Predicting a diverse future : Directions and issues in the marketing of services

Driven by technological developments, deregulation, and globalisation the service sector in post‐industrial economies is facing unprecedented change. Utilising a scenario planning framework, the paper examines the impact of such changes on a cross‐section of service categories. Acknowledging that the derivation of generic sector wide trends from the analysis of discrete service categories runs the risk of over simplification, three core trends were identified: the increasing importance of technological mediation; changing consumer and professional roles; and decreasing importance of relational factors in consumer decision making. These trends pose fundamental challenges to service providers and offer researchers a rich context in which to advance marketing theory.