In the past year, we’ve spent more time at our homes than in any other place. The pandemic has forced us to fulfil all our needs from home: office, gym, school, and restaurant – all in our living room. It was chaotic at first, but we’ve learned to have it all under just one rooftop. In 2021, people will continue seeking solutions to transform their homes from a living place to a comfort space. Here are some key market shifts that will shape our future life at home:
Comfortable Design
Home has become where we work, socialize, and exercise, and while in 2020 we adjusted the way we lived, we’ve also started adjusting the spaces we live in. So it makes perfect sense that consumers are looking to design their homes with comfortable materials, furniture, and textiles. When working from home for long hours, we need furniture that is designed for our needs. Consumers will drop trends like mid-century minimalism (that has been very popular in the last 3 years) and choose a more comforting design, fluffy, smooth on the edges, sofas and chairs that allow lounging with ease.
Boutique Gym at Home
Athletic apparel sales plummeted in late April in the States, and European stores were closed amid the coronavirus pandemic. But the fitness routine was thriving at home! Following this trend, Canadian athleisure brand Lululemon acquired American live-stream screen tech businesses Mirror for $500m, aiming to “turn any space into a personal fitness studio”. Mirror is a reflective display with an in-built camera and speakers that allow users to stream workouts while watching themselves benchmark their performance with an instructor.
While this is a pretty advanced solution for gym addicts, it reflects how we visualize our home as an open space and allows us to follow our fitness routine without going outside.
We can call it the new boutique gym – whether it is fitness equipment we bought on amazon, a fancy yoga mat or innovative mirror – it’s entirely personalized, and help us make sure we don’t miss any class, stay healthy and in shape.
Meal Kits
In light of COVID-19, shoppers have a renewed appetite for meal kits, as they look for easy meal solutions and more in-home dining options. With the home dining experience becoming a whole new ritual during the pandemic, the meal kit industry has elevated the services it offers. For instance, the startup assembly kitchen, serving home-cooking kits from your favorite gourmet restaurants. These restaurants offer a menu so rich, you’ll have no reason to leave your house (check out their website). The size of the global meal kit delivery services market is expected to reach USD 19.92 billion by 2027, and the business opportunities are endless.
If you are interested in learning more about this heat and eat trend, check out our Meal Kit Industry Review.
For more on how consumer future, Read Consumer behavior trends 2021.