From 2021, consumers choose to live differently, no more hectic decisions, but rather a slower and more focused behavior in every field. Here are the top 4 trends to watch.
The past year has left us all with many open questions about the years to come. The world constantly and unexpectedly changes, and we’re bombarded with information that we can’t always handle. So the main question is – in these times, when we understand how fragile our life and routine are, how can we predict trends and plan our moves ahead?
In the past, when we wanted to predict consumers’ trends, we looked for anything that was new, changing and renewing. Now that everything seems to change all the time, all we can do is look at current human behavior and predict future trends according to the strong common base that has been connecting us all this past year. That is why, in order to predict trends that would affect people, their consuming habits and behaviors, we should focus on a term that would follow us in the years to come: “Humanity”. Humanity is a huge term, and it’s comprised of items such as: family relations, a connection to my environment and nature, staying connected to my soul and keeping personal connections. Nearly all future trends will revolve around these trends; from interior design and urban-conscious design, through food and eating culture, fashion and popular consumerist culture, to sharing data and information.
Here’s a list of some micro-trends that will help us understand this mega trend and act according to its principles:
1# Feeling good and projecting it on Our Surroundings
Remember this sentence and think about it next time you browse Instagram stories or TikTok: in our contemporary lives, feeling good and showing it, is much more important than simply looking good. These last few months, people have learned to prefer community activities, enjoy a picnic in nature and support local businesses. We want, first and foremost, to feel good in our environment and protect it, which is why the topic of sustainability has been prominent in recent discussions. This may seem like a worn-out trend, but sustainability is here to stay. It’s one of the greatest segments in the world of consumerism, product design and corporate agenda and is even more accurate these days considering this year’s events. Recognizing this trend can offer a source of inspiration and help companies with committing to an agenda, writing their product story or optimized consumer experience in the years to come.
2# The Materials Constructing Our Environment
The need for personal wellbeing, feeling well and having a strong connection to our environment and nature, is a great opportunity to test our surroundings. The materials from which our clothes, furniture, food, and everything else we consume are made; the raw materials are the heart of it all. Since natural materials remind us of the ancestral place from which we have come, and thus give us a sense of belonging to a much larger and more ancient story, investing in research and developing materials can lead to creating accurate products for consumers who seek to connect to themselves and to nature, and who would gladly to find it in the products they buy.
The materials from which we create these new products should (at least to some extent) be produced according to the principles of sustainability, and if possible, as close as they can be to their natural form. These will be the standard in the years to come. Which is why if you are at the early stages of product, service or an agenda development, make sure that it’s based on these principles, because this seems to be an obvious demand to the consumer.
3# Back to the Roots
Nostalgia plays a big part in the current world of consumers. Simply because it constantly reminds us of who we are, what we loved as children, pleasant memories from the past, and perhaps, what can be restored today that would connect us to that comforting memory.
In the current version of this trend, people won’t seek to reminisce with old music or timeless polaroid pictures, but rather go back to their pre-historic roots – such as tracking their ancestral family tree and uncovering their real roots, understanding what really happened in humanity’s history, and not just believing what they were taught; discovering ancient foods that have disappeared, and working with natural and raw materials. All these are actions that help us deepen and discover the material and experiences of which our real identity, character and culture are made.
There’s no need to panic and think that we’ll start wearing traditional clothes and live in the mountains, but we can expect that following this trend, we’ll see more and more technological companies and innovative entrepreneurships trying to connect people to their roots through products and experiences, with a touch of the prehistoric period. Scientists and designers will work together to create materials that simulate raw materials in nature, hand-made products will be presented through technologies such as 3D exhibitions. Chefs and chemists will work together to try and recreate materials that no longer exist and that appeal to our modern palette.
4# We’re all Responsible
If there’s one thing that we learned this year, is that we’re all responsible for things happening around us. People are part of nature, but we’ve meddled a bit too much with the world around us, and now, the only way to retrieve the relation between man and nature is by taking responsibility. Our life and the lives of those close to us, is our responsibility. It’s time to take responsibility over the places we visit, the food we consume, and the products we throw out. Being truly responsible for such actions is going to greatly affect trends and consumers’ behaviors. Because this is when people will start to change their habits, change the way they spend their money and think twice about the time and resources they invest in buying products compared to the time and resources they invest in their experiences, as well as the value of each action they take or products they buy. This doesn’t mean that we’ll stop buying or wasting money – it just means that we’ll contemplate on every item we consume and will gladly invest in products and experiences related to nature and promote it, rather than contradict its needs. From hotel and resort vacations operating according to the principles of sustainability, all the way to cosmetics with a highly developed social agenda.
From 2021, consumers choose to live differently, no more hectic decisions, but rather a slower and more focused behavior in every field. No more living big, but rather rejoicing in what we have, sharing it with our loved ones, and nurture it wisely. No more unquenched thirsts, but rather a calculated and sober understanding of what we consume. From a culture of spending and wasting, to a routine of sharing and slow indulgence of what we already have right under our nose.
Interested to learn more about consumer behavior trends? Read, The New self-care routine report.