Life-Stages Consumer Insights

Trend - Plush keychains and "blind box"-style collectibles are gaining traction among Gen Z consumers. Often attached to purses, backpacks, and other accessories, these toys infuse individuality into everyday items, allowing consumers to tap into their inner child through cartoon aesthetics and characters.

Insight - Gen Z consumers often seek comfort in the "cutesy" aesthetics and characters reminiscent of their childhood, using them as a grounding force in times of change and uncertainty. These consumers turn to plush toys and collectibles, which offer a sense of community and a way to express their unique personalities while navigating everyday life. Businesses that align with this desire for personal expression and nostalgia are well-positioned to attract and engage younger consumers.

Trend - Self-care brands are partnering with popular cartoon properties to increase the appeal of their products with younger consumers. The collaboration also functions as advertising for the cartoon brand, leading to a mutually-beneficial partnership.

Insight - Young children are often disinterested by personal care. Certain children do not enjoy bath time, and do not yet understand the importance of brushing their teeth or washing their face. Parents of these children seek ways to make personal care more engaging and fun for their kids in order to build good habits early. One such method these parents seek out is co-branding, searching for products with branding familiar to their kids, leading to personal care brands partnering with cartoons.

Trend - A new wave of artisanal comfort objects is capturing attention online - crochet plushies that merge traditional Japanese craft with modern wellness culture. These handmade companions, ranging from whimsical animals to miniature food items, are more than just decorative pieces. While their intricate designs and tactile appeal drive viral social media content, their therapeutic benefits are creating deeper connections with a generation seeking tangible forms of comfort and mindfulness.

Insight - The surging popularity of handcrafted comfort objects reflects a deeper cultural shift toward physical items that soothe digital-age anxieties. In an era of virtual experiences and screen fatigue, consumers are gravitating toward items they can hold, touch, and display – objects that offer a bridge between aesthetic appeal and emotional wellbeing. This attraction to tactile comfort items signals an opportunity for brands to explore how physical products can be reimagined as tools for mental wellness, particularly for younger demographics seeking alternatives to purely digital solutions.

Trend - Study tools are adopting social media aesthetics by combining educational content with "oddly satisfying" background videos and ASMR elements. These tools convert traditional study materials into more engaging formats that align with Gen Z's content consumption preferences.

Insight - Today's students have grown up in an environment of constant digital stimulation, leading to evolving expectations around how they consume and process information. The rise of "brainrot" content - videos that are simple yet oddly engaging - points to a broader shift in how younger generations maintain focus and absorb information. Rather than viewing multitasking as a distraction, many now see it as a tool for enhanced engagement. This behavioral adaptation reflects a larger tension between traditional educational methods and the reality of modern attention spans shaped by social media algorithms.

Trend - Restaurants are offering Halloween-themed meals and items with unique appeal. These items often come at discounted prices to help parents and children, while they feature items with spooky-themed designs to enhance Halloween celebrations. These meals are designed to be positive experiences for fans.

Insight - In North America, Halloween is one of children's favorite holidays due to fun decorations, costumes, and free candy. However, Halloween has evolved to be more than simply a day-of trick-or-treating celebration, with many businesses offering celebratory items as early as a month before the day itself. Consumers who enjoy Halloween celebrations gravitate toward businesses that offer such items to engage with the holiday, build excitement, and save money for their families.

Trend - Personal care brands are increasingly focusing on marketing probiotic gut health products to younger women. From products with packaging targeting younger women to full-on marketing campaigns, these brands are aiming to help women get a head start on proper gut health practices to improve comfort.

Insight - Younger women, namely those of the Gen Z and younger Millennial age groups, often do not worry about the perimenopause and menopausal life stages, as these come far later in life. However, in part due to health influencers on social media, these younger women are paying more attention to proper health practices that can help reduce symptoms of menopausal life stages later in life. In response to this, personal health brands are releasing gut health supplements designed for younger women.

Trend - Bubble tea restaurants are launching new seasonal flavors inspired by traditional pumpkin spice lattes. This blending of a traditional fall dessert flavor with the bubble tea format is designed to offer more variety to fans of both respective products.

Insight - Younger consumers ranging from younger Millennials to Gen Alpha, are more drawn to loaded dessert-style beverages, such as bubble tea, than those of previous generations. These consumers treat bubble tea as a social experience. As these drinks continue to become ritualized in consumers' lives, demand for new flavors and experiences goes up in turn. In order to cater to the ever-growing demand for flavor diversity, bubble tea restaurants are looking to popular seasonal flavors for inspiration.

Trend - Lifestyle brands are releasing soft plushies with weighted fillings to make them more huggable and cuddlable. These plushies are designed to appeal to children and to calm children with anxiety or during stressful situations. The plushies are often given familiar designs to enhance comfort.

Insight - Many new parents find difficulties in time management when it comes to balancing raising a child with a career and personal obligations. These parents continually search for tips, tricks, and solutions, such as meal prepping or AI-powered baby monitors, to challenges related to raising children. However, many of these solutions deal with tangible time-related challenges, rather than emotional ones. In order to assist parents in these areas, brands are releasing weighted calming plushies.

Trend - Boomer-focused digital literacy programs are increasingly embracing conversational approaches, creating a casual environment where learning feels less like a formal class and more like a conversation between friends. Notably, this approach respects varying levels of tech familiarity and confidence.

Insight - Baby boomers are discovering how digital devices can significantly enhance their lives and are actively seeking tools that make this learning process more supportive and less daunting. In response, brands are adopting conversational, companionship-centered approaches to make the experience more engaging and reassuring. This personalized support not only helps consumers become proficient with current products but also fosters a sense of loyalty, encouraging them to embrace future releases.

Trend - Brands are developing educational, tutoring-style programs to teach seniors how to use digital technologies and navigate the online world effectively. These programs aim to reduce the likelihood of seniors falling victim to scams while teaching basic computer skills, social media, and online safety.

Insight - As emerging technologies continue to revolutionize various industries, older generations are actively seeking ways to enhance their media literacy. In response, programs have been developed to teach device operation and online safety, providing essential support for those needing help acclimating to the digital age. Businesses that offer support and resources to senior consumers can tap into a large and often underserved market segment, unlocking new opportunities for growth and brand loyalty.