Imagine the year 2028. What will life look like for the average New Zealander? Here in 2019, it’s difficult to predict but something businesses should be thinking about now. Future consumers will live very different lives and customer experience strategies need to adapt. To remain relevant, businesses must start thinking about how they will connect with people in 2028 and how they can best use emerging technologies to do it.
To help businesses imagine the customer of the future we created ‘Ruby 2028’, an imaginary 28-year-old living in Auckland. What kind of work will she be doing? How does she spend her spare time? This is Ruby’s story...
Hi there,
My name is Ruby. I work for a restaurant chain specialising in bringing groups (mainly families) together through dining and technology. I’m an Immersive Experience Designer, creating the perfect mix of senses for any occasion.
The busiest time of year for me is Chinese New Year. Family groups around the world head to our restaurants to share a meal using augmented reality. This means you can head to the SkyCity branch with your family at 5pm. Meanwhile, it’s a midday booking for your great aunts and uncles in Hong Kong and Shanghai, or 10pm for your siblings in the States.
Everyone attending the meal is scanned in 3D in real time and wears lightweight AR glasses to see each other clearly. We sync the music, the waiting staff and the food you eat so you can share it together. You can even pass each other virtual red envelopes or gifts that can be unwrapped in AR. And, if your Mandarin is rusty we can fix that too with real time translation.
My weekends are mainly spent plugged into work but you can always find me at my parents’ place on Sunday nights for dinner. My Dad loves his wines and I enjoy having a glass with him. Wine is really a treat. It’s quite expensive since climate change and water tax increases have dramatically reduced production.
I don’t drink a lot of alcohol as it doesn't really work well in virtual reality. That’s often where people meet - even just briefly when they have some downtime.
What has exploded is the home drinks machine. It’s like a super-charged Sodastream but it can make almost anything. You just pay by subscription and new mixers and ingredients are sent out when your machine decides it needs a top up.
Anyway, that’s enough from me. I’ve got to go, my autonomous Uber is waiting.
Ruby
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Are you ready for Ruby?
For enquiries about developing future-focused customer experience strategies please contact PwC Partner Kris Nygren.
This content is created in partnership with PwC.