Co-creation

Trend - Smart home companies are releasing baby monitors with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered features. Rather than acting as cameras and recording devices, these monitors use AI features for non-intrusive monitoring of breathing or sleeping patterns, body temperature, and more.

Insight - New Millennial and Gen Z parents are tasked with balancing full-time work with social lives and raising their newborns. Rising costs of living have led to these parents often having less free time than previous generations. To alleviate the strain of home tasks, many of these parents turn to smart home or AI-powered products, such as robot vacuum or AI washing machines. In recognition of this demand, smart home and infant care brands are releasing AI baby monitors with time-saving features.

Trend - Companies are launching artificial intelligence (AI)-powered baby naming services. These services suggest baby names based on the user's preferences, such as gender or language. The tools use conversational AI to further limit these pools, enabling the user to state more niche name preferences.

Insight - Soon-to-be parents often struggle with preparation in all forms, being tasked with planning entire months or years ahead to ensure a smooth upbringing for the upcoming baby. These parents aim to reduce stress in each part of the parenthood process, and they turn to countless resources to help, such as parenting books or blogs. In recognition of this stressful life period, companies are launching AI-powered tools and services to help alleviate stress from the parenthood process.

Trend - Companies are launching Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered scribes for the healthcare industry. These AI scribes automate the process of recording verbalized information from the patient and the charting, organizing, and preserving of important details—saving time for healthcare professionals.

Insight - Even in the post-covid world in North America, there is a persistent shortage of healthcare professionals leading to many being overworked. These working conditions reduce the amount of time allotted to each patient, and could potentially lead to some more menial tasks not receiving adequate attention. In recognition of these challenges, companies are launching AI tools and assistants specifically designed to perform documentation-related tasks, such as notetaking and charting patient data.

Trend - Specialty artificial intelligence (AI) companies are launching generative AI tools that simplify website creation. With no coding required by the end user, these tools use an intuitive prompt system which significantly lowers the barrier to entry for website building for businesses and freelancers.

Insight - In the modern era, online presences play pivotal roles in determining the success of a new startup or a freelancer's career. However, these demographics often struggle with the technical skills or financial freedom required to build an online presence. As a direct result of these challenges, services that reduce the barrier to entry for website and online presence creation are gaining popularity. New startups are addressing this demand by leveraging AI to create intuitive web-building tools.

Trend - Since their inception in France in 2022, croissants filled with baked cookie dough, or 'Crookies,' have grown in popularity in restaurants and bakeries. Crookies are versatile and offer consumers a mix of the light flakiness of a croissant and the densely flavored dough of a cookie.

Insight - Foodie consumers and influencers continually seek foods with new ingredients, flavors, or cooking methods. These consumers try new products as soon as they are available, with social media bringing attention to more popular selections. Brands recognize that these consumers heavily prioritize more creative and diverse foods. In order to better capture the foodie consumer base, bakeries and restaurants are crafting hybrid pastries that blend different textures and flavors.

Trend - Electric bicycle manufacturers are using bamboo in place of aluminum for frames to improve sustainability. Bamboo is lightweight and malleable for bike frames, while also being biodegradable. By using bamboo, brands are aiming to reduce their carbon footprints and appeal to eco-conscious consumers.

Insight - Each year, more consumers turn to electric micro-mobility solutions rather than gas-powered vehicles. This is often due to rising costs of gas, dense traffic, and environmental concerns. This has led to an increased amount of micromobility repair stores, as well as increased development of public charging infrastructure to mitigate battery constraints. In recognition of this environmental trend, bike brands are furthering their sustainability by turning to materials such as wood and bamboo.

Trend - CPG brands are offering more balanced versions of bite-sized breakfast foods. These breakfast bites replicate the nutritional value of full breakfasts through complex ingredient lists. These are intended to save time for consumers without compromising on health or flavor.

Insight - Most health-conscious consumers recognize the importance of a healthy breakfast in contributing to day-to-day energy levels. However, not all individuals have the luxury of time to prepare these balanced meals, leading to many defaulting to purchasing quick fast food breakfasts, or simply skipping breakfast altogether. CPG brands are recognizing the demand for time-efficient alternatives to breakfast meals, and are in turn downsizing traditional breakfasts into ready-to-eat bite-sized portions.

Trend - New startups are launching alcoholic RTD drinks with honey as the primary ingredient or sweetener. Honey is used due to its unique flavor profile and health benefits over processed sweeteners. These canned drinks boast the convenience of canned drinks and the natural, organic flavors of honey.

Insight - Health-conscious consumers are less likely to purchase canned alcoholic beverages due to high-calorie content, unexciting flavor profiles, and the inclusion of processed ingredients. As such, these consumers are drawn to canned drinks with healthy alternative ingredients and unique flavors that cannot be found in a local bar. Brands are adhering to these desires by taking flavor inspiration from non-alcoholic drinks to use in healthy alcohol-based RTDs.

Trend - Tech brands are developing head-mounted wearables with built-in high-definition screens. These devices do not have onboard processors for VR, and serve primarily as large, private, simulated screens. This enables brands to reduce prices and appeal to consumers who require on-the-go displays.

Insight - Many remote workers choose to work in environments different from their home desks, such as coffee shops, for a change of environment and mindset. These workers prioritize remote productivity solutions to optimize workflow on the go, and are drawn to low-cost solutions to these desires. Tech brands are recognizing the need for remote productivity solutions and are creating lower-cost wearables with privacy features to address these consumers.

Trend - Skincare brands are launching fragrances with probiotic ingredients to benefit skin microbiomes. These fragrances integrate into daily skincare rituals and aim to differentiate themselves from competitors as multifunctional products. Probiotic skincare products can reduce TEWL and improve hydration.

Insight - Younger consumers, particularly Gen Z and Gen Alpha, are highly influenced by social media personalities and trends, particularly in the beauty and self-care spaces. Recent trends have focused on the importance of ensuring products used in daily routines have a positive impact on the user, both in terms of health and appearance. As a result, brands are releasing fragrances and skincare products infused with probiotics to improve effects, and subsequently, brand image with younger consumers.