Y&R: Shoppers Should Expect 'Trends With Tension' in Coming Year

Shoppers will encounter trends with two highly conflicting sides in the coming year, said Sandy Thompson, Global Planning Director at Young & Rubicam. For example, Thompson said companies like Google will bring wearable technology to the next level, yet consumers will rebel against being constantly plugged-in and will seek refuge in face-to-face connections. Similarly, she said consumers will spend more time making things by hand even as robots do more around the house. Finally, Thompson said male and female roles will increasingly become less strictly defined, yet men and women will seek out pursuits with traditionally masculine and feminine connotations like extreme sports and body-slimming corsets.