience of leasing
luxuries. ■

January/February 2011

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PULSE 13