When thinking about starting their own business, aspiring entrepreneurs get caught up in a wave of trends. They try to create something similar to a strong and successful brand. But starting a business in a popular and competitive niche does not always succeed—it is sometimes difficult to keep up with trends.
Market and consumer trends tend to change cyclically and quickly. This has a direct impact on business. Consumer demand may decrease, and a popular product may not meet expectations and generate the desired income.
Yet, it is possible to build a successful business based on trends. The main thing is to study trends and focus on those that will remain in the popular ratings for several more years.
A person is a social being. He wants to make purchases that will not only be useful but also allow him to demonstrate his social status and position in society. Self-expression and standing out from the crowd are, in fact, normal needs for buyers. Thanks to this need, marketers can create new trends and launch mega-successful sales in e-commerce and beyond.
If a person is used to having breakfast in a certain coffee shop, ordering food delivery in the evening, watching TV series by subscription, or visiting a fitness center, it is unlikely that they will be able to give it up quickly. Consumer habits bring people pleasure and help them feel confident. The brain perceives such addictions as a reward. And if this reward is taken away, the person will feel uncomfortable. The body will begin to resist, and it will lead the consumer to buy in all possible and impossible ways.
For example, if a girl suddenly refuses a daily portion of good coffee in a cafe and some sweets, this forces her to change her habits, style, and life to some extent. Her emotions and mood change. In such a state, giving in and backing down is very easy. Therefore, those brands that could understand what the buyer needs and what buttons to press to retain the client will always be a step above their competitors.
Selling a product head-on has long been out of fashion. It is more profitable to play on consumers' emotions. Products should be presented through self-esteem, status, the ability to relieve stress, or the ability to improve one's health. It is not difficult to determine how exactly to sell a product. You just need to ask yourself—why does the client buy this product? For example, a girl who buys a dress does not need the dress itself. She needs the feeling that she is irresistible in this outfit.
Consumers' interests and values are constantly changing. This depends on many factors: the economic situation in the country, the environment, the external environment, the buyer's financial capabilities, his lifestyle, and the degree of interest in the product. A person makes a purchase decision based on all of these factors. This is how the client's behavioral model is formed, which is the basis for building a successful business in any niche.
But no matter what trends dominate the current situation, some key characteristics determine consumer behavior:
People buy things and products based on their financial capabilities. Entrepreneurs who provide customers with a choice of several categories of goods from different price segments most often win in the competitive struggle. When a buyer has the opportunity to make a rational choice, their level of trust in the brand increases.
In the modern world, it is important for customers to feel free, to make decisions about a purchase independently, regardless of outside opinions. Therefore, it is important to create conditions for the consumer to feel comfortable that a purchase is not imposed on him. For example, if a girl is a client of a spa salon, the administrator can offer her an additional service. But it should be remembered that the client should always be given the right to the final decision and time to think about it.
The market in almost every niche is overflowing with all sorts of goods and services. Brands that want to stay afloat try to keep up with competitors and constantly expand their product line. And in today's situation, this is instead a necessity.
After all, customers are already spoiled by a wide range of products. And they can buy from a rival brand only because there is more choice. The task of modern business is to try to satisfy the interests and needs of each buyer.
The popularity of a sure thing and its fashion appear in society. Then marketers, designers, PR specialists, and even white label link building services pick up this trend and turn it into a ready-made offer.
Often, people, in their desire to possess a certain thing, do not realize why they are buying it and why they need this product. Consumers are increasingly prone to impulsive purchases and unconscious spending because such a simple activity as online shopping brings instant satisfaction and improves mood.
Knowing your target audience well is not enough to offer customers the product they are interested in and that is trending. You must also understand which consumer groups are currently dominant and which group the buyer wants to belong to.
Understanding current trends opens up opportunities for creating new trends. Knowing whether a certain product will be in demand in a couple of years and which trade trends will be considered important allows you to use all this information to productively work on your own brand.
Typically, large companies devote considerable time and resources to studying consumer trends. Entire marketing departments are engaged in calculating the popularity of current factors, studying the impact of trends on demand, and finding out how many years a specific trend will be relevant for promotion in e-commerce.
Several global consumer trends are used by entrepreneurs and marketers to create and promote new products. Understanding these trends makes the brand formation process easier.
Information about consumer trends can be used to build your organization and competently organize business processes.
Shocking cosmetics components, the abundant presence of men in the beauty industry, neon colors on products and packaging, ideal faces carved out with the help of plastic surgery and Botox—all these bright experiments did not pass without a trace.
Consumers are tired of the frantic pace of life. Too much activity and a riot of colors have begun to depress them. And now, the trend towards calm and harmony is gaining popularity.
For the first time in several years, people have the opportunity to do nothing and not feel ashamed of it. In the last 2 years, there has been a clear trend towards peace.
When people want to spend the weekend in nature, alone with themselves or with their family, when they want to turn off their phone and leave the world of social networks, comfort, convenience, and the ability to relax are the main distinguishing features of this trend.
