Lifestyle & Technological Environment

Business: AQA A Level (2023 Specification), topic 7.6.2

Impact of Lifestyle and Technological Changes

Lifestyle changes and technological advancements can affect a business in several ways.

As consumer awareness of healthy eating continues to increase, consumers may demand healthier food options.
For example, McDonalds must respond to these changes in demand and in June 2018 introduced a healthier children’s menu.
Burger King introduced a new Whopper made with artificial meat from the company Impossible Foods.

As consumer awareness of wellbeing and fitness continues to increase, consumer demand for fitness products is likely to increase.
For example Fitbits, will increase, and this may affect businesses such as Vue as consumers change their hobbies and habits.

As consumers take advantage of advancements in e-commerce, demand for online shopping will increase and businesses must be responsive to these changes.
For example, Morrisons only introduced online shopping several years after their competitors did. They initially partnered with Ocado to do their online food retail business.

As social media use continues to grow, businesses must adapt customer service procedures to reflect changes in consumer expectations.
For example, consumers expect to be able to contact businesses through social media and businesses must respond by updating their processes to offer this contact method if they are to maintain competitiveness.

Which of the following trends were growing in the UK in 2018?
In 2018, Tesco partnered with a company called Wicked. They provide completely vegan meals on the go. Which trend is this responding to?
Hello Fresh is a company where you can order healthy meals online and get the ingredients delivered to your door. Which trend is this business responding to?
Which of the following are examples of social media?
Fiit is a business which supplies online gym classes by personal trainers. Which two trends is this business directly responding to?