Right here, right now: real-time

Real Time

Consumers are increasingly looking for instant gratification, whatever form it may take: real-time reviews, status updates, breaking news on Twitter or notification of where your friends are via FourSquare. They consume and produce information as and when it happens.

In 2010, I think consumer instant gratification will be enhanced by several factors:
1. Advent of smart phones: According to Telsyte only 12% of Australians currently use a smart phone (iPhone, Blackberry etc) so it is likely that more and more Australians will turn to this type of mobile device in 2010. As they do, the amount of real-time information shared online will grow exponentially because they can now be online in the ‘real’ world.
2. Google real-time search: Last week Google announced real-time search which includes live updates from people using sites like Twitter and FriendFeed. This is a recognition from Google that this user-generated content is valuable and sought after by consumers. The feature doesn’t seem to have fully launched yet but when it does the reach and influence of these social media channels will be significantly greater and brands will need to consider the effect this may have on their reputation.
3. Google Wave: If and when it takes off properly, it will be a great tool to ceate and edit rich-media streams of information in real-time, with changes immediately visible to all participants.
4. Foursquare and Google Latitude: Once again, as more Australians adopt these technologies, the amount of real-time information available online will be phenomenal. Some users are already streaming every (un)notable event in their life through a combination of updates on Twitter, Facebook and blogs.

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