Prosumerism

Trend - Gaming furniture brands are releasing desks with built-in custom computer cases. These compartments reduce cable clutter, improve aesthetics, and further protect the computer from external damage, as they cannot be knocked over or dented.

Insight - While building a custom computer was a hobby previously attributed to the gaming community, it has now become the norm for many more types of consumers, such as content creators, celebrities, professional editors, and more. With such a large market of consumers into DIY computers, brands are looking to innovate products to stand out from competitors. One such innovation targets the traditional custom computer case, instead merging both the case and desk in one with unique designs.

Trend - SaaS companies are launching Artficial Intelligence (AI)-based tools that gather and analyze both customer feedback and product information to provide recommendations for product managers. These tools are designed to automate monotonous tasks and free up time for managerial action.

Insight - Product managers face challenges in making data-driven decisions and handling large volumes of data. These users are often stretched thin, and gravitate toward organization and automation platforms, particularly those related to more monotonous tasks. In order to appeal to these users, brands are creating AI-based consumer and product analysis tools designed to provide actionable insights from datasets comprised of consumer priorities and demands, as well as product information.

Trend - Software companies in the gaming space are launching marketplaces designed for game developers. These marketplaces offer assets, such as 3D character models, audio tracks, or maps, to be purchased and licensed for use by other developers, aiming to streamline and decentralize game development.

Insight - Novice game developers could encounter any number of issues when entering the space based on their prior expertise. For example, those with an artistic background may have no trouble drawing their character models and maps, but may struggle with music or 3D animations, while the inverse may be true for another developer. In order to appeal to these developers and alleviate stress where it may arise, gaming software brands are launching marketplaces with licensable assets.

Trend - Oral care products are increasingly drawing inspiration from iconic brands and well-known names across the fashion, pop culture, and consumer packaged goods industries. These products often include toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, and floss, all designed to resonate with modern fan bases.

Insight - Social media platforms have connected younger audiences around shared interests, allowing them to engage with products in ways that reflect their digital habits. In response, brands across various industries are opening themselves up to cross-industry collaborations, aiming to attract fans of established brands and convert them into loyal customers. Businesses that effectively tap into current social media trends and influences are better positioned to capture the attention of young shoppers.

Trend - AI companies are launching platforms that focus on licensing and distributing content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) models. These platforms protect the users of such content, ensuring that the users do not have to worry about legal concerns surrounding the use of AI content.

Insight - As AI-generated content gains popularity in nearly every creative and professional field, consumers who use such content for commercial products, such as advertisements or entertainment media, are increasingly worrying about the gray area zone that AI content currently exists in. In order to appease these consumers and increase the popularity of using AI content in commercial use, companies are launching platforms that handle the legal licensing of such content databases.

Trend - 3D printing brands are creating more unique 3D printers that either use a tool-switcher, or several concurrent tools, to print single projects that utilize more than one material. These multi-material printers are designed for more advanced printing jobs for personal or professional use.

Insight - 3D printing is one such field that has grown far larger than just being a hobby for most. Many consumers create businesses, or streamline their startups, by using 3D printers to save drastically on production costs. However, for more complex products, 3D printing was not always viable, leading to these businesses needing to source product components from traditional manufacturing facilities. However, 3D printing brands are now catering to these needs with multi-material and multi-tool printers.

Trend - Startups are launching AI tools that generate product descriptions for online retailers. These tools take into account cost, highlight features, and detailed information to generate attention-grabbing copy quickly. These tools are designed to save time and money for online storefront operators.

Insight - Retailers with storefronts are aware of the challenges associated with each aspect of the website. These challenges include paying either internal IT departments or third-parties to maintain the website, taking product photos, dealing with online fulfillment and post-service support, and more. These retailers are closely following the AI revolution for tools that alleviate one of these challenge categories. Brands are addressing one category with AI product description-generating tools.

Trend - Designer furniture brands, sometimes in collaboration with automotive brands, are launching furniture collections inspired by popular luxury vehicles. These furniture collections are designed to blend the quality of luxury furniture with the familiarity of vehicle design notes for car fans.

Insight - When higher-income consumers consider interior design products, they consider various factors, including quality, brand recognition, status symbolism, personal connection, and aesthetics. While there are near-limitless options for interior design, there is a distinct lack of high-end branded pieces inspired by hobbies or adjacent industries. For consumers with an interest in luxury cars, furniture brands are now enabling these consumers to further express themselves with co-branded collections.

Trend - Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies are launching tools that 'humanize' content generated by AI. These tools make writing sound more natural and fluid by using authentic writers to train the models, rather than the repetitive or robotic writing style of many writing tools

Insight - AI-powered tools continue to gain popularity in both professional and personal lives. One of the most commonly used segments of AI includes generative tools that produce images, videos, or various forms of written content, such as emails or essays. However, one common complaint for many of these tools, particularly for written content, is the predictable, robotic tone. In order to make these tools more appealing to consumers with such complaints, companies are launching 'humanizing' services.

Trend - Hardware manufacturers are creating laptops with two built-in screens. The added screen enhances productivity when needed, which is valuable for remote or hybrid workers. The second built-in screen also subverts the need for additional displays or accessories, adding convenience and portability.

Insight - Remote and hybrid workers often turn to laptops as their primary devices. Often for simplicity and portability, such as the ability to work in coffee shops, laptops are preferred over desktops for these workers, despite the relative loss to productivity. Brands are now aiming to blend the productivity of desktops with the portability and convenience of laptops in order to better market to these consumers, leading to the creation of laptops with built-in secondary displays.