There is no doubt that tech is high on many consumers shopping list this Christmas, and no more so then on Amazon who are keen as ever for you to ‘Shop the future’ and buy their Alexa powered Echo devices and Fire TV sticks to tie you into shopping on their marketplace. CNBC reported just yesterday that Amazon Alexa users buy more and the Echo devices are turning into a major marketing platform… and of course many of those sales are processed by Amazon.
With that in mind it’s no surprise that they’ve commissioned a Christmas of the Future report looking at how festive traditions will evolve over the next 15-20 years. The report covers everything from innovations in food and drink, decorations, entertainment and gifting set to become mainstream in the not-too-distant future.
Amazon Shop The Future Store
Amazon have also added a range of new products to its Shop the Future Store in time for Christmas and Hydroponic kits, 3D printers and VR headsets are just some of the advanced products already on offer this year.
AI assisted wish lists, LED wallpaper and 3D-printed Christmas dinners are just some of the futuristic trends predicted to become a reality according to the report which was informed by two leading independent futurists; founder of Next Big Thing, William Higham, and Director of bellwether: Food Trends – the first food trend research compendium – Dr Morgaine Gaye.
Key consumer product predictions from the report
Food and Drink
As we continue to take inspiration from our daily newsfeeds and embrace experimentation, our Christmas lunch will be influenced by food trends and traditions from afar. Sweet spiced milk and buttery bread from India’s Holi Festival, Poland’s 12-dish Christmas lunch and a Scandinavian festive buffet are just some of the foods predicted to feature in our Christmas of the future.
We’ll also find innovative Christmas food closer to home. The development of hydroponic technology means you’ll be able to grow the vegetables to go with your Christmas dinner in your own kitchen, while 3D printers will be the perfect tool to create a feast that’s as pleasing to the eye as it is to your taste buds. Higham imagines a festive spread packed with Christmas tree-shaped turkey-flavoured soya pieces or Noddy Holder-shaped Christmas biscuits.
Gifting
Gone will be the days of hiding our disappointment when opening that third pair of socks, as Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will help us curate Christmas wish lists based on our online profile’s likes, dislikes and must-haves from across the year.
The Christmas of the Future isn’t just about family. It’s about ‘framily’. Friends, relatives, neighbours, colleagues and pets, all in one close-knit group. And the bigger those ‘framilies’ become, the more people we’ll be buying gifts for.
Higham predicts we may even buy presents for our AI Assistants: “They may not be human but they’ve helped us out all year. Maybe we’ll get them a new case or more memory?”
Decorations
Home-grown garlands and wreaths using hydroponics, 3D-printed baubles and virtual Christmas scenes projected on to LED wallpaper – the way we deck out our homes is set to get a futuristic makeover. In waving goodbye to tangled tinsel from the loft and welcoming sophisticated digital decorations, which can create more personalised displays according to our tastes each year without having to repurchase a whole new look, saving time, space and money while still impressing the neighbours.
Entertainment
In amongst the future-gazing, the futurists predict that some traditions will never change. And while technology will continue to help bring loved ones closer together, board games are as popular as ever, with games and puzzles the fastest growing toy category in 2016.
