Art & Design Consumer Insights

Trend - Brands are launching lawnmowers that take advantage of modern artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. These lawnmowers can automatically patrol lawns with minimal human input. This saves consumers time to spend on more important tasks. These mowers are controlled by apps for simplicity.

Insight - Modern smart homes have nearly every product powered by AI. Consumers are quick to adopt AI doorbells, security systems, vacuums, and more. These consumers strive for automation that improves their quality of life by completing basic tasks and subsequently reducing stress by creating more free time. These consumers are willing to pay premium prices for products that are more efficient, leading to brands launching AI-powered lawnmowers and yard cleaners to reduce maintenance time.

Trend - Brands are creating towels woven with a waffle-like pattern. These towels dry faster, are more absorbent, and are naturally antibiotic when compared to traditional towels. Towels styled like this are also less prone to mold or unwanted scents due to the aerated design.

Insight - With rising water and energy costs in many regions, consumers are becoming more conscious of how often each textile must be cleaned to remain sanitary. These consumers are drawn to products that stay fresher for longer, effectively saving time and money on cleaning. One such area of concern is the bathroom, where people often leave the same towel for hand-drying for long periods. These consumers are investing in waffle-woven towels for their antibacterial and fast-drying traits.

Trend - Automakers are releasing premium motorhomes with durable, rugged builds designed for off-roading. These motorhomes are easier to move around on and off road, making them better for camping than traditional motorhomes. Additionally, rugged motorhomes resist more extreme weather conditions.

Insight - When many consumers go camping or go on road trips frequently, they often choose to invest in a motorhome, rather than renting cottages and camping setups in each location. These consumers prefer motorhomes for the versatility in location, ease of mobility, and the reliable access to resources they provide. However, many motorhomes can only be towed by large trucks, and are too heavy to be suited for off-roading. This creates a market space for rugged, off-roading-ready motorhomes.

Trend - Globally, discarded electronics have become a huge source of waste. For some interior design and jewelry brands, this waste presents an opportunity to repurpose materials and create upscale decorative pieces. Furniture and jewelry pieces made from e-waste offer sustainability and a unique selling point.

Insight - The popularity (and often, necessity) of electronics, coupled with brands creating products with shorter life cycles, has had a huge impact on global waste in the last 20 years. Consumers are becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of even "upscale" investments, and more are choosing brands that operate on sustainable business models. These consumers turn to businesses that are able to seamlessly merge sustainable principles with contemporary design.

Trend - Restaurants and food brands are launching pastries infused with both taro and cheese, combining the sweet, nutty flavor of taro with the rich, savory flavor of cheese. Taro is traditionally found in dishes across East Asia and is now gaining popularity in pastries in North America.

Insight - Consumers are drawn to pastries for their versatility. Pastries can be sweet and sugary, fruity and healthy, or rich and savory. Each consumer may have different preferences, leading to brands consistently experimenting with new ingredients to include in pastries. Some brands have responded to this pressure by looking to cultural recipes from other regions. Out of these recipes, customers in North America have shown interest in mixed taro and cheese pastries for their blended flavors.

Trend - Brands that specialize in the outdoor kitchen market are adapting to consumers' evolving lifestyles with small, modular grilling systems. These products feature multiple functions and cooking options, and their easily stored designs cater to a broader range of consumers.

Insight - As more consumers live in small spaces, often with limited (or no) outdoor space, they're having to be more creative with their home purchases. These consumers seek out modular designs, multifunctionality, and compact products in order to make the best use of their space and money. As more people turn to small-space living in response to rising housing costs, brands that specialize in interior design, tech, and home products are having to adapt to better suit their needs.

Trend - Brands are launching laptops, mini computers, and full-size computer cases without fans to reduce noise. These computers uses passive cooling through various heatsink technologies to lower the active temperature of the components without needing to power fans. The benefit of this technology is silent operation and reduced power consumption at a slightly increased cost.

Insight - Consumers who build DIY computers do so for a variety of reasons. While some customers desire the most performance for the lowest cost, others are willing to pay a premium for unique designs, specific technologies, or quieter operation. On the other hand, workplaces that require each worker to have a computer focus on different metrics, such as cost-effectiveness and operation volume, as running many loud computers would be detrimental to productivity. As such, one common consumer pressure from the business and individual side is volume, placing pressure on PC brands to create solutions for low-noise PCs through various means.

Trend - Just a few years after AI-powered chefs debuted in numerous restaurant pilots, brands are now adapting this technology to the home kitchen. These cooking devices help ensure consistency in cooking while making the process more efficient due to their advanced AI.

Insight - Luxury consumers favor convenience and automation in the home as time-saving measures, rather than cost-saving ones. These consumers have extra money they are willing to spend to make their busy lives easier, leading to fully-equipped smart homes or appliances on timers. One area these strive for more automation in is the kitchen. Previously, these consumers would hire personal human chefs if they did not enjoy cooking themselves. Brands are filling this luxe gap through the use of AI.

Trend - Users on various social media pages are sharing simplistic, personalizable pasta recipes with cheese as a base. These recipes are accessible enough for any user to join the trend and versatile enough for each content creator to add their own touch to the viral dishes.

Insight - One of the main attractions to food and home cooking is that it brings people together. One evergreen desire for modern consumers is interpersonal connection. People enjoy cooking with their families, friends, and even strangers. When people find breakthroughs or believe strongly in a dish, they take to the internet to share it with others worldwide. These recipes become viral due to a consumer desire for connection and interaction with content creators and other users.

Trend - Brands in the home appliance space are launching smart fridges with UV light-controlled crispers that mimic the sun cycle. These fridges extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables and ensure the foods retain as many vitamins as possible. This technology saves consumers money and time.

Insight - As North American consumers become more interested in personal health and wellness, these consumers incorporate this lifestyle into their daily routines. This includes healthy eating, exercise, and other wellness products. However, as natural, organic foods often retail for more than the regular alternatives, these consumers aim to reduce costs and preserve their foods for longer. This created a space in the industry for smart storage appliances that extend the life of foods.