no. 27: consumer trends i am set on for 2025.
on the 11th day of january this is what is on my mind.
as you have probably noticed by now, i am playing around with the format of this newsletter. sorry if that has bothered anyone… bear with me. so much has happened already this year — including the devastating la fires. i am thinking and praying for those affected!
i wanted to kick off the new year once i have had some time to create some early predictions and have some space to read. excuse the impulse newsletter send… i plan on sending these out more than just on thursday mornings from now on. these are a few news headlines that are on my mind right now:
mini-news roundup 🗞️
brands are making the move to substack - hi
! when and i talked about our 2024 trends and our 2025 predictions, brands turning to non-traditional media platforms (instagram or tiktok) has already begun on substack. pretty cool to see happen, though.tiktok stars and marketers brace for app’s disappearance this month - i do love talking about tiktok, but this time i am slightly concerned we might be saying goodbye to it.
othership recently opened in nyc, adding to an increasing intentional focus on wellness - othership is an addition to the growing wellness and sauna scene in new york. what sets othership apart from your typical bath house is its guided wellness experiences that combine breath work, aromatherapy, visualizations, somatic movement, live music, and group “shares.” not to mention, the dj sets at night, which i noticed when i visited norway earlier in 2024. sauna culture has been booming in norway for a while, and it seems like this ethos has begun influencing urban centers like new york — where a renewed focus on wellness and community is driving the rise of sauna spaces. the popularity of “sauna culture” if you will might reflect a growing focus on intentional rest and wellness, marking a shift toward wellness integrating into urban life.
the social sauna @ SALT in oslo, Norway flowers foods is acquiring simple mills - simple mills is a staple in my pantry. now, it is being acquired by flowers foods in $795 million deal. not too long ago siete was acquired for 1.2 billion, and we are starting off 2025 with a simple mills acquisition. maybe i should all turn to my pantry to figure out the next one, although collectively siete and simple mills products take up about 35% of my pantry right now.
semi-relatedly, a brand and product i have been a huge fan of is bachan’s. bachan's is now the top-selling barbecue sauce at both amazon and whole foods, and the fastest-growing condiment brand in the country with an estimated annual revenue topping $70 million according to forbes. this comes to no surprise to me because if you’ve tried it and you’ve seen their strong visual identity, it’s a home run.
my holy grail for a weeknight dinner. meta plans to end fact-checking program in shift ahead of trump term - zuckerberg, in his new look (see below), plans to end its fact-checking program shows how business leaders are shifting their priorities to adapt to another trump administration.
trends to watch 👀
outside of the news that caught my attention, these are some of the trends i am expecting to see more of this year:
bodycare will continue to boom - as
talked about in our conversation (link is here) the bodycare and skincare boom isn’t going anywhere. we can reasonably expect a continued focus on products that are able to seemlessly fit in with self-care and wellness routines. this is in part, inspired by my recent gift of an aesop lineup. game-changer.
talking less about promise, and more about performance in tech - in tech, the narrative is already changing. it’s no longer about flashy promises or overhyped potential — it’s about what actually works. consumers and businesses alike are demanding performance, rather than ai fluff, that speaks for itself.
the rise of na beverages, like ghia - non-alcoholic beverages, like ghia, have proven that they can carve out their space. apparently, a quarter of americans say they completed dry january in 2024, according to civicscience. among those, young adults 21 to 24 years old were the most successful. people want drinks that feel intentional and elevated. again, it’s marking a significant cultural shift in how americans choose to socialize and unwind.
the importance of tastemaking - “tastemaking is the act of influencing what is considered fashionable, acceptable, or worthwhile in a given sphere of interest. tastemakers can be people, companies, or content creation organizations. they can shape how others think, eat, listen, drink, dress, and more” everyone learned that they have to become more differentiated. brands have to show up, but really tastemaking is at the forefront of all this. who's able to curate really well? who is able to describe what they do, but also curate for their audience in that same vein?
beyond quiet luxury: more custom and highly personalized experiences than ever before - as
brilliantly stated in the biggest branding trends coming in 2025 by fastcompany:
see the article for more. a great read! ai-enabled companies will take the lead rather than ai-boosted companies - from
, think of ai-enabled companies as ones that are now uniquely possible with ai, such as duckbill, daydream, juni, alma, and topline pro. meanwhile, ai-boosted companies (adding ai as an enhancement rather than a core foundation) are just keeping pace.
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This article is gooooood. Very niche, very on point!
I was expecting to see the brands here, but nothing yet - still waiting for miu miu and the cool brands. What brands are already here?