Citysumers’ define powerful new urban trend

Our longtime resource at trendwatching.com recognizes the rising trend of urban cultural creatives as…

Citysumers – The hundreds of millions (and growing!) of experienced and sophisticated urbanites (with disposable income), from San Francisco to Shanghai to São Paulo, who are ever more demanding and more open-minded, but also more proud, more connected, more spontaneous and more try-out-prone, eagerly snapping up a whole host of new urban goods, services, experiences, campaigns and conversations.”

First, some economic trends behind the influence of urban:
– ‘Urban boom’ – More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, and by 2050 the global urban population is expected to be 70%.
– ‘Urban might’ – Just 100 cities account for 30% of the world’s economy. A typical stat is that Shanghai hosts less than 2% of China’s population but 13% of its GDP.

Then, the growing spending characteristics of urbanites:
– Manhattanite household spends 59% of their USD food budget on dining out compared to average Americans at 42%.
– ‘Urban Hustlers’ (21% of US consumers aged 12-34) use 10% of their discretionary spending on recreational activities.
– 54% of urban Chinese now pursue a more ‘fun’ vs ‘survival’ lifestyle.

Trendwatching summarizes this outgoing urban mindset as ‘maturialism’ – “Thoroughly exposed to (if not participating in) an uncensored, opinionated and raw world (especially online!), experienced consumers no longer tolerate being treated like yesteryear’s easily shocked, inexperienced, middle-of-the-road audiences. Able to handle much more honest conversations, more daring innovations, more quirky flavors, more risqué experiences, these consumers increasingly appreciate brands that push the boundaries.”

So, what are the results of citysumer maturial culture? Bike sharing, electric car sharing, neighbor car sharing, Foursquare, Groupon/Living Social, Yelp!, outdoor movies and concerts, building projection art, pedestrian-only zones, piazzas, outdoor concerts in piazzas (pictured above), ciclovias, rooftop community gardens, pop-up retail… all of which are regularly featured on this site. See dozens more examples at the Citysumer page, albeit a lot more consumption oriented.

Thanks to Doug Brandt of Brandt Retail Group for the reference!

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neilkt