November 11^th is Singles’ Day. On the surface, it might look like just another commercial occasion. But beneath the promotions and flash sales, it spotlights a major and often overlooked societal shift. More people are living solo than ever before, but the world isn’t designed for them.

Globally, around 29% of households are single-person and that number is growing fast. Euromonitor forecasts a 48% increase in solo households by 2040, outpacing every other household type. Yet despite this reality, the typical ‘two adults and two kids’ household remains the default lens through which we design, communicate, package and ultimately imagine modern life. From advertising narratives to portion sizes, from travel bookings to product design, the world is still built around a traditional nuclear family ideal.

You are not your consumer

According to WARC’s Marketing Toolkit 2025, 68% of marketers haven’t addressed solo consumers at all.

Why? Because the average marketer and senior leader is married with children, living a conventional suburban life surrounded by peers in a similar situation. When that is your reality, you don’t see or feel the frictions, tensions or notice the moments of exclusion. You get ‘out of touch’ with important consumer cohorts. Because, let’s face it: you are not your consumer.

And this isn’t just about singles. We’ve seen the same gap when it comes to Silvers, older adults who are often misunderstood and overlooked, in our silvers report.

It’s a mirror for a broader challenge: consumer empathy at scale.

Human empathy: the missing piece AI can’t replace

If brands want to stay meaningful, they need more than data, they need empathy. True empathy means understanding people’s daily realities, not just their buying signals.

Even with the rise of AI, which can optimize campaigns and personalize at scale, it cannot replicate the emotional intelligence needed to sense nuance, read between the lines or “feel with” someone.

Human empathy allows us to see consumers not as demographic profiles, but as real people: with contradictions, constraint and deeply personal aspirations. When we lean into that kind of understanding, we can craft products, services and messages that resonate, rather than alienate.

Small gestures, big impact

Sometimes, it’s the small, thoughtful adjustments that make the biggest difference. Take Oroweat bread, for example. They launched the ‘Simply Small’ bread: ten slices, perfectly portioned for people living alone. No more stale bread, no more waste, just a simple acknowledgment that not everyone bakes or buys for a family.

Betty Crocker has taken a similar approach in the kitchen, with single-serving mug cakes that let someone living solo enjoy a sweet treat without the fuss of baking a whole cake. It’s not just about convenience; it’s about respect for time, space and the joy of small, personal indulgences.

Even experiences like travel can feel more inclusive. Royal Caribbean reduced the ‘single supplement’ on select cruises, opening the seas to solo travellers without a financial penalty. Suddenly, adventure isn’t reserved for couples or families, it’s for anyone who wants it.

And sometimes, empathy is about creating emotional value, not just practical solutions. IKEA Hong Kong captured this beautifully on Singles’ Day, highlighting the way a home can be a sanctuary. Their campaign encouraged singles to invest in their space as a form of self-care, turning furniture and décor into tools for comfort, identity and joy. It wasn’t about discounts or flashy promotions, it was about seeing people, celebrating their independence and acknowledging their lives in a meaningful way.

These examples show how empathy can transform products, services and communications. It’s about noticing the real challenges people face, understanding their lives and responding in ways that truly matter.

So ask yourself: do you really know your consumer? And I’m not talking about dashboards and data, but by walking in their shoes, listening to their stories and feeling the friction in their daily lives? Because until you do, you risk building for who you are, not who you’re trying to reach.

At Human8, this is exactly what we focus on with our Consumer Connect approach, helping brands build with empathy and not assumptions. If you’d like to hear more, feel free to get in touch.