Your customers are changing.

We help you prepare.

Next Big Thing: respected, inspiring and adaptable

At Next Big Thing we predict future consumer needs by analysing evolving attitudinal and behaviour patterns.
We help clients anticipate what their customers will want and expect in future – and the most effective ways to give it to them.
We visualise the future consumer landscape – to enable clients to make smarter strategic decisions. 
We work with clients to help nurture a more innovative, adaptive mindset across the whole enterprise.

“They translate trends into real commercial opportunities.” 

Alex Owens, Insight Head, Sainsbury’s UK

“Their insights proved really useful to us.”

Wayne Garvie, Head of Entertainment, BBC

“You should talk to them if you have any future thinking requirements.”

Louisa Livingston, Insights Director, Hachette

William’s latest talk: Mending,  Lending & Seesaw Spending

With much of the world experiencing economic uncertainty and consumers tightening their belts, what strategies should businesses adopt to thrive over the next three years? 
NBT founder William Higham has created a brand new talk to help companies answer this question – and build an effective strategy to reach tomorrow’s Cash-Poor Consumer. 
The talk reveals how a pent-up desire for spending is combining with a decline in disposable income to create a new consumer mindset: that is both value- and values-driven. It explores the implications for product and purchase choice: and suggests practical ways that businesses can respond.

Read our new report: ‘In Groups We Trust: the Rebirth of Community.’

We’ve just launched a report on the new attitude to community set to radically shift behaviour in UK, Europe and the US. 
It’s a trend set to accelerate consumer power, forcing brands to submit to further citizen gate-keeping. It’ll shift the composition and location of households, living spaces and target markets. And place ‘local’ at the heart of the post-Covid new normal. But the trend offers businesses as many opportunities as threats. Our report details a range of ways companies can adapt to the trend and win many new loyal fans.
The report is based on months of observation. It includes a wealth of hard data, commentary and recommendations. It explores in detail the future of national and local communities: from Framily Values to Graddy Flats; Live Work Play spaces to Seasteading; and No Collar Workers to Branded Communities.

New talk: Brand Families & the    Future of Loyalty

Customers today are less loyal than they’ve ever been. But the long term trends suggest the future of loyalty will be much more positive – for companies that take the right strategic approach.
It’s all about catering to the growing value consumers are placing on supportive communities. Be that a neighbourhood association, a shared interest group – or a favourite brand.
William’s new talk shows you how to anticipate that positive future.  Creating a more loyal customer base by turning your brand into a Brand Family your customers will want to be loyal to.

Strategic planning

We can help you identify profitable

new business opportunities

We help you identify profitable new business opportunities

Future-proof insights

We can predict the future needs and

expectations of your customers

We can predict the future needs and expectations of your customers

Future-fit workplaces

We help you create workplace structures 

that will attract tomorrow’s employees

We help you create workplace structures that will attract tomorrow’s employees

Keynote talks

Let founder Will Higham take you on

an inspiring journey into the future

We can take any audience on an inspiring journey into the future

PR Campaigns

We identify brand new trends you can 

use in your PR campaigns

We identify brand new trends you can use in your PR campaigns

Our clients

Discover which companies we have

helped to profit from the future 

Discover which companies we’ve helped to profit from the future 

Our blog

Read what we’ve written on tomorrow’s trends: 

Retail Recovery to the Future of Finance

Read what we’ve written on tomorrow’s trends: Retail recovery to the future of Finance

Our story

Meet the people behind Next Big Thing: 

what motivates us and how we predict the future

Meet the people behind Next Big Thing: find out what motivates us and how we predict the future