Authenticity

Trend - Employees now expect flexibility, inclusion and higher standards of ethics from their employers. In response to these evolving expectations, businesses are investing in less formal educational toolkits for employees that promote workplace wellbeing, transparency and sustainable practices.

Insight - With remote or hybrid work now being commonplace, corporate culture is more casual than ever before. This shift partially reflects cultural changes like "anti-work" sentiment, where more people are likely to leave jobs that don't align with their lifestyles and values. Adapting to these changing expectations with more expansive training, wellbeing programs and benefits helps avoid high turnover rates.

Trend - Watchmakers are incorporating sustainable materials, such as ocean-bound plastics, into products. This offers customer the combination of luxury build quality and name, with the positivity associated with sustainable goods. This adds further value to luxury timepieces beyond status symbols, enabling new levels of self expression with timepieces.

Insight - Customers interested in collectible luxury goods are typically motivated by exclusivity, quality, and appearance. These consumers value products that fit their lifestyle, such as luxury watches that match outfits. As a reflexive action to these motivations, the luxury watch industry is filled with ultra limited-edition, ultra luxury iterations. However, these products are typically sold only on their complex composition and professional build quality, which may not fit into every consumers lifestyle due to environmental concerns. As a result, luxury watchmakers are now incorporating sustainable materials, such as ocean-bound plastics, into collectible timepieces.

Trend - Brands are integrating activism and charitable actions directly into business models and consumer loyalty programs. This helps consumers directly influence the amount of charitability from a business, making activist consumers more likely to frequently engage in these brands over others.

Insight - Voting with the dollar is a popular concept in North America. Consumers value brands that are transparent, authentic, and have a positive impact on the world. Some interact exclusively with these brands, while others prefer to do so when possible. Of the brands that engage in charity work, consumers prefer those that demonstrate their values with tangible actions. These consumers are more loyal to brands that integrate activism directly into the core business model.

Trend - Amid the rising cost of chicken set on by the pandemic, restaurants are turning to dark meat alternatives for chicken wings. Chicken thighs are meatier and often richer in taste, making them a popular choice for QSR brands across North America. These are served fried, tossed, or with sauces.

Insight - Restaurants were of the industries hit the hardest by the pandemic, with rising costs of supply and an ever-dwindling consumer base willing to dine in. Following the pandemic, while indoor dining has returned, prices and supply have yet to return to normal. Restaurants with affected supply sought alternative products to ensure steady supply and affordable pricing, creating demand for typically less-used parts of foods in North America, such as chicken thighs or feet.

Trend - Businesses across a variety of industries are debuting official artificial intelligence (AI) policies. These policies outline when and how AI should be used in workplaces to ensure that AI does not cause damage to the business in any way. This ensures AI is used optimally and productively.

Insight - Since the recent influx of highly utilizable AI tools in recent years, workers across numerous industries have looked to use AI to streamline workflow, improve efficiency, and more. These workers are in various levels of business, from entry-level to head office. This desire for efficiency causes many to overlook the potential harmful effects of AI, such as margin of error or ethical concerns. This created a need for many workplaces to launch formal AI policies to restrict usage.

Trend - Corporations are launching DEI programs and initiatives designed to support the careers and lives of neurodiverse employees. These programs ensure equality in hiring patterns, resource access, and worker compensation. These benefit businesses by improving employee satisfaction and retention.

Insight - In the post-pandemic working world, employees have many options for workplace culture, such as finding flexible working hours, locations, or compensation. Employees each have preferences, such as wanting more flexibility or a larger wage. However, workers quickly leave jobs where they feel they do not belong, resulting in high turnover for less desirable workplaces. Companies are avoiding this fault by launching new DEI initiatives that, in addition to other protected classes, support neurodivergent workers.

Trend - Self-driving vehicles with community-benefitting purposes are helping brands in this industry create more acceptance for AVs. Brands are offering services like free autonomous transportation and senior delivery services that create positive experiences with autonomous vehicles.

Insight - The AV industry has faced both legal and cultural challenges entering the market, with everything from safety concerns to arguments about job losses preventing self-driving vehicles to be fully accepted by consumers and institutions. As the industry aims to address these challenges, creating positive local experiences helps build trust for autonomous tech.

Trend - Companies in the production, retail, and logistics spaces are looking to artificial intelligence (AI) models to reduce emissions. The AI models help optimize production, cut-out excess waste, better manage inventory, and improve overall sustainability using predictive and analytical models.

Insight - In recent years governmental regulatory bodies have placed increased pressure on businesses to reduce emissions and go green. As a response to this, many businesses have made green commitments with strict timeframes, often aiming to achieve net-zero emissions in a matter of a decade. These businesses aim to achieve these goals without reducing their profit margins, meaning they often do not want to hire new departments. As such, they are increasingly turning to analytical AI models.

Trend - Independent developers are using shared protocols to create decentralized content aggregator platforms. Companies do not own or moderate these platforms, which offers better privacy than large alternatives. Many of these platforms communicate with one another to form the 'Fediverse.'

Insight - Social media users are becoming increasingly dissuaded from the popular websites due to changes in moderation. Undesirable policy changes such as restrictive guidelines, feature monetization, and centralized control have led to users gravitating towards alternatives created by independent developers. Users prioritize privacy, personalization, and freedom on social media platforms, leading to several decentralized platforms that form the federalized metaverse, or the Fediverse.

Trend - Vintage, secondhand, and upcycled wedding accessories are items that have been previously owned or used but are still in good condition and can be incorporated into a wedding ensemble. These accessories offer a unique and sustainable alternative to new, mass-produced items without the hefty price tag.

Insight - Many couples today prioritize sustainability and want to reduce their ecological footprint, especially when it comes to their wedding. For the eco-friendly bride, having a wedding that is kind to the environment provides peace of mind, especially knowing the people who made the assets were appropriately compensated for their time and work. By investing in sustainable wedding assets, couples contribute to a more sustainable and resource-efficient economy while giving new life to old pieces.