Beyond the numbers: how cultural intelligence can shape the future of technology
WGSN Insider
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We live in an era of abundant data, but human understanding remains the true competitive differentiator. Numbers show what’s happening, but they don’t explain why it’s happening. That’s where cultural intelligence comes in: the ability to interpret social transformations, emerging values and behaviours that are reshaping the way we live, shop and connect.
We invited Candice Medeiros, WGSN Retail Strategist, and Rebecca Rom-Frank, WGSN Marketing Strategist, to discuss how cultural shifts are reshaping the future of technology, from evolving experience expectations to the development of more relevant, human-centric business models.
We’ll explore how cultural context influences what we build, consume and believe in tomorrow’s digital world.
How does cultural intelligence transform market analysis, moving beyond numbers to shape strategic decisions?
Q. Candice Medeiros, WGSN Retail Strategist
In a world characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), it is increasingly important to move beyond mere statistical data to uncover the deeper cultural motivations, values and behaviours that shape consumer decisions. Cultural intelligence focuses on the transition from descriptive metrics to predictive, empathetic insights, recognising cultural cues and the crucial role that emotions play in driving consumer desires and decisions, which sets the foundation for all our upcoming forecasts.
With the World Economic Forum reporting that 75% of global companies are not prepared for the pace of change in their industry, it is essential to mitigate uncertainty by exploring the underlying emotional drivers and aspirational emotions. This will enable businesses to understand exactly how consumers will be feeling in the years ahead and, importantly, how they will want to feel.
For this analysis, WGSN applies its proprietary STEPIC methodology, which anticipates change across society, technology, the environment, politics, industry and creativity. It also incorporates scenario planning that utilises strategic imagination and speculative thinking to build multiple scenarios. This ultimately enables companies to anticipate opportunities, such as the emergence of new markets and consumer desires, and tap into them much earlier than their competitors.
In what ways can cultural intelligence, when integrated with data analytics, unlock hidden opportunities for technology companies?
Q. Candice Medeiros, WGSN Retail Strategist
Integrating cultural intelligence (CQ) with quantitative data and qualitative insights enables companies to delve deeper than standard market data, uncovering new pathways for growth and innovation. This approach moves beyond simple demographics and market segmentation to understand the “why” behind consumer behaviours, leading to more authentic products, effective marketing and successful international expansion. One emerging area of opportunity within this is the evolving relationship between brands and consumers.
The speed of social, technological and cultural change is reshaping what people expect from the brands they invite into their lives. Consumers are no longer satisfied with great products alone – they seek brands that share their values, respect their culture and play a meaningful role in their everyday rituals.
By combining cultural intelligence with data analytics, tech companies can form a pathway to understand and reconnect with consumers on a deeper level. Shifting the relationship from transactional to transformational will build the kind of long-term loyalty and cultural resonance that secures relevance in a rapidly changing world.
Which emerging cultural signals do you believe will most radically reshape the technology landscape by 2027 and beyond?
Q. Rebecca Rom-Frank, WGSN Marketing Strategist
Cultural shifts are increasingly driving consumer preferences and the direction of tech innovation, regulation and business models. The era of binary thinking is coming to an end; businesses must now embrace complexity, interconnectedness and the coexistence of opposites.
This shift will drive holistic innovation, resilience and new forms of value creation in the tech industry.
Brands must design for nuance, inclusivity and adaptability, supporting both individual and collective needs. Tech brands will need to prioritise privacy, the right to disconnect and culturally adaptive, circular product design.
How can companies move from reacting to cultural shifts to actively shaping them through proactive innovation?
Q. Candice Medeiros, WGSN Retail Strategist
First, companies must understand the strategic value of consumer emotions and cultural cues by harnessing the power of primary and secondary emotions to create a strong first impression and build deeper, long-term connections with consumers. Combine data from social listening and search trends with CQ insights to understand the emotional landscape around new technologies.
At WGSN, we have an entire task force team that maps consumer emotions for this very reason. Mapping consumer emotions presents an opportunity to authentically align with evolving cultural values, needs and aspirations, ensuring you deliver products, experiences and messages that profoundly resonate with your audiences, both globally and locally.
Innovators also treat culture like a product. Software company HubSpot views its internal culture as a product that needs continuous refinement and iteration, just like its software. This mindset can be applied externally by constantly analysing feedback and iterating on your cultural messaging and purpose.
As AI systems increasingly influence decision-making, how can we ensure they reflect diverse cultural contexts rather than reinforce biases?
