Spotting Tomorrow’s Game-Changers: Obscure Trends Poised to Transform Insights and Analytics

Editor’s Note: Buckle up, everyone. If you’re tracking with me how generative AI is changing so much of what we do and what we are capable of doing. I wrote this article after interacting with the insights provided by the 2024 Trend of Trends Oracle, a GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) developed to synthesize and analyze emerging trends from 250 reports that interns at DataSapien sourced, downloaded and inputted into the company drive, then build a GPT around. Nice work StJohn Deakins and the rest of your team (specifically, Iolanda, Amy, CiEn, and Gonzalo) who leaned into the future of insights and created a free tool. SUPER cool. 

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In the fast-evolving world of insights and analytics, staying ahead of the curve means identifying not just what’s trending now, but what’s on the horizon. Obscure trends—those not yet in the mainstream but with massive disruptive potential—offer a wealth of opportunities for researchers, strategists, and brands. 

Here are some key emerging trends, why they matter, and how the insights industry can leverage them.

1. AI-Powered Scientific Discovery

AI isn’t just for automating data processing—it’s now accelerating the pace of scientific innovation. Tools like AlphaFold (predicting protein structures) exemplify how AI is transforming complex fields. For the insights sector, this trend signals a future where we can harness AI to generate hypotheses, identify correlations in data sets that were previously inaccessible, and enable predictive insights at an unprecedented scale.

Takeaway: Insights teams need to embrace AI-driven tools not only for analysis but also for pioneering solutions to research challenges that traditional methods can’t solve.

2. Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS)

6G technology may sound far off, but RIS is laying the groundwork by enabling hyper-efficient wireless connectivity. This has implications for how insights are gathered from connected devices, expanding the potential for IoT data collection in real-time. Think of a future where survey data combines seamlessly with environmental and behavioral signals from smart homes or public spaces.

Takeaway: RIS paves the way for richer, more dynamic datasets, requiring the industry to rethink how to synthesize disparate data streams into actionable insights.

3. Microbial Carbon Capture

Sustainability is a pressing issue, and microbial carbon capture represents a radical shift in reducing atmospheric carbon. For insights professionals, this underscores the need to understand and track evolving consumer perceptions of green technologies. Brands will look to insights teams to gauge market readiness for these innovations and uncover the emotional narratives that drive sustainable choices.

Takeaway: Insights teams must integrate sustainability as a core dimension of research, tapping into shifting consumer attitudes and their expectations of brands.

4. Elastocaloric Cooling

As consumers and businesses seek eco-friendly cooling alternatives, elastocaloric cooling could disrupt industries reliant on refrigeration. This technology has broader implications for industries like food, pharma, and logistics. Insights professionals will play a critical role in exploring how consumer trust in new cooling technologies develops and what barriers to adoption might arise.

Takeaway: Early adopters of insights research into eco-tech trends can position themselves as strategic advisors for businesses navigating the sustainability curve.

5. AI-Generated Content and Virtual Influencers

AI is redefining content creation, with virtual influencers and AI-generated media becoming key players in storytelling and marketing. For the insights industry, this raises critical questions about how audiences perceive authenticity and how AI-driven narratives impact brand equity.

Takeaway: Insights professionals must develop new frameworks to measure engagement and trust in AI-generated experiences, ensuring brands maintain genuine connections with their audiences.

6. Sustainable Material Innovation

From lamps made of orange peels to wheatgrass-derived fabrics, sustainable design is shaping consumer preferences. These trends point to a growing demand for brands to embed sustainability into their DNA, and the insights industry must help map out which narratives resonate most with consumers.

Takeaway: Qualitative research into consumer attitudes toward sustainability will be essential for brands to craft compelling, purpose-driven stories.

7. Live Social Media Shopping

Already a $400 billion industry in China, live social shopping is taking off globally. This shift merges entertainment with e-commerce, enabling brands to connect directly with consumers in real-time. For the insights industry, this is a goldmine of behavioral data, offering insights into decision-making patterns and emotional triggers during live interactions.

Takeaway: Understanding the psychology of live shopping will require behavioral analytics and real-time feedback mechanisms to inform brands’ strategies.

8. The Rise of Impact Investing

With the impact investing market surpassing $1.57 trillion, businesses are aligning profitability with purpose. Insights teams will be tasked with quantifying how brand purpose drives consumer loyalty and developing metrics to evaluate ROI on purpose-driven initiatives.

Takeaway: Insights professionals must equip themselves with tools to measure the intersection of impact and profit, helping brands authentically communicate their values.

What This Means for Insights Professionals

These trends aren’t just abstract ideas—they are signals of where consumer behavior, technology, and market dynamics are heading. For the insights industry, the ability to contextualize these trends, translate them into actionable strategies, and adapt methodologies to account for these shifts will be the key to staying relevant.

How to Get Ahead:

• Invest in New Tools: AI and IoT-driven analytics will become indispensable for parsing complex datasets.

• Focus on Sustainability: Understand not just the “what” but the “why” behind consumer choices around green technologies.

• Rethink Engagement Metrics: Develop new KPIs that reflect the impact of AI-driven content and live, interactive shopping experiences.

As the world continues to change, the insights industry must act as a lighthouse, guiding brands through the fog of uncertainty toward the opportunities these trends offer.