Reporting road conditions or traffic difficulties using mobile phones equipped with GPS and accelerometers, is popular in most big cities, and is one of the best examples of Crowdsourcing.

The tendency to give consumers the opportunity to collaborate and be part of something bigger than themselves, will continue to grow, opening up new business opportunities.

However, making the contribution needs to be something that an be done smoothly and effortlessly, which will encourage the development of new solutions so that anyone who wants to contribute can do so.

The Israeli application Waze, which helps drivers choose the best routes from networks of streets and highways, using the cooperation of the drivers who send data through their phones, had seven million users in 45 countries in October 2011

Source: trendwatching.com

More on this topic

Costa Rican Consumer Profile

September 2013

Changes have been detected in loyalty, attitude to the environment, lifestyle and consumption, and rationalising purchasing processes .

A study commissioned by the Financial Intelligence Unit of El Financiero has detected that "Costa Rican consumers are not as loyal to businesses and brands as they were a year ago , preferring to use the avalanche of offers and promotions offered by the market.

Trends for 2012: Screen Culture

December 2011

In 2012 there will be a noticeable tendency to live each day through increasingly personalized and more interactive displays.

"Screen culture" is not just a trend in itself, but also a means through which other key trends of 2012 will manifest themselves.

Three converging megatrends will drive this culture:

Trends for 2012: Cashless Society

December 2011

Although we have not yet seen mass use of payments via mobile phones, 2012 will bring a significant acceleration of this trend.

The arrival of the cashless society has been declared in every trend list since 2005. Even though 2012 won't be the year when consumers massively give up using coins and bills for swiping their smart phones against the tills, it will be the year that major players like Google and MasterCard actively launch initiatives so we can all avoid carrying hard cash in our pockets.

Trends for 2012: Negotiating the Best Price

December 2011

Ensuring the best possible deal when buying it is a way of life for many consumers, and becomes a source of pride and status.

The hunt for the best deals is an integral part of daily life for a growing number of consumers who are changing their purchasing behavior, beyond the new and imaginative ways of marketing developed by vendors.