New year, new trends, and some really new behaviors from those wacky, wily consumers. Fresh from eavesdropping on the gray ladies’ conversations and drinking French Kiss martinis while dishing with the 20-somethings, I have come back with the dirt. Then I mixed this info with a review of sales figures, advertising trends, and focus-group findings to prognosticate what we will see from consumers this year:
- ‘06 reversed is 60, and that means it’s time to party!
Yup, it is happy 60th birthday to the first wave of baby boomers. Turning 60 has turned into a proud moment for this generation. They have money, energy, and no children to support (they hope). They now want to spend on their friends and themselves for their “I’m 60 and I’m wonderful” celebrations. Look for major themed parties reflecting their interests, no-expense-spared invitations and party favors, weekend-long celebrations, and real presents vs. gag gifts. Did Goldie Hawn register for presents at Gucci? Yes, Goldie is 60, and 60 is the new sexy. - Dress for excess, to impress. or for success.
No matter what the reason, dresses are back. It will be the year of legs… haven’t seen many of those in a while. First comes the going-out garb, then the under-the-jacket work version later in the year. She can’t say she has enough already in her closet, so she must buy new inventory. Just what the women’s apparel industry needs after a rather gloomy 2005. - Focus is on food, not an “in” diet.
Consumers are finally learning about nutrition and care about the quality of food that goes into their mouth. “Superfoods” are water-cooler conversation. There is a leap in interest in organic products Then there is all that action at the Food Network. Rachael Ray is teaching her generation to cook, because their mothers taught them the secrets of building a career, not the secrets of creating a moist chicken. We will see significantly higher sales in high-quality fresh and packaged food, books to educate about eating right, nutraceutical drinks, and revolutionary cooking tools (that silicon stuff really is nonstick; try it when you bake that premium Williams-Sonoma cake mix for your special treat). - Bling is a girl’s best friend.
Take the glitz off the apparel; it is back on the accessories. She is buying it for herself, and as she did in apparel, she is mixing mass and class. That means fine jewelry with the fashionable throw-it-away-next-year stuff. Belts, handbags, and shoes will also benefit from a little bling in the spring. - Update the dictionaries: “Artisanal” is the new product adjective.
This is a correlating trend to the food focus; “artisanal” will go way beyond being a descriptor for cheese made by monks using milk from nomadic yaks. We will see it attached to coffee and chocolate as well as nonfood products. There are already artisanal knives, jewelry, and home accessories in catalogs and stores. I am sure there is a small band of workers in New Jersey right now hand-making something that will be in the stores next month labeled artisanal. - It’s what’s on the outside that counts.
More electronic features and functions won’t sell the new products. It is now color, styling, and personalization that count. After all, everyone already has a PC, an iPod, and a cell phone. My research of consumers over the age of 30 indicates that more than 90% do not use all the feature functions built into their electronic devices, so they go for the styling and personalization when making their purchase decision. For Valentine’s Day, think a pink iPod inscribed on the back with love and kisses and preloaded with the couple’s favorite love songs. Corporate logos move off the polo shirts and onto the cover of PCs so that everyone on the plane knows the company you work for. Even those who do know how to use all the feature functions want bling, color, and trendy styling in their electronics to match their latest fashion choices. - Cutesy chihuahuas are out; bulldogs and pugs are in.
Sorry, Tinkerbell, you are old news, and no one wants your picture any more. Even Mommy Paris ignores you for more exotic animals in her pics. They may still wear clothes, have parties given for them, send birthday cards to their friends and have their name imprinted on a wide variety of products, but the new “in” dogs have serious faces and sturdy bodies. Look for the faces of bulldogs and pugs to grace more ads and be in more celebrity pictures. Let’s get those doggy shirts into production now. - Read my chest.
Used to be the purview of the teenagers; now the fashionistas want you to see what they think by reading their chest. No longer the boxy T-shirts with in-your-face statements, this year’s tops are sleek and fitted and have cute or power statements artfully placed on front. Luxe and mass offerings, they adorn females from teens to young-thinking 50-year-olds (boomer women certainly have a lot to say!). Mine says, “Divas have more fun.” - It’s a year for fashionable pregnancy.
of Katie, Brooke, and Gwyneth now; will Jennifer or Angelina be next? At any rate, they will all be fashionable. Enough with the attention on designer diaper bags and the running strollers; it is time for the moms-to-be to get dolled up. It’s a boomlet for the women’s apparel industry. Some of the sales will flow through that better-looking plus product now being sold, but there will also be new maternity brands and existing brands making maternity lines. Are you listening, department stores? - Retro rock images.
Blame the boomers for this one too. They are walking down the memory lane of their youth spending money all the way. Whether it is the Beatles-themed products at their 60th birthday party or the limited-edition silk-screened reproduction of their favorite album cover for their office wall, they are interested in the products with retro rock images. Let’s also not forget that the Stones are still touring, and Paul, my favorite Beatle, is still packing the house with teens who are actively down loading the music of the 1960s. Books, CDs, videos, electronic games, and decorative memorabilia will capitalize on the resurgence of interest in the images of retro rock. Oh, and have you seen that infant bodysuit with Kiss Rock N’ Roll on the front?
© 2006 Strategic Mindshare
Known as the Strategy Diva, Cynthia R. Cohen is president of Miami-based consultancy Strategic Mindshare and an authority on consumer trends and strategic marketing.
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