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FuturistU > Innovation & Change > Ability to Change > Module 5 / 7

Optionality

Instructor: Jeremy Gutsche
This module introduces the concept of optionality and looks how decisions we make today can limit our choices and opportunities of the future. We tend to make decisions that get short-term results, not realizing that certain choices can fix us to the path we are on and reduce our future potential. Optionality is about making decisions that increase our future choices.

To illustrate the impacts of optionality, Jeremy highlights examples from the CPG industry and his own journey building Trend Hunter and the Future Festival events. Throughout the module, you'll learn why and how seemingly small decisions you make, can have massive impacts on your future. You'll also learn more about how you can tap into optionality to increase your options and your ability to create more opportunity.
Workshop Questions:
1. What five decisions have most impacted your adult life?
2. What decisions are you making to open up your future options?
3. In which parts of your business could you create more long-term options?
Get Better and Faster

Insights by Trend Hunter AI

Positivity Platform
Social platforms with a positive focus rebel against the negative internet
Trend - New online platforms, whether private or social-focused, are launching with a focus on positivity and compliments. Some such platforms are powered by AI, while some are community-driven. However, each are designed to offer positive breaks from the negative nature of popular content platforms.
Workshop Question - How might we create a positive and uplifting experience for our audience to counteract the negativity often found in digital environments?
4.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Customized Hydration
Brands enhance hydration products with new customization options
Trend - Brands now offer customization options for sports drink mixes, letting users adjust various components of their hydration product. These customizations can affect flavor or ingredients, enabling users to tailor their drink to their unique preferences or physiological needs.
Workshop Question - How can your brand meet consumers' growing demand for customization?
6.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Visual Aid
Brands are designing packaging to be accessible for consumers with visual impairments
Trend - Brands are creating packaging designs with smart solutions for consumers with visual impairments. These solutions include scannable codes or symbols that interact with smart applications to provide either easier-to-read or audio-based information, more effectively supporting shoppers.
Workshop Question - How can we leverage technological solutions to make our products more accessible for a wider range of consumers?
7.2
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
AI Reduction
New AI tools are launching with a focus on reducing food waste in the home
Trend - New AI tools are designed to reduce and optimize food consumption habits in the home. These tools analyze food waste patterns, grocery lists, and cooked meals, and create recommendations on how to optimize these habits. This involves purchasing different amounts of foods, altering recipes, and more.
Workshop Question - How could your business leverage artificial intelligence to better meet its environmental sustainability goals?
6.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Canned Soap
Cosmetics brands are using aluminum cans to aid sustainability efforts
Trend - Self-care products are being offered in aluminum cans to enhance sustainability. Often coupled with refillable designs, these cans reduce packaging costs and are nearly infinitely recyclable. Additionally, the resilience of aluminum packaging simplifies shipping and logistics systems.
Workshop Question - How could your brand benefit from circular packaging materials, such as aluminum or paper?
7.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Eco-Digital Economy
Brands are leveraging technology for sustainability and economic growth
Trend - In the era of eco-digital advancement, brands are leveraging digital technologies that not only generate economic value but also prioritize environmental and social benefits. By leveraging tools like AI for efficiency, blockchain for transparency, and synthetic biology for sustainability, brands aim to reduce waste, improve supply chain sustainability, and drive business value.
Workshop Question - How can your brand leverage technology to bridge the gap between cutting-edge innovation and meaningful sustainability practices, while aligning with the growing consumer demand for "innovation with a conscience"?
5.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Virtual Scent
Scent-releasing devices are used in virtual reality applications for immersion
Trend - New products are being developed that monitor virtual reality environments and release scents accordingly. These devices store scents via fluid or wax pads, and can custom-mix sources to produce more scent varieties. This is designed to enhance immersion in entertainment or for scent therapy.
Workshop Question - How could your brand utilize scent-based technology with its products or services?
6.9
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Mobile AI
Retailers are using AI to add unique features to their mobile retail apps
Trend - Retailers are launching mobile apps with AI-powered features designed to replace their existing apps. These apps offer recommendations, conversational support, image search, and features unique to certain retailers. These brands aim to improve customer retention while reducing ordering friction.
Workshop Question - How could your brand improve its customer satisfaction rates through AI features?
6.5
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
AI Hobbyist
For tech enthusiasts, generative AI has become a tool to enhance hobbies
Trend - Chatgpt and similar models are being adapted into everyday life--and even hobbies and recreation are fair game. Tech enthusiasts are particularly likely to use generative AI for personal enjoyment, which can be seen through products like AI-equipped bikes, chess sets and travel assistants.
Workshop Question - How might your brand leverage generative AI to enhance customer journeys or product experience?
6.1
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
AI Musician
Companies are launching platforms dedicated to AI-generated music
Trend - AI-generated music is created when an artificial intelligence model is trained on a set of musical data and prompted to reproduce it. This data includes music tracks, instrument sounds, and melodies, which help influence the patterns, structures, and musical characteristics the AI generates.
Workshop Question - How can your brand leverage automation to enhance creative content?
4.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends