As we grow deeper into the ‘technological age’, the actively engaged consumer is being educated; we are downloading and processing data like cyborgs. Consumers are sharing and consuming more digital data than ever before, and ‘conscious brands’ are seeing the benefits. These shared brand experiences are also showing shifts in a new type of ‘conscientious’ consumer. Knowledge of ‘self’ and the world around us is driving shifts in consumption behaviour resulting in new brand trends. We are becoming ever more aware of how our behaviour, and the behaviour of the brands we choose, affects us, others and industry. This has resulted in us seeing a growth in healthy and ethical habitual brand choices.
From the tax contributions a global company pays, to the origins of their raw materials, consumers are making ‘informed’ daily decisions about the brand content and what they are buying into. Partly fuelled by the media and partly in direct response to the rise of ‘digital tools’, we are increasing our knowledge of ourselves and the world. Perhaps the biggest area for this to have impact on is health. With apps available to keep record of every morsel consumed and then another app to show how those calories are burnt, many consumers have bought into health and nutrition in a big way. The global health and wellness market is growing at an exponential rate, with healthy food and beverages outperforming their non-health and wellness counterparts. Whether it be raw juices, active leisure wear, fitness devices or alternative organic and natural food products, health is trending in a big way.
So where is all this heading? And what can existing and future brands learn from this? Ewa Hudson, Global Head of Health and Wellness Research at Euromonitor International suggests “These markets should not be overlooked and instead should be considered an innovation hotspot promoting a more personalised approach to nutrition, with a focus on areas such as brain and vision health or food intolerance”.
Personal ‘consumption mapping’ has been hinted at, and we think future brand innovations and app design will come from a combination of medical nutritional profiling, being used to recommend personal dietary and fitness needs, which in turn will prompt brands to market themselves for tailored solutions. Consumers will no longer have to buy health products in ‘good faith’ of them being beneficial to them.
With a mapping service and app, everyone will be able to consume specifically based on how well their own bodies process and convert nutritional compounds into energy, and will therefore direct them to what best to consume based on their body’s needs. Companies that can harness these new tech-led brand trends, allowing consumers to make informed decisions and make conscious choices of how to look after our bodies, are a sure bet for future success. We can’t wait to see what happens next!
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