Customers' Demand for Better 21st-CENTURY PRODUCTS.

• Position: Brief Article

What benefits and values will be most important to consumers of household products in the U.S. over the next decade? That question is often asked by companies hoping to make investments in the successful products and services of tomorrow. According to Stephen M. Millett, who manages the Interactive Future Simulations software product development in the Energy Products Division of Battelle, Columbus, Ohio, "The competitive advantage of the future goes to the company that can correctly anticipate consumer values and control the strategic technologies behind them." The top 10 consumer drivers for the next decade are predicted to be:

The willingness and ability to buy highly desirable products, which can be described as goods offering features above and beyond those of current products. The challenge of companies will be to offer exciting products for hard-to-please customers in highly competitive markets, especially baby boomers, Generation Xers, and immigrants.

Product-related services. Consumers will want service during and after the purchase of items. For example, purchasing decision-makers will be guided by their desire for the comfort of heating and cooling, rather than the equipment that produces it.

Superior performance and utility. Quality and functionality will be extremely important. Products not only will have to meet high expectations, they will have to exceed them.

Safety and health. Boomers will pay more for products and services that offer good health and an active lifestyle. The market for nutritional and well-care products wilt expand further. For instance, air filtering will become very important, especially if active, but safe, agents are used to kill bacteria, viruses, and spores, rather than just trap particles.

Ergonomic comfort and ease of use. Too many household products today are difficult and unpleasant to operate. Products for chores like cleaning are not very user-friendly and need better angles and pressure points, As they age, Americans will demand that products be comfortable to utilize.

Aesthetics. Product styling will be even more important in the future than today. Appliances, for example, will need to have appearances that fit many home decors. They will take on more designer qualities now seen in clothing and bedding. Even furnaces and air conditioners will be stylish, particularly if they are integrated into living spaces. Functional integration. Today, consumers are their own systems integrators. Very few...