Too many stimuli and short attention spans, brands and customers in the age of laziness

"Kindness is a powerful weapon that is never outdone". The words of Superman, one of the longest-lived superheroes, born in 1933 and the archetype of one who faces evil with extraordinary skill. In a world marked by chaos, this symbol of resilience returns to the big screen and brand campaigns. Ahead of its premiere on 11 July, the American insurance giant Progressive, ranked 62nd in the Fortune 500 and with revenues of more than $22 billion in the first quarter of the year, has decided to don the shoes of Superman to demonstrate its commitment to secure services, speed of response, and accurate solutions. The goal is to simplify the customer's life by making it easier for them. Thus superpowers are used against a connected, bored, stimulus-intolerant customer. One of the app's functionalities detects serious accidents, intervenes to ensure the state of health, sends help and even initiates a claim for compensation. An (almost) superhuman speed.

Welcome to the emerging economy of laziness that rewrites consumption and campaigns. We are less and less inclined to go out of our way to intercept products, services, messages. Laziness, thanks to high-performance and personalised technologies, becomes the main competitor in the battle for the attention of an unstable consumer, but also the most valuable ally in fostering new propensities to purchase. McKinsey highlights the increasing demand for simplicity, speed and intuitiveness in the digital experience, confirming the advancement of frictionless models. A concept coined by Kevin Roose in the New York Times. The tendency to simplify the impact of technology means that we experience a bulimia of digital purchases, often without realising it. It is the advance of invisible brands for American technologist William Ammerman. Meanwhile, PwC's Consumer Markets Trends 2025 report indicates that 67 per cent of consumer leaders are looking to artificial intelligence to enhance the shopping experience, reduce friction and meet the growing demand for automation and fluidity in interactions. 36 % of companies say they are already adopting generative Ai in many areas. Generation Z reshapes expectations, seeing their personal data as currency for hyper-personalised experiences and frictionless shopping: however, there is a balance with privacy, marked by 48% of the sample as a priority. "The digital consumer seeks maximum convenience with minimum effort. The 'everything and now' habit has made any friction an unbearable obstacle. Value is increasingly measured in terms of time saved and ease of use," says Giulio Finzi, retail leader for Intarget and professor of e-commerce at the Catholic University of Milan. The risks for those who are connected and distracted are also increasing. "The frictionless experience reduces the attention threshold and increases the risk of impulsive purchases, scams or unknowingly sharing sensitive data. Users need to be vigilant about the transparency of processes, the identity of sellers and the use of their personal data, especially the less digital segments," says Finzi.

It is the time of agents in Ai who become coaches within reach of smartphones, personal assistants in endless scrolling to foster new needs. Amazon, Google and Shopify are among the most advanced players in the use of agents for recommendations, assistance and personalisation. Zalando has developed a conversational assistant, Sephora an Ai beauty coach that recommends, learns and personalises. "The future belongs to those who integrate Ai not only into processes, but into the shopping experience. Companies must rethink the customer journey in a predictive and automated way. Ai agents - real personal shoppers - simplify choices, shifting purchasing power from users to interfaces. For companies, it means redefining conversion strategies and being ready for BtoMachine marketing, i.e. aimed at influencing an Ai and not a human,' Finzi concludes. Agents turn brands into not just active, but proactive presences. McKinsey estimates that by 2030 more than 60 per cent of interactions will be mediated by autonomous agents. "In America, the adoption of agents in consumption is growing, while a more exploratory approach still dominates in Europe. Young people prefer personalised flows, seniors simplified assistance. But minimum effort is the across-the-board rule, rather than age. On the other hand, we are in cognitive overload: too many stimuli, too little time, fragmented attention. Laziness is not a lack of will, but an adaptive response. Winning means eliminating friction, anticipating needs and minimising decision-making thinking. Comfort trumps confrontation. Ai becomes the comfortable interface of our fatigue,' argues Fabio Lalli, author of 'Spatial Shift' for Egea. Excess comfort reduces the critical threshold: we accept cookies, contracts, conditions without thinking about it or reading what it says. The risks? "Privacy, manipulation, dependence on opaque recommendations, subscription renewals without awareness, the famous dark patterns. The issue is cultural: training situational intelligence in a world where everything seems already decided for us is central,' says Lalli. In the meantime, the mode of use is changing, going beyond touch. Spatial interaction is moving 'out-of-screen': it is the mixed reality market made of smart lenses, tech hand gestures and synthetic voices. "Mixed reality eliminates traditional active interaction: no clicks, no swipes. Information arrives in space, contextual and augmented. You look, you talk, you get. Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest and all the visors and glasses that are starting to come out, or solutions like Brilliant Labs, integrate gestures and voice into immersive experiences. The interface becomes invisible and behaviour more passive and guided. We must remain vigilant because the rise of reality boredom is just around the corner,' Lalli concludes.