Do you remember when people were stockpiling essentials? Or almost stopped going to physical stores to reduce the health risk? And what about the increase of reliance on e-commerce? The market of fast-moving consumer goods faced some considerable changes during the pandemic. Yet, with vaccination rates increasing, people are reclaiming their lives, also when it comes to shopping. They ‘rebound and rebalance’, which is also the theme of our 2022 Consumer Trends Report that outlines 10 consumers trends that will shape the year to come.
But how do these trends manifest in different sectors? And what does this mean for brands active in this space? In this second blogpost in a series of five, we zoom in on the key trends for consumer goods in 2022.
As part of our ongoing self-improvement journey, we are all striving to meet our goals. Yet, people will increasingly set habits that mirror their own internal rhythms and cycles. It’s about setting rituals that help find a balance between listening to our body and mind, while aspiring success. This prominent trend, with a global trend score of 84%, is what we label as ‘Considered Rituals’. Brands can play a significant role in supporting consumers’ self-improvement journeys by inspiring positive rituals.
Australian brand MOOD, for example, helps consumers to enhance their mood via the ritual of drinking tea. Whether it’s about calming down, raising positive feelings, or boosting energy levels, MOOD tea has different blends to cater for it all. Touched by the high suicide rates in Australia, the design-centric tea brand raises awareness of suicide prevention and funds mental-health projects. Mood’s mission is to save lives, one cup of tea at a time.
Next to looking for brands that inspire them to install positive yet realistic rituals, consumers increasingly want to find meaning in the things they use. Even to the extent that they take pride in creatively extending the life cycle of their possessions instead of buying new. We label this trend, with a global trend score of 75%, as ‘Extending Life’.
A brand that taps into the ‘Extending Life’ trend is Swedish coffee roastery Löfbergs. As even the smallest flaw – such as a grinding level that is not exactly as expected – makes high-quality coffee unsellable, the brand was looking for a partner that could help to reduce coffee waste. Together with convenience store and gas station Circle K, Löfbergs set up the Rescued Coffee project. The coffee sold at the gas stations is a combination of three different kinds of roast that would otherwise probably be thrown away. The coffee sold out quicker than expected, indicating that consumers are fully on board with this ‘rescued coffee’ idea.
Another example is how Green Price is starting a grocery revolution in Hong Kong by offering a selection of high-quality, short-dated products at discounted prices in its stores. By providing a convenient and affordable way for people to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, Green Price wants to mitigate food waste.
Consumers, increasingly aware of environmental issues, also start to deepen their understanding of social justice. This triggers them to question things which have always been presented as ‘normal’. Traditional norms are challenged and dismissed as consumers are looking for more realistic depictions of life. Why don’t we see mature people in advertising? Why can’t a woman propose to a man? Why is menopause still a taboo? Consumers expect brands to represent life as it is, realistically. With a global trend score of 61%, this trend we label as ‘Redefining Normal’ can be considered nascent.
Unilever Says No to Normal and puts this trend into practice by promoting a new positive beauty vision. One of the first steps was eliminating the word ‘normal’ from all of their beauty and personal care brands’ packaging and advertising.
Inspired by these trends but not sure what to do next?
Check out our blogpost on three ways to take trends forward for actionable next steps.
We’d love to showcase what Culture + Trends can do for your brand. So get in touch to request your showcase!
As experts in people-centric future thinking, we identified 10 consumer trends for 2022, and we validated these with 15,000 consumers in 17 markets around the globe. This report shows the emerging trends that are shaping the 2022 consumer.
Request your download
Written by Anita Janssen
Take a closer look at 3 trends in domestic appliances & Household care from our What Matters 2023 Report. Read more here.
Written by Delphine Vantomme
Take a deeper dive into what trends are coming up in Beauty. A closer look at the industry from our What Matters Trend Report.
Written by Scott Lee
From our 2023 What Matters Trend Report, find a closer look at 4 trends in Finance and what you can expect to see in this industry.