market potential
Regional economic promoters can provide "their" local businesses with information about the climate and environmental label HVH/LCT a very good information offer with which they can more easily tap into megatrends and growing customer groups ...
megatrends
With HVH/LCT, companies are addressing two outstanding, long-term megatrends:
(1) greening, sustainable products and (2) regionalization, authenticity.
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market potential
HVH/LCT opens up a growing group of customers and gives companies unique selling points and thus competitive advantages.
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LOHAS as an example
The new "super customer group", which unites almost all megatrends defined today, was called "LOHAS" in trend research. She can be addressed with HVH/LCT.
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Megatrends...
for "your" companies on site as an advisory business promoter
open up with HOLZ VON HIER (HVH) resp. LOW CARBON TIMBER (LCT)
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Trend typology
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A distinction is made here between metatrends, megatrends, sociocultural trends, technology trends, consumer trends and fashion trends.
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Metatrends are large-scale and universal. Megatrends describe large-scale changes, their half-life is at least 30 - 50 years, have an impact on all areas of life, have a fundamental global character and can also tolerate temporary setbacks. Socio-cultural trends deal with social stories, attitudes towards life, longings, deficiency symptoms (e.g. "Simplify your Life"). Technology trends also reflect innovations in the technical field. Consumer trends run along the lines of market cycles, social change, products, fashions. Almost all marketing trends move here. Fashion trends are very short-lived, today one color is in for interior design and tomorrow another.
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​​Megatrends
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Megatrends are shaking up markets and changing the face of entire industries. Anyone who ignores them “gambles away their future” (M. Horx).
Megatrends in the consumer world are:
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Ecology, environment, naturalness, sustainability
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Authenticity & regionalization
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individualization
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health
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digitalization
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training
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aging
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new work
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Women
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globalization
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With HVH/LCT, companies are addressing two outstanding, long-term megatrends: (1) greening, sustainable products and (2) regionalization, authenticity. But other megatrends are not unaffected by this, such as individualization or health.
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From trends to innovations
Set the megatrends in relation to the company.
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It is much more important to identify and take a closer look at the relevant megatrends for a company than to track down short-term trends. So the question of which megatrends are particularly relevant for the company and its products.
For a company that trades in global goods, the topic of short distances will be less relevant.
Therefore, there will not be the right label for every company in the area of responsibility of regional economic development agencies.
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It is important not only to respond to the trends that your own industry is following anyway. It is particularly important to remember that opportunities lurk where you least expect them.
The classic means of trend analysis can also be used by the companies themselves as an initial overview, for example to place a new product, such as “scanning”, “trend scouting”, “surveys”. Scanning is not difficult at a glance, analyzing specialist journals, but also non-industry journals, industry trade fairs and, above all, non-industry trade fairs, etc. Trend scouting can also mean going as a company to where the main customer group is and is look around here with open eyes. Surveys depend heavily on the type of interviewer anyway.
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The classic markets...
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According to trend research, the conventional markets and large company labels or company brands that have dominated these markets are becoming less and less attractive. The main reason for this is seen in trend research as the fact that material prosperity and happiness have already partially or even completely decoupled for many target groups. Material prosperity is less and less the driving force for consumption in the industrialized nations. With falling production costs in a globalized world, even many luxury goods are slipping into the area of “affordable” or “everyday”.
The markets of the industrialized nations are becoming tighter and fighting is becoming increasingly tough. All competitors compete for the same customer group, the lowest price, the same market share. Advertising strategies are becoming "even stingier", "even more heavenly", etc..
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... and market drivers
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Example: segmented transparency of offers and prices.
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Due to the megatrends of globalization and digitization, a considerable number of goods and services are just a mouse click away and directly comparable. Offer and price transparency have never been as high as they are today. Today, the act of purchase is almost always preceded by a check on the Internet (across all age groups) across all product groups.
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At the same time, there is a digital overflow in the offers and prices of non-industrial goods and handicraft products as well as many regional services. The website of an individual SME company is only found here by chance by new customers.
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It is not for nothing that more and more customers are resorting to bundling platforms that open up the range of various products and companies to them quickly and easily with a mouse click. Such a bundling platform is also the website of Holz von Hier.
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Example: growing market power of consumers.
Today's consumer "knows" and is therefore free and "individual". He changes company brands and shops as he pleases, combines luxury and mass-produced items and switches between real and virtual shopping worlds. The megatrend individualization is largely controlled by information and information transfer.
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According to trend research, the new type of consumer is becoming more and more resistant to the flat seduction mechanisms of traditional marketing. He looks for the product that best suits his individual needs and attitudes and procures it on the best possible terms, which do not have to be the "main thing cheapest".
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Example: increasing complexity of life.
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The professional and private living conditions of people are changing today with many ever shorter intervals. The outstanding feature here is: time is running out. The megatrends that are important here are individualization, mobility and women.
