Cereal companies are often at the forefront of adopting new kinds of preserved fruit. Since freeze-dried fruit has low water content, they’re mostly sugar, so buyers like the taste and cereal companies like the fact that they can say “no sugar added” by removing the non-sugar components of an ingredient. These strategies help cereal companies…
[Trends] Shampoo dispenser
By letting guests opt out of towel cleaning in the name of sustainability, hotels have been able to cut costs. They’re now extending this logic to shampoo, by replacing single-use shampoo containers with wall-mounted dispensers. Tiny shampoo bottles are a high-waste product, since the bottle is thrown out if any of it is used, and…
[Trends] Rechargeable Hearing Aids
The growth of smartphones, and accelerating adoption of noise-cancelling in-ear headphones, has paradoxically created both a hearing-loss epidemic and a more cost-effective solution to it. Hearing aids in general are a growth market, and that’s likely to accelerate. Hearing problems increase with age, and with repeated exposure to loud sounds. Right now, almost 30 million…
[Trend] Snap on veneers
The rise of services like Amazon Prime and Uber Eats has heightened the bar around instant gratification and it no longer applies to just books or food. Straight teeth normally take 6-12 months and thousands of dollars but for those who can’t afford the price or the wait, there are snap-on veneers. The growth of…
[Trends] Greenery wall
Aside from bad service, the most common restaurant complaint is noise, according to a recent Zagat survey. Plants are a common way to reduce noise levels in restaurants with extra space. But for restaurants in congested cities, rent is a major expense, which means that every decision has to be considered in light of how…
[Trends] Circle
Circle is a platform for creators to build member communities. Currently, two of the most popular community platforms are Slack and Facebook. But unlike Slack, Circle is asynchronous. And unlike Facebook, Circle is purpose-built for smaller communities. As a result, it’s been adopted by creators with growing brands like Makerpad, Smart Passive Income and Forte…
[Trends] CBD moisturizer
CBD moisturizer is lotion that’s infused with CBD. It’s sold in varieties like warming and cooling creams, pain creams and floral scented lotions. Growing brands in this space include Lord Jones and Vertly. What’s next: CBD moisturizer is part of the “topical CBD” meta trend. Studies suggest that applying topical CBD products can help alleviate…
[Trends] Dog diapers
Searches for “dog diapers” have increased 95% in the last 5 years. Dog diapers are just what they sound like: diapers for dogs who haven’t been potty-trained. Or for older dogs with incontinence. There are many different categories within the dog diaper space: “Belly band” diapers for male dogs, full wraparound diapers with tail holes,…
[Trends] Wow Bao
Some of the most successful companies of the last ten years built an asset-light version of an existing industry: Airbnb is famously the world’s largest hotel chain despite not owning any hotels, just as Uber is the biggest taxi service despite not owning any taxis. Wow Bao is a ghost restaurant chain that takes this…
[Trends] At home sleep study
In communities like Reddit’s 22,000-member strong sleep apnea subreddit, which is growing at 40% each year, members commonly trade tips on the best way to get a specific diagnosis that optimizes for insurance coverage. A growing trend, health companies have inverted the typical medical model by essentially offering prescriptions as a service. Rather than doctors…