Customer Needs in 2020 and Beyond

Deutsche Post DHL has published a new study: Delivering Tomorrow - Customer Needs in 2020 and Beyond - that highlights a ‘green' product revolution, a broad, technology-driven transformation in customer habits and expectations, and the emergence of China an economic and technological leader.
 
The study also exposes some interesting regional differences, with Asian respondents identifying trends in contrast to those promoted by their Western peers.

Climate change and CO2 reduction

The study participants predict that, in the years to come, purchasing decisions will no longer be based solely on brand, quality and price; the environmental impact of products and services will play a major role.  To a certain extent, consumers will be willing to pay more for ecologically sound products and services.

A few differences were seen between responses from the East and West. For instance, Asian experts are more inclined to believe in the worldwide emergence of ecofriendly "zero-emissions cities" than their colleagues in Europe, Africa, and America. Asian experts also believe that customers are prepared to accept longer delivery times for their orders in the interests of more climate-friendly logistics.

Logistics companies lead the way

In spite of the current financial crisis, far-reaching upheavals are not foreseen within the existing political and social system - in 2020 the world will still be run as a market economy. The competition for growth, wealth, and resources will persist, with countries and companies the major players.

The trend toward outsourcing production will continue, with many companies looking to global value chains in the pursuit of a competitive edge. However, companies will have to collaborate more often and more closely than before.

The logistics industry will be the model that other sectors follow  -  investing more resources into establishing and operating shared networks.

Business via the Internet - anytime, anyplace

Customers in 2020 may attach great value to the environment, but not at the expense of speedy delivery. The demand for flexibility and permanent availability will increase, as will the demand for greater transparency and extensive real-time information from suppliers.

This will make the Internet more important than ever, and by 2020, a large portion of the population of the world, primarily in developed and emerging counties, will be almost permanently online, with some three billion people conducting their business exclusively over the Internet.

Optimistic outlook

Experts believe that terrorism and global pandemics can be kept in check through financial and technological investment. Interestingly, while Asian experts are more pessimistic than their peers when it comes to security and public health, they tend to have strong confidence in technology's ability to transform business practices and play an increasingly innovative role in the commercial world.

A similar trend applies to the growing global population. Asia respondents are confident that state-organised population control will be an effective tool for arresting population growth, and most of them predict that the world population could stabilise between seven and eight billion. By contrast, respondents from other parts of the world believe that the population will continue to rise, and with it the consumption of resources.

"Nevertheless, our experts were generally optimistic," says Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL. "They believe that these future challenges can be controlled by market economics."

The study's results show that issues such as sustainability, education and social responsibility will gain in importance for companies in the future, and Appel notes that DHL's implementation of programs like GoGreen and Teach First today is already preparing the company for the challenges of the future and pointing the way ahead by highlighting key issues early on.