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Besucherzahl : 1,2 Mio. Menschen in 7 Monaten
Besucherzahl : 1,2 Mio. Menschen in 7 Monaten
Market potential ...
for "your" companies on site as an advisory business promoter
open up with HOLZ VON HIER (HVH) resp. LOW CARBON TIMBER (LCT)
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Open up great market potential
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Consuming sustainably, ecologically and ethically is THE megatrend of our time ... and also more than necessary: see the Climate and Environment section. Authenticity and regionally manufactured products are very important to many customers today.
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A trend study by the OTTO Group (2015) showed that regionally manufactured products are sustainable products for up to 90% of consumers and customers. HVH/LCT opens up a growing group of customers and creates competitive advantages.
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"The number of consumers who bought ethically correct products has doubled to 56% in the last four years."
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“Aspects such as regionality at product level are becoming increasingly important. The proportion of those for whom consumer ethics means more regional production has increased from 77% in 2011 to 87% in 2013”. Regionality at the product level is now more important than 'organic'!
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A Forsa survey (2012) specifically for wood products also showed that 75% of customers would prefer domestic wood in products.
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A study by the Rottenburg University of Applied Sciences (2009) in cooperation with the HVH showed in surveys in pedestrian zones that on average 75% of the people surveyed found domestic wood for short distances important.
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A study by the Timber Sales Fund (2000) showed that around 50% of consumers would prefer "domestic wood of short distances", even before "wood from sustainably managed forests".
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The umbrella brand HVH/LCT appeals to many customer groups.
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With HVH/LCT, your regional businesses can present themselves as sustainable businesses and thus also tap into the growing customer group of LOHAS. Using the registered umbrella brand HVH/LCT makes it easier for your local businesses to promote and do public relations work with customers. Participating companies have access to a wealth of target group-specific information material for addressing customers.
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LOHAS...
open up the super target group for "your" local companies as a consulting business promoter with HOLZ VON HIER (HVH) resp. LOW CARBON TIMBER (LCT)
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​The LOHAS - the new super customer group, which combines almost all of today's megatrends.
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LOHAS is most likely to be reached through intensive advice at the POS (point of sale), as well as through "bio-related", "sustainable" and "health-related" institutions, organizations, associations, etc. Therefore, companies via HVH/LCT have a very good chance here to reach this target group.
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The old form of target group analysis, which looks for homogeneous groups of buyers and where consumer needs are classified according to categories such as age, gender, social class, place of residence and others, are hardly ever used today. Increasing individualization has made thinking in classic target group schemes more and more questionable since the late 1990s.
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The new "super customer group" that unites almost all megatrends defined today was called "LOHAS" in trend research. “LOHAS” is not a target group in the traditional sense, “LOHAS” embody a new lifestyle. American studies proclaim that with this "new super target group" 230 billion dollars will be earned globally in the future. Trend researchers assume that in Europe and Germany, at least a third of the population already belongs to the LOHAS. If you want to understand LOHAS, you also have to deal with the megatrends.
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Characterization:
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LOHAS can be found in practically every age group, from 20 to 90 years and all levels of education are represented.
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LOHAS require clarity and transparency when addressing them. In the pursuit of authenticity, LOHAS reject poor quality and disposable items as well as a pure focus on product brands.
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LOHAS can only be convinced if companies whose products and services are really authentic.
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LOHAS want to be as enjoyable as possible and in harmony with nature.
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LOHAS want as much attention as possible for personal development and products that have been manufactured with the environment in mind.
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Wherever possible, LOHAS want high-quality products at a reasonable price (i.e. not at the cheapest price) and they want products that have been manufactured according to clear ethical standards and in an environmentally friendly manner.
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Values such as family, morality, spirituality, responsibility for oneself, others and the environment are important to LOHAS. You are life-affirming and value-oriented, without arguing with the raised index finger. You think ecologically and sustainably, but you are also quite fond of technology and design.
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LOHAS, the new "super target group", is strongly influenced by women who prefer to consume with a clear conscience.
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LOHAS are consumer individualists. They have wishes and needs that are individual and very diverse.
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LOHAS react little or not at all to classic advertising (e.g. mailing slips, classic telephone marketing, etc.). Classic target group approaches are useless with them. They cannot be persuaded with simple brand tricks.
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LOHAS is most likely to be reached through intensive advice at the POS (point of sale), as well as through intensive public relations work at "bio-related", "sustainable" and "health-related" institutions, organizations, associations, etc.
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LOHAS are also addressed by complex contexts.
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LOHAS usually have a tight time budget, which means that buying products and services that save them time and give them freedom are in great demand. They are extremely receptive to service offerings. They want to do what is really important to them, be creative at work, reconcile children and work, live in harmony with themselves, others and nature, enjoying as much as possible and responsibly. They are looking for products and services that suit their lifestyle.
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LOHAS are happy to pay more if they get more service, freedom and flexibility in return, and LOHAS not only buy the product but also the story behind it.
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All information from HVH/LCT for www.holz-kommunal.eu