Brands cater to single consumers in celebratory, lighthearted ways
Implications - As consumers push off marriage to a later age and the stigma of being single diminishes, brands are catering to single consumers explicitly with the same level of enthusiasm and acceptance often built into couple-focused offerings. The idea of having one's life reflected in the products and services they interact with is important to consumers, especially Gen Z and Millennial consumers, and this shift toward celebrating independence speaks to that expectation.
Workshop Question - Are the things that make your customer unique reflected in the product and service that you offer?
Trend Themes
1. Celebrating Singlehood - As the stigma of being single fades and younger generations seek products to reflect their worldview, brands have started catering to singles with the same enthusiasm they have previously shown towards couple-focused offerings.
2. Low-interaction Dining - Japan's Ichiran has started normalizing solo dining with an anti-social experience that limits interaction and enhances focus on the flavors in the meal, showing potential for brands to innovate in this area and create new kinds of food experiences.
3. Subscription Boxes for Singles - Subscription services like SinglesSwag are curated specifically for single women and provide a fun way to pamper themselves while also empowering and inspiring them, showing the potential for brands to offer similar tailored packages for other communities.
4. Friendship-celebrating Events - Galentine's Day markets and pop-ups like Urban Outfitters' have emerged as ways to provide a different perspective on holidays like Valentine's Day and offer a space for friendship-celebrating events, creating opportunities for brands to curate similar experiences.
Industry Implications
1. Food & Dining - Innovative restaurant concepts like Ichiran's solo dining booths show the potential for the food and dining industry to create new kinds of eating experiences that prioritize focus and minimizes pressure of social cohesiveness.
2. E-commerce & Subscription Services - Subscription boxes like SinglesSwag demonstrate the potential for the e-commerce and subscription services industry to tap into the community-building needs of less-represented groups like single women.
3. Retail & Events - Friendship-celebrating events like Urban Outfitters' Galentine's Day pop-up present opportunities for the retail and events industries to create similar experiences aimed at empowering and catering to various consumer groups.
