5 trend predictions worth watching in 2014
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Birchbox. Love With Food. NatureBox. These are but a few of the successful subscription services that have cropped up in the natural, organic and healthy living space. Entrepreneur magazine is predicting we will see more companies embrace this direct-to-consumer model, which enables shoppers to sign up to receive regular shipments of healthy snacks, natural cosmetics and other products. The beauty of the subscription model, these companies say, is that it provides regularly recurring revenue and the ability to upsell consumers while building strong, long-term customer relationships. Investors have certainly proven interested in new e-commerce-based natural products companies, but is the subscription services model a fad or does it provide enough value to consumers that it will survive as a sustainable source of revenue for young natural products brands? The jury is still out on that question, but the lack of visibility into the long-term future of subscriptions sales isn't likely to keep companies from trying out this model in 2014. Read more about this prediction from Entrepreneur magazine.
We still love it, but even we agree that kale is so, well, 2013. In fact, Christine Couvelier, an executive chef and global culinary trendologist, is predicting that cauliflower “will definitely surpass kale this year,” according to a Huffington Post article. Given its versatility, cauliflower is the bomb—and is rising in popularity, thanks to growing interest in vegan and paleo eating. Yet, whether it’s this or another cruciferous that takes on kale in 2014 (broccoli is vying for its chance as well), the real trend emerging in all of this is the rise of vegetables overall and interest in eating whole, real, nutrient-packed foods. As the Huffington Post reports, “vegetables continue to be the center of the plate.” Read more about this prediction at Huffington Post.
No. 7 on Forbes magazine’s list of top 10 workplace trends for 2014 is the prediction that more companies will provide wellness programs for their employees. This seems like a “duh!” to us. The positive impact corporate wellness programs can have on a company’s bottom line and, more importantly, on the health, happiness and wellbeing of its employees is now well documented. Within our own natural products industry, we’ve seen companies such as Standard Process prove over and over again that it pays in more ways than one to actively care for health of your people. This trend made the Forbes list for 2014 in large part because of the Affordable Care Act. “Health and wellness will become one of the biggest conversations next year,” Forbes writes. This is good news for everyone, including the many nutrition and food companies within the natural industry which make and market products that can provide affordable wellness solutions for companies big and small. Read more about this prediction from Forbes magazine.
For several years now, we’ve been documenting the impact millennial shoppers are expected to have on everyone from natural products retailers to healthy living brands. These consumers, born in the early 1980s to the early 2000s, are an influential and large bunch that is redefining our culture, perplexing marketers, and shaping the future of technology. Millennials are also suffering, at least from a traditional economic perspective. According to the Pew Research Center, 36 percent of millennials were living with their parents in 2013. In 2012, a mere 63 percent of young adults had jobs, down from 70 percent in 2007. While this isn’t good for the bank accounts of our young Americans, Entrepreneur magazine is predicting that the lack of employment opportunity will motivate more millennials to become entrepreneurs. We certainly see this happening in the natural products world, with numerous companies—such as Dang Foods, Soapbox Soap and Everly, to name but a few—being launched and operated by savvy millennials. Read more about this prediction from Entrepreneur magazine.
As part of its non-stop 2014 trend reporting, Entrepreneur put together a list of “100 things you should be talking about in 2014.” Not surprisingly, much of the list is dominated by technology advancements (3D printing accessories and telepresence robots) and things that seem just plain odd (divorce parties and brands in space), Entrepreneur is predicting we’ll be talking about a lot of things that are already bubbling up in the natural products world. These include: * Savory yogurt (Blue Hill Yogurt launched a line of carrot-, tomato- and beet-inspired yogurt made from 100 percent grass-fed milk in 2013) * Fast food tofu (Hodo Soy is the company behind Chipotle’s popular sofritas, a tofu-based burrito filler that is being embraced by vegetarians and carnivores alike) * Ugly produce (Natural product retailers are among the voices singing the praises of less-than-perfect looking fresh fruits and vegetables. They may be ugly, but they are still nutritious, delicious and shouldn't end up in the garbage!) Read the full list at Entrepreneur magazine.
As part of its non-stop 2014 trend reporting, Entrepreneur put together a list of “100 things you should be talking about in 2014.” Not surprisingly, much of the list is dominated by technology advancements (3D printing accessories and telepresence robots) and things that seem just plain odd (divorce parties and brands in space), Entrepreneur is predicting we’ll be talking about a lot of things that are already bubbling up in the natural products world. These include: * Savory yogurt (Blue Hill Yogurt launched a line of carrot-, tomato- and beet-inspired yogurt made from 100 percent grass-fed milk in 2013) * Fast food tofu (Hodo Soy is the company behind Chipotle’s popular sofritas, a tofu-based burrito filler that is being embraced by vegetarians and carnivores alike) * Ugly produce (Natural product retailers are among the voices singing the praises of less-than-perfect looking fresh fruits and vegetables. They may be ugly, but they are still nutritious, delicious and shouldn't end up in the garbage!) Read the full list at Entrepreneur magazine.
We're always on the look out for trends that could be particularly influential for the natural products world. Here we offer a roundup of others' consumer, business, product and employment trend predictions that we believe should be on the radar of retailers and brands for the industry. Wishing you a healthy, prosperous and fulfilling 2014.
What are your favorite trend predictions for the coming year? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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