The successful brands of the future will be those that can identify customers’ needs in the moment, and respond to those needs with thoughtful, personalized solutions. This is the micro-moments and personalization trend – and it’s going to be huge.

1. WHY EVERY BUSINESS MUST
EMBRACE PERSONALIZATION AND
MICRO-MOMENTS

2. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
The successful brands of the future will be those that can identify customers’
needs in the moment, and respond to those needs with thoughtful, personalized
solutions. This is the micro-moments and personalization trend – and it’s going to
be huge.
WHY EVERY BUSINESS MUST EMBRACE
PERSONALIZATION AND MICRO-MOMENTS

3. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
The successful brands of the future will be those that can identify customers’
needs in the moment, and respond to those needs with thoughtful,
personalized solutions. This is the micro-moments and personalization trend –
and it’s going to be huge.

4. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
WHAT IS THIS TREND ALL ABOUT?
These days, what do most of us do when we want to do, buy or know something? We reach for our
phones or tablets. These intent-rich moments – precise moments when a person picks up their device
looking for information, to find a local business, to complete a task, or simply to buy something – are
what Google refers to as “micro-moments.” (This trend is also referred to as "catch me in seconds.")
Basically, whatever we want at any given moment, we turn to our devices for instant solutions. And
those brands that can deliver instant solutions – be it information, products, or whatever – are the
ones that will thrive in the future.
According to Accenture (which refers to micro-moments as "momentary markets"), 85 percent of
executives agree real-time (or near real-time) delivery is the next big wave of competitive advantage.
In other words, business success is no longer just about capturing markets; it’s about capturing
moments. In essence, this means businesses need to be right there when those crucial, intent-rich
moments occur – which, in turn, means being able to anticipate those moments using data and
analytics. Having done that, businesses need to prove themselves useful in those crucial moments by
quickly connecting customers with whatever it is they're after.

5. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
That’s not all, though. As well as catching customers when they need something most, and
instantly meeting that need, brands must also provide a personalized experience, such as
personalized search results, recommendations, or customized products.
The challenge, of course, is achieving personalization on a mass scale. The good news is that
technology exists to help. Think of recommendation engines that can point customers to
the products and services they’re most likely to want. Or intelligent analytic solutions that
can turn precious customer data into insights on what they really want. And from a
manufacturing point of view, product configuration tools that allow customers to decide
what they want in a product, combined with 3D printing technology, potentially allow
companies to provide customized products on a large scale. With all this in mind, I believe
the next big wave of personalization will be mass personalization.

6. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
WHY DOES THIS TREND MATTER?
It matters because humans’ average attention span is now worse than that of a goldfish. Most of us are
bombarded with content all the time, and there are never enough hours in the day. This means, when
we're looking for something specific (information, a product, etc.), we need quick solutions.
What’s more, in this age of Netflix recommendations and personalized playlists, we increasingly expect
brands to present us with products and services that are unique to us. You could say we’re looking for a
more meaningful connection with brands. We want to feel special. And we’re (generally) willing to pay
for the privilege. According to Deloitte, the majority of consumers are not only willing to pay a 20
percent premium for a customized product or service, but they would also like to be actively involved in
the process (for example, deciding how it should be personalized to them).
Bottom line, if your business fails to provide a quick, thoughtful response and a personalized
experience, customers will likely bounce off elsewhere.

7. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
COMPANIES WHO ARE NAILING THIS TREND
As you might expect, with their masses of consumer data, the big tech giants like Amazon,
Facebook, and Google are way ahead of this trend. But let’s look at some examples that you
might not have heard of.
How long do you really want to spend choosing a bottle of wine? If you’re anything like me, not
that long. Obviously, you want something delicious, and you may even have certain
characteristics in mind (full-bodied, or dry, or good with fish…), but you probably don’t want to
spend 20 minutes reading wine labels. This is where “digital sommelier” Vivino, the largest wine
e-commerce platform in the world, comes into its own. With Vivino’s app, you can simply scan a
bottle of wine to see pricing, reviews, and tasting notes – and, crucially, get personalized
Netflix-style recommendations on whether you’re likely to enjoy the wine, based on your past
purchases and preferences. This recommendation feature, called Match For You, is available
once you’ve rated five wines on the app, and gets more accurate the more you rate.

8. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
There has also been a huge rise in personalized skincare solutions. Take Curology as an
example. With the Curology app, you can upload a photo of your skin, get a personalized
diagnosis on any skincare issues that you want help with (wrinkles, coloration, etc.), and be
presented with the ideal skincare solution. Curology achieves this through a combination of
machine learning and human experts (registered dermatologists or physicians who approve
which Curology products are right for which customers). Customers can also chat to their
human experts for more advice.
Neutrogena does something similar through its Skin360 app, which analyzes skin pixels
before identifying a unique treatment formula – and this is cleverly combined with
Neutrogena’s MaskiD, a 3D-printed face mask that is personalized to the customer’s face
shape.

9. © 2021 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
To learn more about this and other future trends, sign up for my newsletter and
have a look at my new book, Business Trends in Practice: The 25+ Trends That
are Redefining Organizations. Packed with real-world examples, it cuts through
the hype to present the key trends that will shape the businesses of the future.

10. © 2021 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker,
futurist, and a strategic business & technology advisor to governments and
companies. He helps organisations improve their business performance, use data
more intelligently, and understand the implications of new technologies such as
artificial intelligence, big data, blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is
a frequent contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for
Forbes. Every day Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers
and shares content that reaches millions of readers.

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www.bernardmarr.com