Watching the Trends

By Sherri Collins

Editor, Pet Product News International

Out with the old, in with the new—year that is. The final turn of the calendar always engenders reflections and predictions—and lists, lots of lists. Best this, worst that, most overrated, least appreciated, it seems everyone—expert, novice, dilettante, wonk—has a list of something that you simply “must” read. Not wanting to be an odd man (or person, for the PC inclined) out, I have a list to share, too. This one comes to you from Trendwatching.com, which just released its briefing on “10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2010.”

What will 2010 bring to consumers in general and retailers specifically? For starters, Trendwatching.com says it will be another interesting year, as sellers and buyers alike try to figure out if the recession is truly over. Even if money is still tightly held on to, there will be plenty of recession-resistant opportunities for those who can capture a trend and take advantage of its dollar-generating momentum. People will always be looking for innovations, be they practical or silly, penny-pinching or extravagant. So, without further distraction, here are Trendwatching.com’s 10 trends for 2010.

1. Business as Unusual. The old tried and tired methods of doing business are out and transparency, honesty and sustainability (in all its meanings) are in. Instead of talking at consumers, talk with them; instead of being safe and bland, try edgy and daring—in other words, be different.
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2. Urbany and Urban Pride. In 2008, for the first time more people worldwide lived in urban areas than in rural ones. Accordingly, Trendwatching’s definition of Urbany is an extreme push toward urbanization and, as such, represents a greater mass of sophisticated and demanding consumers who will be eager to shape more “unusual” goods and services.
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3. Real-Time Reviews. With the ever-growing connectivity and real-time sharing of everything they experience, consumers will truly be the ones determining what succeeds and what fails with an immediacy not seen before. The key to dealing with this is either to offer superlative performance (hence no bad reviews) or get consumers involved from day one.
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4. (F)luxury and Limited Locations. Luxury in flux will be a hallmark of 2010 as what constitutes luxury changes along with the beholder’s eye. Exclusive and scarcity will still be watchwords, but what falls under their sway will depend on what unique attributes consumers value.
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5. Mass Mingling. Contrary to declarations of isolation, social media is driving people to be, well, more social. Cases in point are the popularity of Twitter, Foursquare, Google Latitude, Loopts and FireEagle, all of which are about following, finding, tracking and meeting up with interesting people. Anything that gets people to stay in touch and meet up with each other should have a decided edge.
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6. Eco-Easy. The environment will matter, but being green needs to transition to an inevitable form (i.e., the only viable option), making it easy for consumers to do the right and necessary thing.
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7. Tracking & Alerting. In tandem with mass mingling, keeping track of and being alerted to things as they happen (such as new products on offer, a quick and impromptu sale, where an item/shipment/person is now) are actually things consumers want, need and can benefit from—and so can retailers by offering them.
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8. Embedded Generosity. The pet industry has a leg (or four) up on this one, with many companies giving a percentage of proceeds to charities. For the rest of the world, products and services that incorporate “painless” giving and donating will become de rigueur. In addition, co-donation programs (e.g., buy this and we’ll give that) will also gain favor.
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9. (and 10) Profile Myning & Maturialism. The last two trends probably won’t affect the pet industry too much—for now. The first involves how consumers will benefit from their control of their online profiles, perhaps pooling their efforts into a bargaining presence. The second is the maturation of the material world, where the breaking of old-school conventions and restrictions will be the norm. As purveyors of products that reach all ages, you probably won’t be running slightly risqué or controversial ads or promos anytime soon.

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