Life-Stages Consumer Insights

Trend - As discussions around the impact AI will have on young people increase, those in the toy space are finding ways to use this and other technologies in more positive ways. Allowing kids to use technology comes with a certain stigma. Undoing this negative perception is about integrating emotional development into play, enabled by tech.

Insight - After seeing the negative impacts technology had on the Millennial and older Gen Z generations, fears around how younger members of the latter will develop with AI are on the rise. This is exacerbated by the fact that many parents of young Gen Z are Millennials themselves. To this generation of parents, emotional intelligence and a sense of holistic wellness is as important as a child's ambitions or academic performance. EQ-focused tech toys are a compromise, simultaneously exposing children to new technologies while also assisting in overall development.

Trend - AI-based support apps for parents of infants and young children are being used for skill development, mental health, and/or health monitoring. These programs offer a proactive approach to supporting child development and help parents collect data in cases that require intervention.

Insight - Using tech to monitor and prioritize skill-building is especially helpful for caregivers with children who have mental or physical disabilities, behavioral challenges, or are displaying symptoms of illness. These smart solutions add an additional layer of support to the parenting process, offer important information for medical personnel if needed, and generally take some of the pressure off for busy parents with multiple priorities on top of childcare.

Trend - Brands in the baby food industry have begun using hydrocolloids typically found in seaweed and algae. These extracts offer alternative, organic, plant-based sources of nutrients like DHA. This contributes to a sustainable industry while reducing costs due to the availability of algae.

Insight - Consumers with children are increasingly turning to natural baby foods, formulas, and milks. Each year the organic baby food industry grows by more than 10%, showing that there is an evergreen demand for healthy baby products. These consumers want to ensure their offspring grow up with the benefits of a natural diet, rather than risk using heavily processed foods as a cost-saving measure. As such, there is a real demand for brands to release affordable organic baby foods.

Trend - Brands are tapping into nostalgic soda flavors, reimagining these drinks as health-positive products filled with probiotics. These items satisfy nostalgic desires for hearty, classic sodas while simultaneously boosting consumers' gut health.

Insight - Many consumers remember the joy of drinking soda as a youth. However, far fewer customers continue to drink soda in adulthood for health reasons. These consumers desire to recapture these flavorful, youthful experiences, but not to the detriment of their own health. Therefore these customers place pressure on brands to create better-for-you products that appease nostalgia.

Trend - Brands are increasingly launching digital and technological menopause solutions, as consumers have become more familiar with technology over the pandemic. These products help consumers manage symptoms from home while ensuring they have on-demand access to support through digital channels.

Insight - The pandemic caused women experiencing menopause to feel more isolated than before as in-person medical services were moved to digital platforms. These conditions led to aging consumers becoming more intimately connected to technology than before, increasing the perceived value of menopause-focused technological solutions. This directly caused an increase in demand for smart gadgets, AI-powered solutions, and digital platforms focused on perimenopause and menopause support.

Trend - The growing focus on mental wellbeing in North America, has extended to kid's toys, with some brands offering interactive experiences that help distract children from challenging emotions. These wellbeing-focused toys also help teach children productive coping skills for stress and anxiety.

Insight - The last few years have put a spotlight on mental health, especially as the pandemic caused an uptick in people's feelings of anxiety and sadness globally. In North America, this coincided with the already-existing "wellness" movement, where consumers began exploring stress-reduction through both traditional and "new age" means. This shift has impacted how consumers choose to raise their kids--they're now prioritizing their children's mental health as part of their overall development.

Trend - The current 90s revival in pop culture has extended to toys that were once central in the childhoods of Millennials and Gen X. Brands are now re-releasing classic 90s toys, or using them as inspiration in new products—evoking nostalgia while still appealing to young consumers.

Insight - The Y2K revival in fashion, tv, toys and other culturally infuenced trends has appeal for a wide range of consumers--either Gen Z who view 90s and early 2000s' trends as aesthetic inspiration, or Millennials and Gen X who remember these trends from their youth. When it's effectively done, evoking nostalgia either creates emotional connections with customers, or appeals to consumers who romanticize the past.

Trend - Culinary brands are fostering more involved interactions in the home with instructional cooking content that is easy for kids to enjoy and follow along to, while having them learn a useful skill and creating engaging experiences between family members.

Insight - Many Millennial and Gen X parents are using the influence of tech on their children's lives as a way to get them involved in the various hobbies and skills that they'll develop over the years. Content that engages kids visually or in a way that aligns with their tech-based habits is a way to create more impactful learning experiences for a generation that is growing up in a digital world.

Trend - Due to mobility issues and/or other age-related disabilities, senior citizens find it more difficult to connect, travel, exercise, and enjoy outdoor activities. Brands are leveraging the accessibility of the metaverse to create tailored experiences that address these problem areas. Services emphasize social interaction and immersion in the metaverse.

Insight - The pandemic caused levels of perceived isolation to worsen, leading to elderly people feeling even more disconnected from their friends and communities. These individuals found it harder to remain active and access daily services. The rapidly-advancing metaverse arose as a space for innovation in these areas, leading to brands creating curated experiences for elderly people that help with socialization, exercises, mental stimulation, and services such as banking or healthcare.

Trend - To tackle senior mobility challenges, various "age tech" startups have opted to reinvent one of humankind's first walking aids: the cane. These reimagined canes boast sleek contemporary designs and feature high-tech elements such as built-in sensors, biometric activity trackers, and cell data.

Insight - Thanks to tech-enabled advancements in elderly care, today's senior population is actively adopting an 'Age in Place' approach to living. Aging in place describes the process of growing older independently in one's own home. As more seniors embrace this approach, the need for sophisticated mobility solutions that are safe for independent use has become critical. A notable example of this comes from startups that have turned the traditional walking stick into the connected cane.