July 1, 2021 - Brands and retailers are roaring back into the hearts and minds of consumers as pre-pandemic habits return. And it's far from just the same old. Innovative category extensions, buzzworthy partnerships and missions of sustainability and inclusivity are creating new purchase occasions for consumers who are eager to spend and socialize. Following, are the ten most exciting trends we've seen for the upcoming summer season.

NFT’s. Easy as 1-2-3.

Non-fungible tokens. What are they and why should we care? NFTs are digital assets that operate on the blockchain of Ethereum, a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. Unlike cryptocurrency however, each asset is unique, and the value is determined by what somebody is willing to pay for it. Digital artist, Beeple recently sold an NFT at Christie’s for $69 million. The space exploded onto the scene in March with growth reported at over 1700%. While that rate has slowed, one thing is for sure: NFTs are here to stay.

· Topps released a digital collection of baseball cards in tandem with MLB and the MLBPA.

· NBA Top Shot is a digital marketplace for buying and selling highlights and has achieved over $700 million in sales in the last year.

· Model/actress/author, Emily Ratajkowski sold an NFT for $140,000 earlier this year to establish authority over her image likeness.

· Look Labs created a digitized version of their fragrance Cyber Eau De Parfum, with 10 fragrances available, each of which comes with a physical collector’s edition of the bottle.

· Funko acquired Tokenwave in advance of launching their own NFTs on a weekly cadence for $9.99 each, while Mattel created digital Hot Wheels cars.

Where there is money, there is staying power. Sports brands and art brands appear to be positioned particularly strong for growth in this segment, however as NFTs continue to evolve, so too will the brand offering.

Can I Kick It?

Footwear, an afterthought throughout the pandemic, is roaring back to the forefront of culture through a series of unexpected and artfully designed collaborations. While athletes, artists and musicians have all lent their aesthetic to sneakers, food-themed collections are launching at breakneck pace and dominating the social conversation. In 2021, we’ve seen:

• adidas x McDonald’s

• adidas x M&M’s

• Puma x White Castle

• Nike x Ruffles

• Reebok x Candyland

• Crocs x Hidden Valley Ranch

• Vans x Zabar’s, an historic Manhattan-based Jewish deli

With money saved and places to go, consumers are eager to purchase fashionable conversation pieces, while brands are seeking creative ways to drive impressions and stay top-of-mind. We expect to see the appetite continue for these drops throughout the year (pun absolutely intended!).

Mash Up!

As food merch collections continue to thrive, so too do food-to-food partnerships. By combining flavor equities and marketing power, brands can amplify their message to multiple audiences through unexpected and buzzworthy collaborations.

• Joe and Seph’s, the leading U.K. gourmet snack purveyor, partnered with Anheuser-Busch to create Budweiser flavored popcorn, infused with 17% real beer.

• Pringles and Wendy’s teamed up to launch Spicy Chicken-flavored crisps. Each can comes with a code to receive a free spicy chicken sandwich, available with purchase via mobile order.

• Category leader, International Delight, partnered with Post for Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles flavored coffee creamers.

• Baileys and craft ice cream shop Oddfellows are celebrating NYC Pride with a limited-edition, non-alcoholic soft-serve flavor.

• Krispy Kreme launched two Oreo-themed offerings in its stores.

Consumers now expect their favorite brands to pop up in unexpected ways, ensuring that we will see more delicious partnerships this year.

Wealth for Health

As the wellness revolution continues to soar, Wall Street is placing their bets on established brands with major investments, positioning them to grow from niche to known.

• Weight-loss app, Noom, which saw revenues double during the pandemic, recently raised a $540 million Series F round.

• Non-alcoholic beer pioneer Athletic Brewing raised a $50 million series C, which will be used to construct its third brewery to help maintain their 50% market share in a category that is growing 430% year-over-year.

• Leading oat milk manufacturer Oatly, which has also launched yogurt and ice cream, filed its IPO in May and has seen shares rise 15% in the first month of trading.

With increased resources, these brands are poised for a transition into the mainstream and are likely to spark increased consumer adoption of the categories as a whole.

Listen Up

Parents, what if I told you that you could provide your child with streaming content that can strengthen their grasp of core subject areas like math, science, and history, while encouraging deep thinking, curiosity, and self-awareness, all without having to stare at a screen? Thanks to the latest wave in children’s entertainment, you can! From independent creators and legacy media companies such as PBS and ViacomCBS, children’s podcasts are skyrocketing.

