The Great Consumption Crisis

Brian dials in from B2B Chicago, Phillip gets existential, and Alicia Esposito returns to the show and makes her debut as the newest member of the Future Commerce team. This week, we unpack music festivals’ escalating cost of participation, Coachella as a retail laboratory, and how looming global trade challenges overconsumption. PLUS: The auto industry experiences a rare analog awakening.

It Was Big Hibiscus All Along

Key takeaways:

• 70% of B2B purchasers are Gen Z or Millennials.
• Tariffs are a real threat – Brands are bracing for supply chain disruption, with some using tariff warnings as marketing FOMO triggers.
• Future Commerce analyzes the overpriced festival craze on Insiders #190 and Insiders #191. 
• The draw to Coachella? It’s not music, or $30 Dave’s Hot Chicken sandwiches. It’s vibes.
• The Slate Truck represents a broader cultural trend toward digital detox and reverse skeuomorphism, bringing real-world, tactile experiences back into the digital age.
• [00:04:07] “Digitalization came for B2C and we didn’t say anything. And now it’s here for B2B.” – Brian Lange
• [00:15:17] “The reckoning has been coming for a long time. Overconsumption isn’t just a consumer issue—it’s a systemic one. If the climate crisis didn’t spark change, what will?” – Phillip Jackson
• [00:16:57] “At what point will the cost of participation outweigh the value of participation to the point where it's like, well, what am I even doing this for?” – Alicia Esposito

In-Show Mentions:

• Insiders #191: City of Coachella: Population: In Debt 
• Insiders #190: Is Coachella Buzz Brands’  Supply Chain Friend or Foe? 
• Politico: How Gen Z Became the Most Gullible Generation

Associated Links:

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• Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world
• Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

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