U.S.-based research and marketing agency The Fresh Ideas Group has focused much of its efforts on creating a synergy in communications between the organic and environmentally conscious industries and the public. The Company's most recent news release trumpets the influence of women in 2010. Retailers, take note! This information paves the way for creative merchandising. Typically, you may merchandise for special days in which the woman of the house might be the centre of attention (a birthday, Mother's Day, an anniversary), but think outside the box with a few nuggets of information. According to FIG, women make up to 85% of all consumer purchases. Additionally, household roles are evolving and changing, so also consider merching with the man of the house in mind, since, according to FIG, "retailers should put forth cooking classes, play groups, packaging design and in-store events should all do a better job of embracing men as caregivers." Food for thought.
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Our 2010 Consumer Trends Forecast: The New SHEconomy
Presented by The Fresh Ideas Group
SHE is highly educated and working hard, both at home and at the office. SHE is worried about climate change globally and the environment in her own backyard. SHE is worried about children's diets and health. SHE is not indulging in much, in order to reduce expenses. SHE is making most of the purchasing decisions for her family, and SHE is reshaping commerce and culture as we know it. It is the new SHEconomy. Oh, and SHE is tired.
Our Third Annual FIG Consumers Trends Forecast finds the overwhelming influence of women on 2010 so profound, we're naming the entire forecast in her honor. HIStory may prove us wrong.
We serve up for 2010 our forecast of "The New SHEconomy" with the disclaimer that the HE in our society is still very much an influence, but with some new roles at last, as both genders face another sobering year with healthy doses of pragmatism learned in 2009.
* IN
* She
* Saving
* Nurturing
* Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt)
* Practical
* Prudence
* "Nonprecious" organic
* Small bites
* Good
* Vintage brands
* Human-fueled energy
* Salad bar for school lunch
* Agave or cane sugar
* Gluten-free worth tasting
* Value
* Board games
* Truth
* Wellness insurance
* Nonprofit
* Recycled plastic
* Real
* Car repair
* Slow recovery
* Resilience
o OUT
o Ignorance of She
o Spending
o Narcissism
o Aries (God of War)
o Fancy
o Decadence
o Elitist organic
o Living large
o Glam
o Brand-new
o Fossil-fueled energy
o Chocolate milk for lunch
o High fructose corn syrup
o Cardboard gluten-free
o Price
o Games by boards
o Spin doctoring
o Health care insurance
o Profitless
o Virgin plastic
o Faux
o Newly purchased car
o Quick turnaround
o Resistance to change
* Women in the Driver's Seat: Due in part to deep layoffs of men, women are poised to become the majority of workers for the first time in 2010, according to The Wall Street Journal. Women also make up to 85% of all consumer purchases. Given this new position of stature, women will continue to make changes to the way our workplaces are structured (think flexibility), will vote with their dollars (think convenience and health) and will evolve the meaning of "working woman" along the way. The goddess Artemis is pointing her arrow at a new era in women's influence on commerce and culture.
* Men in the Grocery Aisles: With more men bearing the brunt of the down economy, and more highly educated women outearning their husbands, men will also be adapting to a new role: one that may very well include more cooking, shopping and child care. Natural Foods Merchandiser notes that the number of men shopping in natural foods stores has jumped from 24% of all consumers to 36%. "Dude"-friendly diaper bags aren't the only tool that savvy marketers and retailers should put forth cooking classes, play groups, packaging design and in-store events should all do a better job of embracing men as caregivers.
* Retro Transportation Solutions: While many citizens will remember "Cash for Clunkers," a few more telling, albeit quiet, events took place in '09. During the first quarter, more bikes were sold in the U.S. than cars or trucks: Around 2.6 millions bikes were purchased compared to 2.5 million cars and trucks. And Americans on the move took 10.7 billion trips on trains, buses and subways, a record ridership in 52 years. Americans will continue to seek alternative transportation to save money, stay fit and reduce carbon emissions. As a result, cities and municipalities will continue to invest in alternative transportation infrastructures and expansion of pedestrian- and bike-friendly paths. Smart retailers should be making space for bike racks. Look for European bike brands with more space for carrying kids and groceries on the streets in '10.
* The New Flexitarian Workplace: In the SHEconomy smart employers will push their 9-to-5 comfort zones and get creative with work schedules, benefits and even workplace "place." Top women executives will push for results-oriented work cultures where flexibility is a given and military-like HR policies are no more. Health reform won't wait, with women pushing for wellness programs and alternative medicine benefits. ROWE1 (Results Only Work Environments) will become a catch phrase for hip companies who know they need to keep HER on their payroll.
* Pragmatic Plates: Restaurant eaters will continue to trade down from pricey to pragmatic in their dining out choices,2 making cheap but hearty ethnic eateries and down-home diners more appealing than fancy white table cloth dining destinations. Look for a proliferation of affordable noodle bowl and tacqueria restaurants and a big push on roving restaurants in Airstreams and former burrito trucks. Grocery grab-and-go choices will expand and grow in both natural and grocery channels as families increasingly dine around the home table, even if the food is microwaved.
* Pint-Sized Palates: Kid Foodies (coined �Koodies� by Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert) with sophisticated palates are challenging their parents to keep the menu interesting, and surprising grandparents by turning up their noses at white bread and hotdogs. We predict product introductions featuring unusual twists on everyday kids' favorites like gourmet PB&Js, Asian-influenced easy lunches, Mexican-themed snacks and beverages and also increased culinary change on the school lunch menu as well.
* "Nonprecious" Organic: Organic foods will continue to land and expand on the shelf in mainstream grocery chains from Target to Costco to Safeway while private label organic products in Whole Foods Markets and Trader Joes will make increasing one's organic shopping share more affordable than ever before. We measure "nonprecious" in this category as priced within 20% of the same conventional product but produced in accordance to USDA standards for organic. In 2009 this already took place with 48% of the baby salad greens category sold in organic, according to ACNielsen.
* Pass the Soda; Hold the Sugar and the Energy Drinks: President Obama has proposed a "soda tax" on sugar-sweetened drinks, Renegade Lunch Ladies led by Chef Ann Cooper are ousting chocolate milk and high fructose corn syrup from cafeterias, and health-aware parents are reading labels more closely to reduce their children's sugar consumption. We see a wave of new and reformulated lower sugar products for kids of all ages and believe high fructose corn syrup will soon land in the same place as trans fats, demonized and disallowed.
* Supercharged Foods and Calories That Count: Truly nutritionally charged ingredients will be a mantra for 2010. Counting calories alone will not be as important as assessing the quality of those calories. Salba will be the next supergrain, and superfruits like acai, yumberry and mangosteen will jump from the beverage aisle to jam jars and frozen foods. Grams of fiber and whole grains will be the competitive bragging claims for cereals and snack foods. Empty calories will be frowned upon increasingly.
* Health Under the Magnifying Glass: We see new competitive spirit and reporting on healthiest versus least healthy states, counties and cities. Call them geographic fat wars. Look for increases in health insurance premiums based on level of healthfulness for employees and employer-sponsored contests to incent healthy habits like quitting smoking, reducing cholesterol levels and maintaining regular exercise. And it will soon become unacceptable by all moms and dads for schools to not offer P.E. daily. The semantics of health geography will become more common, with more open dialogue of health food deserts3, morbidly obese enclaves and other unhealthy realities.
Source: The Fresh Ideas Group
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