GfK China contributed

The development of technology allows us to reframe and define new concepts of life。GfK has selected 10 recent technological developments that will have a major impact on people's lives and will significantly impact brands, business models and Connected Consumers in the future, driving the Internet of Things era。

1 Ubiquitous data analysis

More and more businesses are using the big data they collect from their customers to better understand their needs and optimize their products to better serve them。This is ubiquitous data analytics, which values the quality of data over the quantity。Maximize data into valuable innovations and use data insights to make informed business decisions。

If you care about data quality, it becomes critical to sift through all the information collected。Artificial intelligence, for example, needs to perform a series of actions quickly: data collection, analysis, and instantaneous judgment to take action。Strictly speaking, concerns about data quality need to be embedded in the data collection process。Behind such data analysis should also pay attention to the privacy of consumer information。GFK's 2015 consumer research across 20 global regions shows that consumers around the world are concerned about how their data is collected, sold and used。

2 Virtual Reality (VR) In 2016, from the industry to consumers, from hardware to software, everything about virtual reality is in the stage of universal education。With the three major companies successively launching consumer-grade products, and the news of "selling out" is frequent, virtual reality, as the most concerned new intelligent field, has rapidly swept the world。The global VR headset market is expected to reach $2.8 billion in 2020, with VR headsets for gamers accounting for the majority of the market。The Chinese market in 2016 annual retail sales will reach about 3 million units, from the GfK monitoring of the VR headset online market, from January to April 2016, VR headset retail sales almost 20 times, virtual reality hardware products are experiencing an initial explosive growth。But it is still dominated by VR boxes。Overall, China's VR market is still in the stage of savage growth。It is believed that in the future, VR applications will gradually penetrate into live broadcasting, tourism training, medical care, decoration, real estate, education and other fields。

3 Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence is ultimately about recreating the process of human thought。As a human-made machine, AI in its ultimate form will have the same level of intelligence as us: learning, reasoning, using language, and conceiving original ideas。However, AI, which only has the ability to learn, has quickly infiltrated our lives。Speech recognition is one of the core areas of artificial intelligence that has landed earlier and is currently invested and researched。Based on artificial intelligence, there is a lot of room for various manufacturers to play, and different applications and directions are the really interesting places。In 2016, the development of AI assistants may surpass the development of smartphones。Artificial intelligence is a market to be explored and exploited, and this market has many possibilities。

4 Wearable products

How long will it take for smartwatches, health monitoring bands, cameras, GPS and heart rate monitors to reach the mainstream market？Although the highly anticipated launches of Google Glass and Apple Watch have captured the imagination of consumers, only a small number of consumers have embraced these devices。China's wearable market is expected to reach 31.6 million units in 2016，That's up 32% from 2015，However, among them, lower-priced bracelet products occupy the majority of the market，Overall market sales continued to rise while the growth rate slowed down，The market began to enter a more rational stage after a jump in development in 2015。If wearable products want to attract more consumers, there are the following four points to pay attention to: First, integration with the Internet of Things, the integration of wearable devices and the existing personal technology ecosystem will become a basic measure to expand the market。The second is design and material, shape design has become a major stumbling block for wearable products to keep up with the trend of The Times。Third, accurate and effective information collection, improving the accuracy and interpretation of data is another major problem that wearable manufacturers are solving。Fourth, eye-catching new cases, distinctive products will gradually establish a unique connection with consumers。

5 Video Consumption

Video consumption is growing faster than anyone expected, and online has become the primary way people watch video。From short films on social media, to movie services and package services on video sites, and even the recent viral live videos, it seems that consumers can see the video content they want at any time and on any platform。In fact, some predict that by 2019, 80% of Internet traffic consumption will come from video viewing。With more and more players invested in this field, from content producers and publishers to major brands and manufacturers, mutual cooperation will become a demand, only through such information exchange between the parties can release greater energy。

6 Drones

According to GfK China estimates, China's consumer drone market for aerial photography was nearly 600 million yuan in 2014, and will surge to 6 billion yuan by 2018。The civil UAV market is expected to form a scale of 100 billion yuan in the next 10 years, and the future development space is broad。

