The consumer of the year 2020 in eight tendencies, according to AZTI-Tecnalia

The current consumer would have to be the main engine of the innovation, or like this believe it from the technological centre Azti-Tecnalia, specialised in marine and alimentary investigation. The research of applicable strategic innovation to the sector agroalimentario would give place to an alliance between said centre and the world of the tendencies, very associated to the fashion and to other sectors. “In the year 2010 knew the initiative ‘Trend Trotters' that based in the surveillance of the market, on foot of street, through the observation. This could join up to the methodology that, from always, employed in the centre. Later, we launch the ‘Food Trend Trotters”, explained Sonia Riesco, researcher of the area of Surveillance and Prospectiva of the Unit of Alimentary Investigation of Azto-Tecnalia, accompanied of Begoña Pérez-Villarreal, director of Market of said unit, the past 27 March, in the frame of Alimentary.

Of the ‘Food Trend Trotters', that put in practical disciplines no usual like the surveillance, the coolhunting/trendwatching, no usual for a technological centre of alimentary investigation, would arise an exercise of identification and study of tendencies developed in the year 2011-2012 and that has given like result the ‘EATendencias: the alimentary consumption in Europe horizon 2020, in eight tendencies'. A study that gave to know in the Alimentary contests and BTA, and that has explained also with the collaboration of the Bilbao Design Academy, centre of knowledge on tendencies, design and innovation.

-Complement the activity of traditional surveillance with a more direct investigation, real and deep of the market and the consumers. It allows a direct access to the foods, the surroundings in which they consume , the consumers and his habits (in the street and in the homes).

-Generate ad hoc knowledge of high value through the team of professionals of Azti-Tecnalia, the traveller, the local contacts and the on-line community generated in the project.

-Step more in the identification of tendencies of consumption and his validation (look for evidences of the tendencies with the direct observation of the market).

-Develop a strategy of communication of results in the social web that allows the immediacy and contributes freshness, emotions and experiences.

-Promote the open innovation, generating an interactive on-line community that cover local contacts and external experts to the organisation, promoting the co-creation in the projects of R&D.

Know the tendencies, the previous state to the fashion, supposes for the industry agroalimentaria a big opportunity to promote the innovation. And in passing, anticipate to the demands of the consumers. “The tendencies interest us because they affect to the guidelines of consumption. We are a centre of investigation applied that supports to the alimentary industry and this has to know what wants to consume . Besides, we wanted to have our own tendencies, extraneous to studies already published. Our purpose was to know to the consumer at the beginning of the chain and like this llevar an I+d+i more effective”, justified Sonia Risk, during the presentation in Alimentary. In that moment, the study ‘EATendencias: the alimentary consumption in Europe horizon 2020, in eight tendencies', found in “phase of validation, with evidences measured in each one of the tendencies”, according to Begoña Pérez-Villarreal.

The tendencies are an information of strategic value and a crowbar for the innovation. Detect and analyse these tendencies, according to the technological centre, means to understand and predict to the consumer. This favours the anticipation to the demand of the future and to the competition, detecting prematurely opportunities of business and niches of market. Also it favours the possibility to tackle initiatives of R&D with greater potential success. Dynamic “tendencies, that relate between yes”, in opinion of the The tendencies are an information of strategic value and a crowbar for the innovation. Detect and analyse these tendencies, according to the technological centre, means to understand and predict to the consumer. This favours the anticipation to the demand of the future and to the competition, detecting prematurely opportunities of business and niches of market. Also it favours the possibility to tackle initiatives of R&D with greater potential success.

Dynamic “tendencies, that relate between yes”, in opinion of the director of Market of the Unit of Alimentary Investigation of Azti-Tecnalia, and that gave to know both speakers:

-Food Telling, Foods with Message. It gives answer to a demand of transparent information, attractor trucks and near. It connects to the consumer and to what consumes, and endows at the same time of greater identity and authenticity to the own foods.

-‘SuperSense', Experience Multisensorial. It looks for a provocation of the senses and generate a sensory experience original, pleasant, intense and full.

-‘Slowcal'. It involves a greater awareness and responsibility with the impact of the alimentary consumption in the personal field, social, economic and environingingmental. It looks for a consumption of quality, where prevails the enjoy, the balance, the sustainability and the near.

-‘Here&Now', Here and Now. It facilitates the lifestyle of the urban nomads, that sue flexibility, optimise the gestión of his time, health, and the gratificación instantaneous to his needs, anytime and place.

-‘Eater_tainment', Alimentary Experience. It involves indulgence and autocomplacencia through experiences memorables that connect with the emotional needs of the individuals. Adventure, entertainment, surprise and entretenimiento contribute a value added experiencial to the product.

-‘MadeSimple', Do it to me Simple. It reflects in the demand of flexible solutions that allow the purchase and intelligent consumption, opting to the best option in less time. It is associated so much to the product as to the process of purchase and consumption through services and tools that facilitate the life to the consumers.

-‘MyHealth', Personalised Health. It represents an attitude proactiva and responsible to the promotion, prevention and conservation of the welfare and the own health. It pursues a feeding adapted to personal needs to attain the physical balance, mental and emotional.

-‘EgoFood', alimentary Expressesion. It is associated to the expressesion of the own identity (of individual form or inside a community), “personificando” in the products of big consumption the wishes, values or aspiraciones own.

The feeding in the next years, sight by Azti-Tecnalia

-will have to adapt to the new rhythms of urban life, with available foods anytime and place and that, without merma of quality and salubridad, suppose an instantaneous satisfaction. The near future will be marked also by services that allow to do the shopping of a faster way and intelligent, with a better discrimination of the products chosen.

-The health goes to mark the future of the feeding. The people are increasingly concienciadas with the preservation of his health, therefore they sue healthy products and adapted to his own personal needs. The consumers will opt by products associated to his own identity, already was personal or collective. It treats to offer foods that an individual or social group can relate with his wishes, values or aspiraciones.