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Hot consumer trendsSustainability is increasingly top of mind for consumers in use of technology, according to EricssonConsumerLab’s “10 hot consumer trends for 2015.”> > Helpful homes. Consumers show high interest in having home sensors that alert them to water andelectricity issues, or when family members come and go.> > Smart citizens. The idea of smart cities is intriguing – but a lot of that intelligence may actually comeabout as a side effect of the changing everyday behaviors of citizens. As the internet makes us moreinformed, we are in turn making better decisions. Consumers believe traffic volume maps, energyuse comparison apps and real-time water quality checkers will be mainstream by 2020.> > The sharing economy. As the internet enables us to efficiently share information with unprecedentedease, the idea of a sharing economy is potentially huge. Half of all smartphone owners areopen to the idea of renting out their spare rooms, personal household appliances and leisure equipmentas it is convenient and can save money.> > My information. Although sharing information when there is a benefit is fine, smartphone ownerssee no point in making all of their actions open to anyone. Some 47% of smartphone owners wouldlike to be able to pay electronically without an automatic transfer of personal information. Some56% of smartphone owners would like all internet communication to be encrypted.The 2014 NetworkedSociety City IndexThe index ranks 40 cities andmeasures their ICT maturity interms of leverage from ICTinvestments in economic, socialand environmental development:the “triple bottom line” effect.One of the key findings fromthe report is the fact that citieswith a low ICT maturity tend tobe improving their ICT maturityfaster than high-performingcities, indicating a catch-upeffect. Many cities also havethe opportunity to leapfrogothers by avoiding expensiveand increasingly obsolete physicalinfrastructure and insteadmoving straight into innovativeapplications using advancedmobile technology.Smart citizensA 2014 online survey by EricssonConsumer Lab found that using the internetto offer smarter, more informed choicescould alleviate urban concerns aroundhealth, commu nication and traffic. Smartphoneusers aged between 15 and 69were surveyed from Beijing, Delhi, London,New York, Paris, Rome, São Paulo, Stockholmand Tokyo representing 61 millioncitizens. Among the key findings:> > 76% want sensors in public spaces thatlet them know what areas are crowdedand best avoided> > 70% want to compare energy use withneighbors to optimize behavior> > 66% want real-time control of drinkingwater quality> > 74% want interactive street signs andbike/car sharing.CONSUMERLABSmartcitizensHow the internet facilitatessmart choices in city lifeAn Ericsson Consumer Insight Summary ReportNovember 2014NETWORKEDSOCIETYCITY INDEX2014 >70%ENERGYof smartphone owners believe thatUSECOMPARISONAPPSTRAFFICVOLUMEMAPSWATERQUALITYCHECKERSwill be mainstream by 2020.Source: Ericsson ConsumerLab report 10 hot consumer trends 2015Ericsson | Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report 201437