Drones are not new。Uav can play a role in aerial photography, terrain mapping, commercial transportation and rescue deployment, and even in automatic mechanized production, and the use of UAV technology in many fields is being further explored and will play a good catalytic role in reducing business costs and improving business efficiency。But there is still a long way to go before such a beautiful vision is realized。Drones still face a number of obstacles, such as the lack of "perception-obstacle avoidance" technology, weight limitations, no night vision, and limited battery life。

7 Mobile Payment

The global mobile payment market is complex。At present, traditional payment methods have strong roots in many mature markets and cannot be easily shaken。In contrast, some African markets and developing Asian markets are moving directly into the mobile payments era。In such a fragmented environment, it is critical for brands, manufacturers and retailers to understand the current global landscape of mobile payments and how it is evolving。In China, third-party players such as Alibaba and Tencent have taken the lead in encouraging Internet-connected users to make payments through their mobile phones in physical stores or online stores。The use of phones with payment capabilities from Xiaomi, OPPO and Meizu also means that in this market, mobile payments not only exist, but are within reach。Markets that were expected to be the first to embrace emerging technologies showed a very different picture。At present, some markets still need to increase consumer awareness of mobile payments, while for others, it is necessary to reduce barriers to the use of mobile payments。

8 Smart Cars

As the Internet of Things technology becomes more mature, smart cars will also emerge。Many luxury cars are already equipped with large displays, and in-car large displays will continue to be a trend, with additional displays designed for front passengers also appearing in premium cars in late 2016 or early 2017。In order to give passengers a better experience with augmented reality (AR) technology, some OEMs even want to extend the display screen to the entire windshield or side window。Advances in screen technology have opened the door for consumer electronics manufacturers and start-ups trying to get ahead of traditional automotive suppliers。In the past, limited by iot technology, it was difficult for OEMs to find a right business model, but now, the opportunity has come。By understanding the needs and preferences of consumers in market segments, it is possible to develop tailor-made in-vehicle apps and supporting services to obtain corresponding remuneration。

9 3D Printing

Sales of 3D printers are still relatively small。However, as more vendors enter the field and consumer awareness increases, this should change next year。In Germany, for example, sales of 3D printers increased by 71% last year, and demand is expanding further。Consumers find 3D printing technology extremely attractive, and 3D printing ranks third on the list of technologies most likely to impact their lives。This ranks higher than smart cars, cloud computing, wearables and the Internet of Things。This shows that the knowledge spread of this new technology is already very high globally。Price has always been a major barrier to the adoption of emerging technologies。But as costs fall, price will no longer be an obstacle, and the advantages of 3D printing technology will become more obvious and prominent: lower assembly costs, reduced waste, extremely low shipping and distribution expenses, and faster time to market for new products。

10 Smart Home

A smart home "gold rush" is unfolding in various fields, with organizations such as traditional manufacturers, Internet companies, international technology providers and retailers seeking to maximize their participation in the future home field。According to a GfK study of consumers in seven countries around the world, the vast majority of consumers (90%) are aware of the smart home, 50% of consumers believe that the smart home can change their lives, and 78% of consumers agree that it is an attractive concept。The key to the success of smart homes today is for consumers to understand how smart home technology can enhance their quality of life and provide an engaging and effective user experience。It is now up to industry collaboration and consumer education to drive demand and drive the innovative shift from vendor-led development to consumer demand-led development of smart homes。Industry players need to work together and form partnerships unlike before。This ensures that different devices and services can connect to each other in the background to meet the need for convenience。Only by meeting this point can the real value of smart homes be reflected。According to GfK China's research on home appliance intelligence, the development rate of intelligent application of home appliance products in China is in the forefront of the world, but it is also in the stage of supplier dominance such as manufacturers and retailers, and it is still in the stage of exploring and trying more advanced intelligent functions from primary intelligence such as intelligent connection and mobile phone remote control。China's huge user base and the evolution of Internet formats will provide good soil for the development and innovation of smart homes, and it is expected that smart homes will give birth to new enterprises similar to BAT level in the future。