1 / The structural handoff: From asset inflation to experience inflation

After a decade of monetary excess, wealth accumulation is plateauing while spending behavior is fragmenting across generations. The world’s next 1 billion affluent consumers — largely Gen Y and Z — are driving consumption growth through digital-first channels rather than traditional goods.

• They spend on wellness, leisure, digital experiences, and personalization, not fixed assets.

• They are connected, gamified, and subscriptionized — treating brands as ecosystems, not products.
  This behavioral transition marks a once-per-generation rotation of global consumption leadership.

2 / The consumer base is shifting geographically and demographically

• Millennials and Gen Z now control > 30% of global discretionary spending and are gaining > 10 million new HNW participants annually (mostly in Asia, the Middle East, and the U.S.).

• Women’s wealth is projected to rise +60% by 2030, reshaping product categories, brand governance, and capital allocation.

• Silver Economy (65+) consumers are digitally engaged and health-focused, forming a second engine of spending.

Together, these forces create an expanding frontier consumer class that values digital access, convenience, and meaning over physical accumulation.

3 / The digitization of consumption is entering its monetization phase

What began as digital distribution (e-commerce, social media) has become digital monetization of attention, identity, and data.

• AI personalization, embedded finance, and platform loyalty ecosystems are now the economic engines of brands.

• Firms monetizing recurring digital relationships — not physical inventory — are seeing superior margin durability.

• The rise of creator economies, fintech integration, and digital wellness offers scalable business models that compound through network effects.