Future gazers at Trendwatching.com have coined the term nowism to describe the generation of products, services and experiences delivered on demand.

In an online report Trendwatching.com describes how nowism enables a brand to create an element of surprise and urgency. It is a rich opportunity for retail and marketing professionals.

Here’s what I learnt:

• Experience replaces the material abundance and eco-harming potential of consumer goods
• Consumers are contributing to and seeking real time experiences online
• New content lies a search term away from cumbersome, dull content
• Mobile connections satisfy a lust for an always-on connection to the network
• Demand for raw content delivered instantly is replacing carefully crafted production
• Instant commerce describes a new wave of alerts, pop-ups and vending concepts

If this feels you slightly uneasy, don’t fret; Trendwatching.com has predicted that this is a likely reaction.

“Expect nowism for many to become synonymous with (and blamed for) shallowness, short attention spans, exploding credit card debts, excessive focus on instantly satisfying urges, an unwillingness to face (and build) a better and sustainable future, [and] indifference to the past (and all its lessons).”

Trendwatching.com suggests that while these concerns warrant serious attention there are two crucial benefits to be gained from nowism namely experience over consumption and the democratisation of the individual and the organisation.