4 Consumer Trends to Look Out For

Personalization with Privacy 

The more we rely on digital services, the more we’re exposed to potential data breaches. As would-be hackers and data thieves become savvier, consumers are paying more attention to how much of their personal info they share and with whom. 

At the same time though, consumers are always looking for a more personalized experience. But can you aggressively protect consumer data and provide a personalized experience? 

In fact, you can. Personalization and privacy aren’t mutually exclusive. It’s a delicate balance, but it can be done. 

And frankly, if you want to continue attracting and retaining customers, you don’t have a choice. Consumers want to have a highly personalized experience with your company while also knowing their data is protected. If your company can’t provide that sort of experience, consumers will find one who can. 



You can work toward a personalization-privacy balance in a variety of ways. Primarily, be intentional with your collection of consumer data. Once you have it, use that data (when and where appropriate) to create a highly individualized experience for the consumer.  

Omnichannel Experience  

For years now, consumers have expected the ability to interact with businesses in a variety of ways; phone, email, live chat, etc. But looking forward, these basic communication channels will become less and less effective. 

Generation Z is your new consumer base—and they don’t remember a time without the internet and social media. These consumers are accustomed to near-instant communications using a wide variety of methods. This is the new norm and communication preferences will continue to evolve in this direction. 

But simply adding instant messaging and Facebook messenger to your available contact channels isn’t enough. Consumers are looking for consistency throughout their communication experience. 



You can achieve this by ensuring your local business’s brand message and customer service standards are uniform and unwavering throughout the customer journey, no matter how you're communicating.  

More Payment Options 

Similar to omnichannel communications, consumers are looking for a wider variety of payment options. This is particularly pertinent for local businesses which have, historically, been a bit slow to adopt new modes of payment. 

What payment alternatives are out there? Plenty. Think of Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, Zelle, CashApp, PayPal, and... The list goes on. Soon, your customers won’t have debit or credit cards to swipe at all. And they certainly won’t have cash. (Oh, how 90’s!) Instead, they’ll be looking for you to accommodate their preferred digital payment method. 

Fortunately, the vast majority of digital payment platforms available today have business-specific tools that allow you to get your local business up and running quickly. 

Online + Local Shopping 

Everyone knows online shopping exploded in popularity over the past few years (and it was already pretty popular!) But consumers’ preference for online shopping is starting to take an interesting turn. 

More and more, consumers are combining the online and in-store shopping experiences. In one survey, nearly 75% of in-store shoppers said they searched the store’s website first, before visiting the brick-and-mortar location. 

This could prove to be a bit challenging for local businesses, which have a tendency to be pretty lax when it comes to their web presence. But the old, “We don’t need a website” attitude will ultimately hurt your business. It’s time to create an optimized website, build an online presence, and create a seamless experience for customers to move from your website to your brick-and-mortar location.