Anjali Lai

In this battle between direct-to-consumer (DTC) startups — cast as the proverbial David — and their large, established brand opponents, victory is not about size or stature; it’s about skillful weaponry. In fact, if one looks at DTC startups’ long-term growth numbers, a scorecard tally suggests that today’s Goliaths will continue to dominate consumer retail […]

As we gear up for Forrester’s Consumer Marketing 2019 Forum, I’m chipping away at a rather large research undertaking that quantifies why direct-to-consumer (DTC) startups deliver value to consumers and how this threatens big brands. In addition to mining rich quant, qual, and behavioral data sets, our advanced analytics illuminates the key drivers that predict […]

When sociologist Jane Jacobs artfully depicts crowds on a city sidewalk, she may as well be describing consumers. In Jacobs’ words: “Under the seeming disorder . . . is a marvelous order. It is a complex order . . . This order is all composed of movement and change . . . ensembles all have […]

After a tumultuous 2018, Facebook’s fate looks bleak. While the characteristic hope of the New Year lingers, you might look at the glimmers of positive news around Facebook with optimism: Advertisers are still using it; the company is investing in local news partnerships in a public display of its commitment to quality reporting; and consumers […]

Brands are jumping into the messy arena of polarizing issues with greater fervor — and Gillette just raised the stakes. After 30 years of sitting on the sidelines, Gillette is passing its razor like a baton, with an overture that overtly calls masculinity into question. Within 72 hours of launch, Gillette’s “We Believe” TV spot skyrocketed […]

On paper, customer experience (CX) is about people creating memorable experiences for other people. But in reality, resonating with consumers is complex and messy. Customers approach your brand with unique emotional profiles, tendencies, and preferences that shape how they feel about your CX. Like people themselves, CX isn’t objective or static — its quality relies […]

The American showman P.T. Barnum understood the value of online consumer reviews well before the arrival of the internet when he said, “Nothing draws a crowd quite like a crowd.” While consumer reviews generate buzz, they stop just short of being a circus because they’ve won immense levels of consumer trust. But two of the […]

We’ve been researching values-based consumers for several years now, and conversation in the C-suite has progressed from “Are values really important?” to “How do we strategize accordingly?” But every now and then, lingering questions crop up that lead to misguided decision making around values. Here are two common misconceptions — and why they are wrong. […]

My parents were recently gifted their first Amazon Echo — and as you might guess, I’ve been thrilled to observe first-hand how a household of relative tech Luddites responds to the device. Delighted fascination, tempered by security concerns, drives these Baby Boomers to test the depth of Alexa’s knowledge by asking one-off random questions. My […]

I’ve just returned from a trip through India where I had the opportunity to experience the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai. One of the most gripping aspects, even beyond the impressive design and meticulous customer service, is the property’s history: The story of how one man’s personal endeavor yielded a global brand that’s iconic […]

From introducing popular features that appeal to young users to designing entirely new platforms exclusive to youth, social networks are fighting to engage teens. But social media’s pursuit of teens is precarious. On the one hand, teens represent a valuable segment: They are exceptionally receptive to social networks, with over half of US online 12- […]

Let’s face it: We all know the feeling of logging into a social networking site and reacting with myriad emotions ranging from intrigue and delight to shock and shame. And no matter how hard we try to limit our time on social media or pull away – we just can’t bring ourselves to disconnect. Why […]

Thanks to the rise of empowered consumers, products and experiences that once seemed improbable, such as (literally) instant delivery, are now integral to our lives. But this era of innovation has also seen its fair share of flops: From Pokémon Go to Google Glass, technologies that looked like promising disrupters stalled quickly or generated more […]

Microsoft Paint would have died a slow, quiet death if it hadn’t been for this week’s swell of voices on social media advocating for its revival. On Wednesday, Microsoft issued a press release announcing that it wouldn’t discontinue the Paint app in the wake of users’ “outpouring of support and nostalgia” for the product. Microsoft’s […]

The many automated “out of office” messages that return when I send emails each day are a sure sign that summer vacations are in full swing. Whether people are enjoying life unplugged or preparing for a seasonal destination, one topic seems to dominate thoughts and conversations: the leisure getaway. The conversation that occurs between friends […]

I’ve spent the past few weeks traveling around Europe, and during my trip, I became keenly aware of how much I rely on my phone to connect me with the physical world – especially when navigating unfamiliar streets. But as I strolled through major cities and charming countryside towns, I passed groups of locals and […]

Recent incidents remind us that knowledge is power. Earlier this week, US President Trump shared classified information with foreign delegates — and by doing so, he potentially declassified it. When The Washington Post exposed the headline first, the article became the most viewed digital news story in the publication’s history. This comes only a few […]

If Thursday morning’s controversial tweet from McDonald’s is any indication, brands are no longer safe. I’m not just talking about the threat of a data breach or hack — I’m talking about the threat of consumers who force brands to expose their ethics and beliefs or remain at the mercy of consumer perception and interpretation […]

I love watching the annual Academy Awards — not only for the fashion show and blunders exposed on live TV but also to learn about how content resonates with audiences today and how cinema is evolving. In a world where people frequently face information overload and crave smaller bites (and bytes) of content, I’ve often […]