IHE TOP SEVEN CONSUMER TRENDS AND YOUR

PARKING FACILITY
ByTedJanusz

ould you like to look into a crystal ball to determine the consumer trends that may affect your parking facility in the near future? Here,s your chance-these are the top seven consumer trends as defined by trendwatching.com. which ones will touch your business?
Do It Yourself. Consumers need to constantly be in control. An example of this is a popular and extensive behavior known as "showrooming.,, Using their smart'$"

how muchthey can save by using their collpons or shopper loyalty cards.

phones and an application supplied byAmazon or other

big box store and scan the UPC codes oftheir desired products. The app will then display the (often lower) prices at which those products could be bought online.
a

online retailers, a consumer will enter

2.DIY Health. Countless new

apps and devices are activeiy targeting consumers who are keen on prevent-

More than 40 percent of coupon enthusiasts had a household income of more than 970,000 Future offers wiil find consumers and not the other r,vay around. Thanks to smartphones, localized and real-time deals will proliferate.

ing, improving, monitoring, and managing their health. Increasingly, consumers are diagr-rosing and treatingtheir

own medical conditions. Apple,s App Store currently offers 13,000 mobile health apps. Further, websites such as PatientslikeMe.com give consumers an online social network to discuss their health concerns and
seek remedies.

In Sweden, only 3 percent of transactions involve cash. For governments, cash is expen&" Cashless.

sive to print, inspect, move,

store. and gr.rard. Economist Robert Reich said. "There wili be a time-I don't

S"Phones Get Smart. Many consumer trends will be influenced by the new remote control for our lives. According to an 02 study, tl-re average smartphone owner
now spends 128 minutes-or more than 2 hours-looking at the phone each day. Global Internet usage will more
TED JANUSZ is a professional speaker
on the topic of "Social Media for

know when, I can't give "'rllt:.iry, you a date-when physical money is just going to cease to exist." Shoppers who have their credit card information stored on their NFC (Near Field Communications) smartphones can pay for their purchases by waving them near a reader, rather than getting out their credit cards. (Remember when people would write checks?) For consumers, the initial lure will be convenience. Eventually, mobile payments will create a whole new system of rewards. If and when cash disappears, how will your parking facility handle it? 7, Point and Know. The need and expectation for instant gratification and instant access to everl,thing one wants to know is deeply ingrained in the consumer. The rise of the (always-in-my-pocket) smartphone will fuel fullblown Point and Know. Rest assured that poor quality businesses (perhaps your competition) will no longer

Baby Boomers,"

authoi and marketing

consultant. He is the author ofthe Socla/

Media Marketing
Guide for Parking

Professionals,which
is a free publication

than double by 2015, and most of these users rvill be mobile. When consumers use their smartphones to find a place to park, will they be able to find you? 4.Let's Make a Deal. Consumers have been conditioned to expect deals for anl,thing and everything. It,s more than just saving money though. It,s the thrill, the pursuit, the control, and the perceived smartness that they're seeking. According to NM Incite, 60 percent of consumers visit social networks to receive coupons or promotions. Daily deal sites are so popular that nearly
40 percent of all active Web users visited coupons and as Groupon, LivingSocial, and Coupons. com during September 2011.
reward sites such

for lPl members and

can be downloaded from parking.org/ socialmediaguide.
He can be reached atted@
ia

S"Loyaltyis Rewarded.

simply be able to turn to promotions to attract new

customers. Abad product or service will be abad deal at any price. Potential customers will know ahead of time.

TWo billion. That,s the mem_

!rLispres*ntfi tions. c*ni

or 614.440.7487.

bership of customer-loyalty programs in the United States. The average U.S. household has signed up for 14.1 loyalty programs and participates in 6.2 of them. Eighty-one percent of U.S. consumers think it,s fun to see

Editor's Note:

Ted Janusz adapted

and conducted addi-

o F
@

tional research on these trends identifi.ed by trendwatching. comfor The Parking Professional. O

E U l q

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