As marketers note, sales of beautiful and exclusive candles for the home, various body, face and hair care products have increased sharply recently. Home comfort items have acquired a special style - customers are offered to buy poufs, pillows, curtains, rugs in pastel colors.
Global changes have occurred even in the women's clothing segment. Now, comfortable and practical pajama-style suits, high-quality sneakers, and low-heeled shoes are in fashion.
From all sides, customers are shown a tendency towards harmony with themselves and the outside world. Well-known brands selling products in the premium segment also pick up this trend and successfully use it.
When environmentalists raised the alarm, people gradually began to listen to scientists' advice and try to use as little plastic as possible in everyday life. Many learned to sort garbage.
Marketers quickly picked up on this trend, and now the trend for conscious consumption is more popular than ever. Large brands began to refuse plastic packaging, replacing it with paper or recycled materials. Companies began to produce shoes and clothes from recycled tires.
According to statistics, about 37% of surveyed employees said that their employer's attitude to environmental issues is extremely important to them. About 50% of consumers responded that they would prefer a product packaged in paper or glass rather than plastic. But not all organizations can afford to give up plastic completely. That's why many brands communicate their commitment to the eco-trend in other ways.
For example, they tell readers in their blog about how they organize order delivery—when solar energy is used or the number of car trips is reduced to preserve the ozone layer and reduce emissions into the atmosphere.
Some clothing companies include nettle clothing in their product lines, accepting old items for recycling in exchange for new ones. This marketing move allows companies to raise eco-product prices and demonstrate to customers their involvement in conscious consumption and environmental care.
Due to the abundance of fast food and a sedentary lifestyle, people began to think about proper nutrition and adding physical activity to their daily routine. It became fashionable to be a vegetarian. Marketers, again, successfully promoted this trend, which today brings success to many organizations.
Sales of some products related to proper nutrition have grown quite well. People have become more interested in blenders, juicers, vegetable cutters, and fruit dryers. Eco-friendly dishwashing and laundry detergents have begun to appear on store shelves more and more often.
The desire of people to stand out in a crowd, express themselves, and demonstrate a certain social affiliation contributed to the emergence of another trend. Adding bright colors to everyday life has swept the world so much that famous brands such as Apple began to produce colored products. Sportswear manufacturers Nike and Reebok have also added products of all kinds of colors to their collections, which attract attention and make people want to buy them.
When creating color combinations, specialists rely on research data conducted on social networks and other platforms where a large audience gathers. Marketers analyze users' interests and preferences, not forgetting about fashion trends. The result is what buyers need at the moment.
According to experts, people subconsciously satisfy the need for safety, comfort, and positive emotions by choosing products of a certain color. Purchasing clothes in modern shades can also achieve a feeling of joy, freedom, and optimism.
One of this year's most popular colors was a shade called Very Peri, created specifically on the basis of blue with the addition of a violet-red undertone. This lavender color symbolizes resourcefulness, energy, courage, and creativity.
Going to a restaurant, going to the sea, imitating idols, taking fancy photos with expensive cars, wearing premium clothes, and having a carefree attitude toward all elements of glamour are what distinguish this trend.
For some reason, the concept of success has been dramatically distorted; now, imitating bloggers and other media personalities is considered a standard. Visual content that reflects a beautiful, carefree life wins in comparison with other, equally high-quality content.
Therefore, if an entrepreneur wants to win the hearts of successful youth buyers, this is the kind of content that should be published, even if you don’t want to.
Of course, you can achieve popularity and a large audience reach without publishing fancy images. But this method is proven, fast, and inexpensive. If your business is tied to selling women's clothing, it will not be difficult to depict a beautiful life.
To shoot such content, you will need several professional models, a photographer and a room with a suitable interior. This marketing ploy is often used by those businessmen who sell clothes and shoes in the premium segment.
Digital technologies have flooded the world. The average family has an exponentially growing number of gadgets. In the last two years, the number of sales in this niche has increased at least twice.
The number of online orders is growing faster than the number of purchases in offline stores. If an entrepreneur does not operate on the Internet, then this is, at the very least, strange. Consumers are increasingly buying online, and this has long been noticeable.
Therefore, it is impossible to refuse to promote your services on the Internet now. On the contrary, you must use all available means to ensure that as many Internet users as possible learn about the business.
Global digitalization dictates the conditions for a successful online business. Users are highly picky and thoughtful when choosing a brand.
Some of the most important indicators for buyers are the availability of goods in stock, fast delivery, and the ability to return products without unnecessary hassle.
Convenient navigation on the site also plays a role, but fast delivery is currently leading the list of advantages and will likely remain the leader for a long time. In fierce competition, there is no other way out but to become a worthy competitor and offer buyers truly high-quality service.
Creating a brand involves more than just filling out the necessary documents and opening an online store. It is a large-scale project that includes developing a marketing strategy, forming the correct opinion about the company, emotions, and associations among potential buyers.
In addition to developing a logo, slogan, and other distinctive branding elements, it is important to remember that earning consumer loyalty and trust is more difficult than simply creating a company.
To design a brand based not only on a marketing strategy but also on consumer trends, it is necessary to adhere to a certain sequence of actions: