Redirection

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 - As inflation financially constrains consumers, cashback programs from banks and businesses are becoming more popular. Now, some brands are focusing on consumers with greater or more specific needs with these reward systems--including students, caregivers and those struggling with high costs.

Insight - Rapid inflation, price gouging and stagnant wages are impacting North Americans, and more people are looking for ways to reduce their daily expenses in order to manage. Consumers are now turning to discount businesses and increasingly relying on brands that accommodate the barriers they face in order to retain their financial stability (or achieve it).

Trend - Bubble tea options have expanded into ready-to-drink formats, and even brewing companies are taking inspiration from the beverage's ingredients. Specialty brews with creamy textures, tapioca pearls, brown sugar and fruity flavors offer a new take on the popular Taiwanese beverage.

Insight - Gen Z and Millennials are adventurous eaters, with these generations more likely to try new F&B products and explore global foods. Their openness to F&B has been impacted by social media--where being introduced to global cuisines or novelty foods is the norm. These demographics seek out new food experiences and purchase from brands that prioritize authenticity when replicating traditional foods.

Trend - CPG brands and restaurants are launching foods made with chai ingredients. Chai is popular in drinks for its strong, spicy, floral flavor, and its health benefits. This is now being made available to non-tea-drinkers in the form of snacks, breakfast bars, bakery items, and packaged goods.

Insight - The modern consumer in North America has countless flavors from international locations available to them for snacks, drinks, and foods. These consumers are willing to try new flavors, pairings, or interpretations of recipes, to find a new flavor, with priority given to functional foods. Some of the most popular flavors for drinks, such as chai tea or blue curacao in alcohol, are often only found in beverages, making it difficult for certain customers to ever try these flavors.

Trend - Esports continues to dominate the entertainment industry, and with the new opportunities in games, companies are racing to equip today’s students with the knowledge and experience needed to pursue a career in gaming. These initiatives include student esports leagues, esports management programs, and more.

Insight - As the global perception of gaming shifts, companies are recognizing how investing in educational esports initiatives can lead to increased interest in technology-driven careers. Esports encourages students to pursue further education and professions in STEM while also assisting them in developing new transferable and digital literacy skills. Additionally, providing students with an outlet to express their interests helps foster a mutually beneficial relationship with the educational institution.

Trend - Travel agencies are offering 'microcation' packages that include short-duration, event-packed getaways. These vacation are more affordable and are easier to plan than vacations, making them fit for customers of all ages. Microcations can also be taken in quick succession for versatility.

Insight - Each year, studies reflect that workers are taking fewer vacations and less off-time. This is due to rising costs of living, competitive workplaces, and scheduling constraints. As a result, many workers are gravitating toward microcations. These workers prefer microcations for the reduced cost, lowered environmental impact, the ease of slotting them into busy schedules, and the versatility of being able to take shorter vacations, but more frequently.

Trend - Pet brands are creating pet meal enhancers that are based in the same wellness trends that appeal to consumers for their own purchases. Cultured meat, alternative protein and wellness marketing are being re-presented to pet parents--allowing brands to stand out in a competitive market.

Insight - The "humanization" of pets is a trend that's pushed the growth of the pet care industry--where consumers' want the same standards and quality of life for their pets as they create for themselves. Now, more consumers are taking the same approach to buying for their pets as they do their own purchases--through educating themselves about the products, making ethical choices, and adapting their purchases to their pets' individual needs and preferences.

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 - 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 - Game developers are leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology to make games more immersive and less predictable. By using AI for non-player characters (NPCs), players can have more lifelike conversations with NPCs, build bonds with NPCs, and be more engaged overall.

Insight - Escapism and immersion are two of the largest draws to gaming for many consumers. However, while gaming offers respite from busy lives, consumers often purchase many games after growing bored of one game, as games become repetitive over time. As game prices continue to rise, many consumers are unable to purchase multiple full-price games a month. There is a market for games that offer excellent immersion and escapism without in-game actions feeling repetitive and pre-written.