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The Vision of the 2020 Customer Becomes Clear

Provocative Customer Experience Predictions for 2020

  • The world's largest facilitator of retail financial transactions will be some company that doesn't even have the word "bank" in its name today. It may not be a "bank" in the legal sense of the word at all, but it will nevertheless do what banks do today—allow people to pay other people, seamlessly and safely.
  • Formal education will be less relevant, as online courses and "learn as you go" programs become freely available. Productive people will learn new skills through their whole lives, on an à la carte basis. And corporations will encourage education through gamificiation, sponsorships, and subsidies.
  • Many cars will be able to drive themselves. This is likely to be only gradually realized by consumers—as cars do more and more things like park themselves on command, avoid collisions, warn drivers if they are veering into another lane, and so forth. The world's most successful automotive companies now, however, will not be the manufacturers of auto bodies and engines, but the makers of the robotic systems, telematics, and apps that operate the cars.