The Frictionless Future
A major aspect of marketing, from copywriting to art direction to UX and UI revolves around "reducing friction." Friction is anything that provides resistance between the consumer and the action we want them to take.
There are many sources of friction... from not enough cashiers at checkout to too many required fields in an online form. But one in particular was called out in a recent article on Medium: the concept of "the page." This article, in fact, wondered why we were still tied to the concept of the page as the seminal unit for distributing information. A colleague of mine asked, upon sharing this article, if not the page... then what?
I've been thinking about this recently... especially as I've been reading up on the trends toward audio and augmented reality. The smart phone is really the last vestige tying us to the notion of the page. As these trends advance, I believe we'll witness a transition of the transactional unit of information from the page to the notion of the individual consumer as a node.
Rather than creating the page of information as the focal point and figuring out how to drive attention to it, the consumer will be the focal point, and the information delivered will be determined by parameters such as geographic location and the consumer's interaction with physical and digital objects.
This happens to an extent with smart phones, but the screen as the gateway to these experiences is a limiting factor that creates friction. You have to get out your phone, click a link, pull up a coupon on-screen, etc.
How do we get rid of the screen? Audio recognition and digital assistants like Siri, Google assistant and Bixby are one way. The apple watch is a half-step in that direction. Samsung has patented the concept of a contact lens that projects images directly onto the retina. Elon Musk has made no secret of his designs for his NeuraLink implants.
How does this reduce friction? Let's imagine you are in your local grocery store and put hot dogs and hot dog buns in your cart. Your contact lens or your apple watch or maybe even the shopping cart scans them. Siri connects to your smart refrigerator at home, and whispers in your ear, "you are almost out of relish. It is currently on sale on aisle 13 for 75 cents off."
No additional steps were required on your part (unless you want to walk to aisle 13 and grab some relish). All you did is put items you were already going to purchase into your cart.
Let's take it a step further. You have an account with your grocery store, and your Apple Pay, Google Wallet or other automatic payment app is connected, allowing you to walk to check out, bag your groceries and simply press your thumb to the sensor to authorize payment. No digging for your check card. No tapping your phone to the payment gateway. One touch and you're out the door.
You also have accounts with Kraft or Pepsi or Del Monte or dozens of other brands. They are connected to your Publix or Kroger account as well. You pick up a box of Shells n Cheese... Your Google Assistant mentions that Kraft will offer you a dollar off if you buy three boxes today, and asks if you're interested.
You toss three boxes in your cart and move on. Your Kraft account notifies your Kroger account and your discount will be applied automatically at checkout. Again, no additional steps are required of you. You toss the boxes in the cart and keep shopping. You bag your groceries at checkout, touch the thumb pad ot pay and leave.
Think about similar transactions today, due to the concept of the page. You have to print up coupons ahead of time, or at least have an email or app page at the ready to scan at checkout. You have to swipe a card, wait for the prompt and enter your PIN.
There is no doubt that screens have changed our lives... in many ways for the better. The access to all of these pages of information has revolutionized the way we make decisions and transact business. But with the screen (and thereby the page) removed, those touchpoints that created friction are also removed. And this is just one level.
You're still in Kroger and you're looking at notebook paper that your child needs for school. Through your digital assistant, Amazon lets you know that they have that same item in stock for a lower price, and can have it on your doorstep before the end of day.
This is awesome for the customer: real-time comparison shopping, done for you behind the scenes. For the retailer, this presents a challenge: your competitors are now actively competing with you on the shelves of your own store. For brands, it could go either way, depending on the distribution deals you have worked out with Kroger vs. Walmart vs. Amazon.
But it's where the world is headed. The future belongs to those who create the most effective lubricants for the machinery of consumption... right down to the company that creates the shopping list app that connects with all of the retailers. You make your list and the app checks all of the items against your local grocer, your local Walmart, Amazon and whatever other stores you have linked to it. It then divides the items up among the stores at the lowest possible price, places the orders, and has them set for curbside pickup or delivery.
Zero friction for the consumer... but plenty of disruption for the retailer. And it will be similar across all industries and markets. Constant brand-building across channels and aggressive (but clandestine) point-of-sale tactics are going to determine winners and losers.
