Many consumers now opt for customizable, homebuilt and hackable products, thus increasing the importance of do-it-yourself (DIY) and do-it-your-way (DIYW) tech.

In a webinar, Rivani Changgra, a client service specialist in Asia-Pacific (APAC) of trend forecasting company WGSN, said the DIY culture has flourished with many consumers having more time to explore hobbies and try new ones during pandemic lockdowns.

Changgra said appetite for hands-on maintenance and modification of tech is likely to grow as the right to repair gains momentum in consumer tech and more tech brands make repair accessible to consumers rather than only through authorized third parties.

“Rising consumer interest in self-sufficiency, coupled with easier access to tools and guides via online platforms, is making DIY lifestyles steadily more mainstream,” she said.

“Add to this mounting cost-of-living crisis, which will likely make consumers more frugal and looking to use their devices for longer at lower cost, and the stage is set for DIY mindsets to grow and expand,” she added.

Changgra said more everyday consumers are increasingly exploring DIY and hands-on making both as a way to save money and to live more sustainably.

For some brands, Changgra said developing repairable and maintainable products will be the “most relevant response” to this trend.

“While for others, highly customizable and modifiable products will offer a significant new area of product development,” she said.

Changgra said there is also a valuable opportunity for brands to tune in to how customers are hacking their products to better meet their needs, and build learnings into product strategy.

She also underscored the need to identify opportunities within their product range to upskill customers and give some of the tools of making to them, such as publishing sample repair guides on YouTube.