The Future Report

Consumer behaviour is always changing, and brand managers probably wish it was simple to understand and respond to.

But, it’s a bit more complex than that.

That’s why we made the focus of our recent consumer insights report about the megatrends shaping the consumer landscape – framed through paradoxes.

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle’s Managing Director, Sophie Renton, to explore what’s shaping the future consumer.

As you may have heard, we recently celebrated 20 years as a business here at McCrindle!

It’s an exciting milestone, and we’re fortunate to have team members who've been part of the journey for over 12 years now (and counting!).

In this week's episode, our podcast producer, Holly Schaaf, sits down with McCrindle's longest standing employees - Creative Director Ben Duffin and Director of Advisory Ashley Fell - to share stories and reflections from their time here.

Since the dawn of time, humans have told stories.

Around campfires, in books, through film, and now, in business and data.

But why?

Because stories connect us.

And when told well, they make ideas stick, bring data to life, and inspire action.

In this week's episode, our podcast producer, Holly Schaaf, sits down with Future Report host and Director of Advisory at McCrindle, Ashley Fell, to talk about the power of storytelling in a digital era.

Attracting and retaining great people in an organisation is no easy feat.

A key part of thriving organisations is the people who work for them, how engaged they are in their work, and whether or not they feel part of the culture of their organisation.

But what is culture?

It can be hard to define and even harder to measure.

That is why we developed a cultural health index.

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle’s Managing Director, Sophie Renton, to discuss building tomorrow’s teams and learnings from our cultural health index.

You might know McCrindle for our research, our infographics, or our keynote presentations.

Well, this year we’re celebrating something pretty special - 20 years since McCrindle was founded!

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle's Principal and Founder, Mark McCrindle, to reflect on two decades of trends, team, and transformation.

We're exploring where it all began, the big turning points along the way, and what’s next for our team and the future.

And to help tell the story, we’ve invited a few familiar voices to join us - you’ll hear some special messages from members of the McCrindle team as they share their favourite memories, moments, and milestones.

So whether you’ve been following our journey for years or have just discovered our work, we’re so glad you’re here for this special celebration episode of The Future Report!

You might be thinking a lot can change in 10 years. Or, you might feel like nothing really does!

But when you zoom out and look at the data, you’ll find we’re already on the edge of enormous transformation.

From population milestones to Olympic moments, retirement waves to airport megaprojects, the 2030s is set to be anything but boring.

At McCrindle, we’ve been mapping these shifts for decades. And while we’re known for our generational research, we’re also deeply invested in understanding how cities evolve, how demographics shift, and how emerging trends reshape society.

To kick off season 16, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle’s Director of Solutions, Geoff Brailey, to break down 10 trends that will shape the next 10 years of Australian life - from the rise of Gen Beta to the race between Sydney and Melbourne, and the infrastructure boom in between.

You might love generational analysis, or you might critique and dismiss it.

At McCrindle, we’ve spent decades researching generations— and coined the term Generation Alpha — but we also believe in listening to the critics.

Whatever perspective you hold, we’re diving headfirst into the Reddit threads, TikTok comments, and water cooler conversations that ask: Are generational labels like Gen Z, Millennials, and Boomers even real? Or are they just stereotypes dressed up in data?

To wrap up Season 15, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with Marketing Executive and Insights Strategist at McCrindle, Luke Davies, to unpack what generational theory gets right, what it gets wrong, and why it still matters.

It took years for technologies such as the telephone, radio and the TV to reach mass adoption.

Yet now, technological change happens in mere months.

The latest iteration of technological change is Artificial Intelligence, and the uptake of it is occurring at a pace that hasn’t been seen before and shows no signs of slowing down.

In this week's episode, McCrindle's Advisory Executive, Holly Schaaf, sits down with McCrindle’s Director of Advisory, Ashley Fell, to discuss this important topic.

How do you think your morning routine compares to that of the average Aussie?

Does it involve getting up early or sleeping in, drinking a caffeinated beverage at home or grabbing one once you’re out the door?

And importantly, is that beverage hot, or iced?

We were recently commissioned by Nespresso to uncover Aussie coffee habits, with a focus on their morning routines.

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with Research Executive at McCrindle, Uteng Masuku, to discuss these insights.

Retail has transformed more in the last five years than the last five decades — from the rise of eCommerce to the evolution of customer expectations and delivery speeds.

In this week's episode, our podcast producer, Holly Schaaf, sits down with Director of Advisory at McCrindle and Future Report host, Ashley Fell, to unpack recent research that McCrindle conducted for Australia Post’s eCommerce Industry Report.

You can access the full report here:

https://ecommerce-report.auspost.com.au/