Marketing Consumer Insights

Trend - Wallet loyalty programs are gaining prominence as consumers show increasing reluctance to download multiple apps for brand engagements. Brands are offering loyalty cards through Apple Wallet and Google Wallet as a seamless way to integrate loyalty cards directly into consumer smartphones.

Insight - In today's consumer landscape, convenience is a paramount factor that significantly influences brand interactions and loyalty strategies. Modern consumers, particularly digital natives, prioritize efficiency and seamless integration in their transactions, expecting quick and effortless interactions that mesh with their daily routines. This shift has compelled brands to rethink traditional loyalty strategies, which often felt cumbersome or disconnected from a digital-first experience.

Trend - The matcha beverage landscape is evolving, enriched by the introduction of colorful variants such as pink, red, blue, and orange matchas. In a time when both the aesthetic appeal and nutritional benefits of food and drinks are highly valued, there's a notable trend towards inventive, Instagram-worthy choices that offer more than mere flavor.

Insight - The rise of mocktails and "sleepy girl cocktails" is reshaping at-home drinking culture, focusing on mindful, non-alcoholic options. This trend towards health-conscious, innovative beverages caters to a desire for unique, relaxing drinking experiences. As consumers prioritize wellness and novelty, there's a market opportunity for brands to offer drinks that combine taste, health benefits, and visual appeal, highlighting a shift towards beverages that support a lifestyle of mindful indulgence and self-care.

Trend - Brands are creating "third places," a concept championed by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, to offer social spaces distinct from home and work. These welcoming environments foster regular connections among people through shared interests or activities, responding to the consumer's quest for community and spontaneity.

Insight - The remote work boom and social shifts are fueling a consumer desire for "third places" – hubs beyond work and home for connection. Craving escape from car-dependent suburbs and planned social activities, consumers seek spaces for spontaneous interaction and emotional support. Brands that successfully tap into this trend do so by crafting casual, community-focused havens. These spaces cultivate a sense of belonging and unity, drawing people together over shared experiences and interests, thereby winning the hearts and loyalty of consumers.

Trend - Brands are redesigning the packaging and pack-ins of consumables, such as food and beauty products, to be quicker and easier to use. The redesigns include adding handles or resealable lids, based on how consumers interact with the products. This reduces friction during the consumption ritual.

Insight - Most consumers have certain beauty or food products that are integrated into their daily routines. These consumers can prefer a product for any number of reasons, but, when faced with two nearly identical products, they ultimately prefer the more convenient one. Brands that aim to integrate themselves into daily lives, particularly in the F&B and beauty spaces, are re-assessing their products with a new focus on convenience, with the goal of streamlining consumption and capturing more consumers.

Trend - Brands in healthcare and wellness are taking note of the popularity of preventative gummy supplements, and are offering flavored gummies that treat minor ailments the same way traditional OTC medications do. Products in this space include gummy-based "medications" for a variety of symptoms--including those that stem from PMS, colds, flus, headaches and migraines.

Insight - Millennials and Gen Z are likely to try new approaches in maintaining their health and wellbeing--and have preferences for natural ingredients, playful aesthetics and peer-reviewed products. Brands in healthcare that operate outside of industry tradition are likely to appeal to these demographics in-particular--especially when they prioritize the social media-friendly branding these digitally savvy generations are drawn to.

Trend - Craft breweries and snack brands are launching co-branded products for mutual benefit. By aligning with brands in adjacent industries, particularly those with overlap in consumer bases, awareness for each brand increases, leading to heightened sales and brand recognition.

Insight - Brand recognition is an evergreen motivator when it comes to consumer purchasing decisions. Some consumers prioritize consistency and are unlikely to take risks with their purchases. These individuals gravitate toward products with recognizable names, as well-known names are associated with consistency and quality. In recognition of this desire, craft brands are working together to boost name recognition and better address risk-averse consumers.

Trend - Esports and gaming companies are partnering with haptic accessory companies. These branded vests offer advertising for the gaming company while simultaneously adding to the credibility of the accessories. This widens the consumer appeal of the products to fans of both companies involved.

Insight - When investing in new hardware, software, or accessories, gamers often weigh products on a cost-to-benefit scale, considering performance, immersion, and credibility on the benefits side. In terms of immersion, most of the innovation is focused around technologies such as VR and AI. However, physical accessories, while niche, can dramatically enhance immersion when used properly. In recognition of this, accessory brands are seeking partnerships and endorsements to increase credibility.

Trend - Companies in the United States are collaborating with Hispanic creators to better appeal to the large Hispanic communities in the U.S.A. These collaborations showcase catered culture-inspired products, such as drinks, dishes, or skincare, designed for Hispanic consumers.

Insight - Companies in the U.S.A are tasked with marketing to a diverse population of cultural backgrounds. Given that representation is a large contributing factor to consumers' purchasing decisions, many consumers opt for products from brands that stem from, or show respect to, consumers' diverse cultural backgrounds. Businesses are identifying this pressure, and are responding by launching curated campaigns and collaborations that identify with consumers with these cultural backgrounds.

Trend - The popularity of ASMR, and auditory wellness platforms has inspired popular musical artists to do the same. Artists who collaborate with these platforms are using AI and professional expertise to transform their songs into ambient music that can be used for meditation, sleep, and/or focus.

Insight - The popularity of wellness that's based in auditory experiences is growing--with Gen Z being especially likely to enjoy ambient music. As more people turn to music and soundscapes to decompress, work/study, and fall asleep--artists from all genres are presented with an opportunity to expand their reach, while finding a new way to connect and build connections with their current listeners.

Trend - As brands pivot to more authentic representations of their customers, they're recruiting influencers and creators for campaigns that feel more intimate. Showcasing creators' personal stories through these campaigns creates deeper connections with customers--Gen Z in-particular.

Insight - Gen Z and Millennials being social media savvy has made them more critical of brands and creators that don't make "authentic" choices. These demographics are likely to be wary of influencers who "cash grab," and are critical of collaborations that don't align with creators' brands. Many see influencers as representative of their own personalities and interests, so they're more likely to trust creators who are vulnerable and make intimate connections with their followers.