Global Consumer Trends to 2006 for the personal care and food industries

Given that consumers are better informed, more demanding and quite happy to switch brands, major players in food and personal care have stepped up their efforts to seduce them and win their loyalty. Product quality, price and service were core concerns for a long time, then efforts were channelled into a more sensorial dimension playing on dreams, emotions and well-being. But might we have gone too far?

Consumer confidence has progressively been eroded by inflated information, an excess of new product launches and an overdose of advertising effects and variations. The consumer is wary and increasingly allergic to promises perceived as excessive. He or she is over-informed and feels disoriented when faced with products and messages that are less and less distinctive or unique.

Globally, consumers' buying habits are changing. Consumers no longer act based on their age, income or gender To cope with this ever-changing scenario, marketing segmentation and targeting techniques are rapidly evolving, from traditional, static, demographic-based criteria towards dynamic, mood, lifestyle and psychographic influences. It is no longer a question of identifying your customers by age, geography or income, but looking into how and why they buy, based on their mood, beliefs and the occasion.

The main challenge for the personal care and food industries, brands, manufactures and prime material producers alike, is to restore consumer confidence in difficult markets: intense competition, pressure from retail chains and shareholders, tighter legal restrictions and demand corporate governance.

GLOBAL CONSUMER TRENDS to 2006 for the personal care and food industries combines techniques and processes from the fields of psychology and social science, along with real-world data from product launches, technology and culture, to visually illustrate mood consumption in practice.

The report is broken down into five mega-trends which are driving mood consumption and will have a significant impact for personal care and food industries, for restoring consumer confidence by innovating according to future consumer emotions and moods: Integrity, because confidence based on transparency, reliable contents and promises takes time to build. Sustainability, because consumer loyalty calls for greater product permanence. Originality, because a powerful and distinctive sensorial approach will awake more pleasure. Joyfulness, because the quest for everyday happiness is insatiable. Curiosity, because exploring new territories is a welcome sign of creativity and audacity.

Under each mega-trend, a detailed analysis is given providing style directions, indicators and background details, critical keywords, associated colours, materials, shapes and sensations. Thus the guide provides essential input and stimuli for design, strategy, development, innovation, and marketing teams alike.

Sectors covered in this report: Cosmetics & Personal Care, Foods, Dairy products, Beverages, Spirits, Soft drinks, Restaurants, Packaging, Colour Chemicals, Retailing, Distribution.

Applicable areas for this report: Advertising strategies, Brand strategy and Brand portfolio management, Branding trends, Strategic Planning, Lifestyle trends, Market Research, Consumer Segmentation, Future Qualitative studies, Consumer insight, Consumer behavior, Sensorial marketing, Business intelligence and analysis, Design intelligence, Merchandising, Product development, design and innovation.