Q. Rebecca Rom-Frank, WGSN Marketing Strategist
This is a critical issue for the future of technology, as AI’s reach expands into everyday life, product development and consumer experiences. Addressing this challenge is crucial for building trust, fostering inclusivity and maintaining relevance across global markets.
Prioritise diverse data collection and validation from the outset. In a visual context, this could include using training data that represents a broad range of skin tones, languages and cultural practices.
For example, Skin Match’s AI Technology Shade Finder recognises 112 skin tones, and Arbelle uses the Monk Skin Tone scale for AI shade matching.
How can technology companies use cultural intelligence to design products that resonate emotionally across different regions and communities?
Q. Candice Medeiros, WGSN Retail Strategist
Look at where your brand values intersect with the issues local communities face to create a meaningful impact. With rising inflation, rapid digitalisation and declining trust in institutions, service-led formats and socially driven initiatives that align with new consumer priorities around shared interests and values will be crucial in the years ahead.
Businesses need to recast themselves as hosts within their communities to enable consumers’ search for deeper meaning. The world is becoming smaller and more fragmented due to technological advancements, making it crucial to actively engage consumers in innovation.
Leverage interactive marketing and user-generated content campaigns to engage customers in the creative process. The Nike By You platform is a great example. It enables customers to personalise their shoes, ultimately fostering a deeper connection and sense of shared ownership.
In addition, prioritise emotional segmentation. To resonate more deeply with your audience, structure consumer communities around core emotions, such as fear, sadness or joy, rather than marketing products based on static identity markers.
Many cultural shifts begin quietly before they become mainstream. What methods do you recommend for identifying these early, invisible signals?
Q. Rebecca Rom-Frank, WGSN Marketing Strategist
WGSN’s approach to early signal detection is rooted in a blend of quantitative data, qualitative expertise and collaborative intelligence. This ensures that weak signals – those subtle, emerging shifts – are captured, validated and contextualised before they scale into mainstream trends. Our “expert-in-the-loop” model ensures emotional, cultural and commercial relevance by combining human intelligence (cultural experts, strategists, regional specialists) with AI-driven data analysis for a holistic view.
We also track innovations and behaviours across multiple industries to anticipate convergence and white-space opportunities. This multi-layered approach enables us to identify, validate and respond to the next significant shifts before they reach the mainstream.
Data can reveal ‘what’ is happening, but not always ‘why.’ How can cultural intelligence provide the missing context to turn data into actionable insight?
Q. Rebecca Rom-Frank, WGSN Marketing Strategist
While data can identify patterns and emerging trends, only cultural intelligence can decode the motivations, emotions and societal forces driving those patterns, enabling more relevant, resonant and future-proof decisions.
For example, WGSN identified a spike in apparel with a ‘home cafe’ theme through our data analysis. Cultural intelligence reveals that the trend is driven by Gen Z’s desire for comfort, self-expression and community during economic uncertainty, not just a fleeting aesthetic or micro-trend. This insight enables brands to design products and campaigns that address emotional needs, not just surface-level trends. Cultural intelligence transforms raw data into actionable insight by providing the “why” behind the “what.” It decodes motivations, values and societal shifts, enabling brands to act with empathy, relevance and strategic foresight.
Looking at the next decade, how do you see the role of cultural intelligence evolving within technology ecosystems?
Q. Rebecca Rom-Frank, WGSN Marketing Strategist and Candice Medeiros, WGSN Retail Strategist
By 2035, technology ecosystems will be shaped by their ability to understand, interpret and respond to diverse cultural contexts. The fusion of human intelligence (HI) and artificial intelligence (AI) – what WGSN refers to as “collaborative intelligence” – will be essential for navigating rapid change, building resilience and unlocking new forms of value.
This approach ensures that technology is data-driven and emotionally resonant, regionally relevant and ethically grounded. Tech products and services will need to become more adaptive, inclusive and trusted, supporting both global and local needs. The most successful tech brands will fuse data with profound cultural understanding to anticipate change, build emotional connections and lead with purpose in a rapidly evolving world.
What’s next?
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Throughout this blog, we’ve understood that the future of technology won’t be defined solely by advances in data or algorithms, but by the ability to understand the people behind them. Cultural intelligence is an essential pillar for anticipating behaviours, translating social change and creating relevant solutions.
Brands that embrace this vision will get ahead by authentically connecting with the new values shaping the world. Ignoring these signals risks building on a past that no longer exists.