Consumer Futures 2020 is designed as a practical tool to help organisations throughout the global consumer goods industry plan for the future. It contains four different but entirely plausible scenarios which explore how patterns of onsumption and consumer behaviour may have changed by 2020.

1. consumer futures 2020
working with scenarios
> Go with the flow. Scenarios explore future
possibilities, they aren’t predictions. Suspend your
disbelief and challenge yourself to accept your
scenario as reality
> Mind the gaps. The scenarios are not
comprehensive. If you come across specific gaps,
fill them in yourself - elaborate and build on the
scenario to make it your own
> Keep scribbling. Any reflections you have about
the scenarios, major points, ideas, whatever - jott
them down on post-its, stick-em up and share
them with your team
> Dream big! This is your chance to step away
from today’s constraints, regulations, red-tape and
societal ‘norms’.
lifetime supply of
rental products
personalised
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fin do rf fa rm sh ar products personal energ y 1st
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2nd
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har ry moo re own s
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ian 4
hom
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– in stant feedback
trav
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– networkab le

2. consumer futures 2020
filtering your ideas
Check out these ideas for what characterises sustainable consumption.
Use them to help you filter your ideas.
Does your idea encompass:
> Smart growth, where economic growth is not delivered at the
expense of the environment, and where the overall environmental
footprint of business has been reduced, delivering more economic
value per unit resource used.
> Smart use, where impacts associated with product use and disposal
are minimal. Characterised by closed loops, or even open loops, where
someone’s waste is another’s raw material; take-back schemes, where
used goods return to the manufacturer; product to service shifts;
and different ownership models – consumers don’t need to possess
something to derive a benefit.
> A better choice of choice, where the unsustainable product or
service is no longer available and consumers are choosing within a set
of sustainable options. By deciding what to stock, and what to make,
retailers and manufacturers have already made choices on behalf of
their consumers.
> Positive social impact, where what and how we buy promotes well-
being in individuals, communities and supply chains. Transactions for
goods and services that have a positive social benefit are the norm,
whereas novelty and implied personal status are far less important than
they are today. lifetime supply of
rental products
personalised
es
fin do rf fa rm sh ar products personal energ y 1st
t
2nd
this is to cer tify tha
100
har ry moo re own s
sha res
3rd
ian 4
hom
e
th
pl ac
e
– in stant feedback
trav
el
– networkab le

3. raw materials
manufacturing
end of life
?
value
chain
distribution
consumer use
Retail

4. personas
consumer futures
• john lives in the city and teaches at a local
school.
• most of the time he gets around on his push-
bike but sometimes he uses public transport
when the weather is bad.
• John married lucy in the summer and they
have just climbed onto the first rung of the
property ladder.
• john is quite vain and always likes to look his
best.
• he is in good health but due to his lactose
intolerance he has to be carefull what he
eats.
John (26)
• John loves throwing dinnner parties for
friends.

5. personas
consumer futures
• alice lives in the suburbs and works shifts at
the hospital as a nurse.
• she is married to peter and they have an 8
year old son.
• peter is the managing director of a local
firm.
• alice and peter own a car which makes family
life so much easier.
• alice likes to watch her weight and she’s
often following one diet or another.
• the family are all in good health.
alice (40)

6. personas
consumer futures
• louise was brought up in the country and still
lives in the same village.
• although louise is single, she has a small
circle of good friends and her family all
live nearby.
• louise drives a company car.
• she is a sales rep for a large uk sports
retailer and spends a lot of her time away
on business.
• image is everthing in her world of work and
she always looks presentable.
• louise looks forward to relaxing at home on
the weekends.
louise (33)
• She’s a vegetarian.

7. personas
consumer futures
• ken’s a retired engineer and now qualifies
for his free bus pass.
• he left the rat race 5 years ago and
downsized to the leafy suburbs for some
peace and quiet with his wife.
• he’s been happily married to emily for over
40 years and they have 3 grown-up children
who live and work in the city.
• getting about can be tricky due to ken’s bad
hip but he’s hoping to have an operation soon
to fix things.
• ken has diabetes so he has to manage his
diet carefully.
ken (65)

8. personas
consumer futures
• Millie lives in the capital and goes to an
inner-city school.
• millie is studying for her exams and wants to
be a vet when she’s older.
• millie has a part-time job at the pet store on
the weekends.
• her parents both work fulltime and she has a
little brother at primary school.
• millie is very conscious of her apperance
and follows the latest trends and fashions.
• She likes to keep tabs on all the latest
beauty products.
• millie is also a fussy eater.
millie (15)

9. personas
consumer futures
• ANDY divorced 6 years ago and now lives on
his own near the coast.
• He has no children.
• Andy is a skilled tradesman but chronic back
problems means he can no longer work and
now has to rely on state benefits to get by.
• Andy’s always led a pretty sedentary
lifestyle and has a penchant for reality tv
and football.
• He loves food and drink, especially crisps,
fish and chips, red meat, beer and cider.
andy (48)