Brands selling products to children need to make sure they understand the "drastically changing" environment in which young people are growing up. Check out what research conducted by Kids Insights has shown.
20,000 children in the UK were surveyed as part of the latest Future Forecasts report from research agency Kids Insights. Among the most important transformations that brands must take into account are technological changes, the shifting expectations of younger consumers, the rise in the number of YouTube stars and growing demand for gender-neutral products.
The report shows how brands are beginning to present their investments in marketing, content and product development for 2018/19.
"In the battle for children's attention, hearts and minds, innovation is becoming increasingly critical," said Nick Richardson, Futures Analyst at Kids Insights. "The brands that succeed are those that are extremely attuned to the constantly evolving and increasingly complex children's ecosystem.
"Trends come and go much faster than ever before - and brands that are in tune with children's behavior can turn these trends into opportunities rather than seeing them as risks."
Big changes
Big changes
The report highlights a number of key trends among the young consumers surveyed that could have a significant impact on the brands they engage with.
AR and voice instead of keyboards
AR is likely to become much more firmly established in the minds of young gamers.
"Apple is betting heavily on AR, and our data shows that more than half of all teenage mobile phone owners have an iPhone, so AR reach could surge," says Richardson.
Many established toy manufacturers are also making moves in AR, and Paw Patrol and Transformers are set to release toys with AR features next year.
When it comes to video games, the report found that the majority of people under the age of 12 use inappropriate or illegal content. For example, 60% of boys aged 10-12 play games rated 16+. More than half of people aged 4-6 use social media.
"On social media platforms, it will be interesting to see how these platforms develop their offerings, especially in the context of the impact of GDPR regulations," comments Richardson.
Another clear trend is the shift from typing on keyboards to voice control. Kids Insights estimates that by 2020, around 50% of all internet searches will be conducted by voice. Much of this growth is likely to appear among children who find it more natural to ask Siri or Alexa than to type a query into the search bar.
Concepts from the article
GDPR — the General Data Protection Regulation. The EU regulation governing the processing of personal data. It requires, among other things, a legal basis, data minimization, appropriate safeguards and the fulfillment of the rights of data subjects.
Why it matters: It sets the legal boundaries for working with personal data: legal basis, minimization, safeguards and the rights of individuals. It applies to every form, newsletter and contact database in a company.
When it applies: Whenever personal data is collected and processed: sign-ups, consents, exports, deletion on request.
What happens if you ignore it: Ignoring the regulations results in fines calculated on turnover, and a data breach without safeguards additionally means losing customer trust.
Summary
The Future Forecasts report shows that children adopt new technologies faster than adults: voice search (by 2020, as much as 50% of queries) and augmented reality, driven by the dominance of iPhones among teenagers. This is an opportunity for brands, but also a challenge – 60% of boys aged 10-12 play titles intended for older players.
In communication with minors, the law is also becoming crucial: GDPR sets the boundaries for data collection, and regulations concerning social platforms are only now taking shape. Brands that quickly pick up on these changes will gain an advantage.
