Digital Trends: Microsoft’s latest research uncovers consumers’ lofty expectations of brands

April 2nd, 2014 | ACA Team,

By Alyson Gausby, Consumer Insight Lead, Microsoft Canada

Alyson Gausby
Alyson Gausby

Our world is changing. If the last decade was defined by our hunger for new technologies, the next will be defined by our need for more human connections. Our infatuation with technology is starting to mature and we’re expecting more from our technology and devices, as well as the brands we interact with on those devices.

In Microsoft’s latest Digital Trends research, we look at how brands can better meet these changing expectations, both today and in the future. I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of our key learnings and hope you’ll find some useful information to better serve your customers and/or shape your next campaign.

Value Me
Value Me

For our first trend, Value Me, we found that Canadians are increasingly seeing their digital data as a valuable commodity and they’re looking to exchange it with brands in return for something that’s of value to them (e.g., offers and deals, convenience, or even more personalized and fulfilling experiences).

Today, nearly half of online Canadians are interested in trading their data for rewards. The most common way we’re seeing this is through loyalty rewards programs, like Loblaw’s PC Plus. In exchange for tracking purchases every time customers are in store, the program provides offers and deals based on actual purchase history.

This means that if brands want to keep learning about their audiences, they’ll need to be clear about how they use data and offer these types of visible incentives. Once this trust has been built, consumers will be more willing to share information, leading to better on and offline experiences and deeper brand commitment.

My Analytics
My Analytics

Our data is not only valuable to brands though, it can be helpful to us, as individuals, too. Our second theme, My Analytics, is about self-quantification. Canadians are now gathering more data than ever via phones and wearables, on more aspects of their lives – from exercise and sleep to spending habits and mood.

But where they’ve previously tracked these things just for their own interest, they’re now starting to pull together different data sets to arrive at more intelligent insights about their lives (e.g., do I run further when I eat better?). I’m sure you’re already familiar with products like Nike’s Fuel band, but new technologies like Kiwi Move are now taking this trend a step further by tracking daily physical activities AND controlling household devices.

Similar to what we see for the other trends, interest in My Analytics is highest among younger demographics; over half of Canadians 18-24 years old are interested in continuously analyzing their data using devices implanted in the body (compared with 27% total).

Brands now have the chance to help consumers transform their lives by providing meaningful services. To do that, they need to intelligently aggregate data streams (even if from competitors) to create better end-user experiences. And, they’ll need to provide consumers with opportunities to ‘play’ with their data to derive useful insights to actually use the data they’re collecting.

Intelligently On
Intelligently On

At the same time, we found that Canadians are looking to reduce the chaos of digital connectivity. IntelligentlyON explores the need for more intelligent and intuitive ‘off’ modes – technology that disappears, without completely disconnecting.

Already, 41% of Canadians expect brands to know the right moment to talk to them. This means brands have to be mindful of context when creating and delivering content and need to make communications necessary (rather than hopeful) and relevant. But, in order to read our signals and respond to our needs, brands need to understand us as people, what we’re doing and why.

Age of Serendipity
Age of Serendipity

Understanding consumers better is also key to our last trend, Age of Serendipity. As we spend more time online, consumers are looking for more human interactions with their technology. Forty-three per cent of Canadians already expect technology to deliver surprising tailored experiences that ‘feel like coincidences’. They want technology and brands to pleasantly surprise them by delivering relevant content at the right time and place and when they’re in the right frame of mind – all without them even asking.

Netflix is a great example of editing & curating content by providing recommendations based on stored preferences, past viewing history and what’s trending to help simplify choice.

Moving forward, getting to know the person, rather than just their demographic or online behavior, will be key to effective and impactful marketing. By combining information from different sources with insights from trends like Value Me & My Analytics, brands can make these interactions even more rewarding.

Each of these four trends creates challenges and opportunities for brands to engage with consumers in ways that are seamless, transparent, relevant and useful. And, they’re taking shape faster than you may think, so brands need to start planning for them today. Welcome to the future.

Join Alyson Gausby on April 10, 2014 for a webinar on Microsoft’s newest digital trends. This free webinar is available to ACA members only.


Alyson Gausby

As Microsoft’s Canadian Consumer Insights Lead, Alyson is responsible for translating consumer intelligence into trends research to provide value for the Canadian marketplace. Alyson is a contributor to Strategy Magazine, frequent event speaker and her thought-leadership research is regularly featured at industry events as well as in the media. Prior to joining Microsoft, Alyson was Associate Director, brand & advertising research, with Ipsos UK and she has also held senior research roles with Crowd Science and comScore.