• Tinkercast, which includes Wow In The World, a series with over 100M downloads about science, technology and new discoveries reached a development/distribution deal with Sony Music Entertainment.

• Sesame Workshop launched a new podcast in partnership with Headspace focused on mindfulness and meditation to help kids get ready for bed.

• Nickelodeon recently partnered with iHeartRadio to create a slate of podcasts based on its popular brands.

• Disney Channel recently launched its first original scripted podcast, This Duckburg Life.

As with all popular children’s properties, we expect to see this success translate to retail.

Apparel for All

According to Statista, the global adaptive clothing market is estimated to surpass $348 billion by 2024. The market for adaptive products is sizeable, with 61 million adults and 2.8 million children (5-15 years old) in the U.S. with disabilities and 14.1 million people in the U.K. The growth is being led by a mix of emerging brands, private label and established brands extending into the space.

• Nike released Go FlyEase shoes, their first pair of lace-less sneakers that can be taken on/off without using one’s hands.

• With over 140 SKU’s, Tommy Hilfiger’s collection includes the brand’s signature aesthetic and is shoppable by solution, which guides shoppers through all adaptive modifications. Items arrive in accessible packaging that provides ease of opening and returning.

• Juniper Unlimited, the first online shopping site dedicated to products for people with disabilities, health conditions, and caregivers, launched its in-house label, Yarrow earlier this year, bringing adaptive apparel into the contemporary market.

• On the private label front, Target continues to provide children’s apparel under its Cat & Jack brand, as does Kohl’s under its Jumping Beans and So brands.

As inclusivity becomes the norm, so too will adaptive SKU offerings.

Home Gym

First it was a necessity. However now faced with the option of home workouts versus returning to the gym, many consumers are choosing to keep their home gyms alive. In the U.K., more than half of consumers have purchased home workout products since March 2020. Brands are responding with aggressive expansion plans.

• Peloton, which saw a 172% sales increase in 2020, launched its “Nothing Like Working Out At Home” ad campaign to show the efficacy and convenience of their fitness ecosystem. The brand also announced the development of its first U.S. factory to keep up with consumer demand.

• Liteboxer, marketed as “the Peloton of boxing” thanks to its connected community and music library, recently raised a $20 million Series A round.

• Smart fitness trainer Tonal raised a $250 million Series E as the brand plans for expansion in staffing and product development.

We can now declare home exercise more than a trend. It is a permanent shift in consumer behavior.

Go Green

Sustainable manufacturing practices, long a purchase driver for Millennial and Gen Z consumers, continue to grow in scalability. And no industry has gone untouched.

• LEGO, which has a goal of making all products from sustainable sources by 2030, recently unveiled a prototype brick made from recycled plastic. A 1L bottle provides enough material for ten LEGO bricks.

• Coca-Cola, in addition to their corporate sustainability goals, has launched several sustainable licensed products such as footwear with ASICS, bags with Kipling and a Diesel apparel capsule.

• Shake Shack, long known for its multitude of environmentally friendly practices, recently announced a test of completely compostable cutlery containing no synthetic plastics.

• Panera Bread and Chipotle have both added transparent labeling solutions to show consumers the environmental impact of their meals.

• Target announced a goal of becoming a zero-waste enterprise and pledged to make 100% of its private label products environmentally sustainable by 2040.

With increased awareness of our carbon footprints, consumers will continue to change their purchase habits to protect the planet.

Let’s get Phygital

A blend of physical and digital, Phygital combines the best of both shopping experiences, whether retailers using their storefronts for immersive experiences, or consumers utilizing the convenience of buying online and collecting in-store.

• Independent U.K. designer concept store Lone Design Club has unveiled several shoppable windows allowing independent brands to showcase their products.

• Immersive storytelling Secret Cinema partnered with Häagen-Dazs to launch a weekly entertainment series, including a code that allows consumers to order Häagen-Dazs' flavour of the week thru Amazon Prime Now.

• Dick’s Sporting Goods accelerated the roll out of curbside pickup to keep up with increased consumer adoption of outdoor activities.

• P.F. Chang’s is leaning into curbside pickup with the rollout of P.F. Chang’s To Go, an exclusively off-premise outpost. The brand has plans to expand the concept to 50 locations by the end of 2022.

Combining convenience and engagement, this new way of transacting is here to stay.

Party On

70% of weddings were postponed last year, along with countless cancellations of events surrounding graduations, baby showers birthdays and anniversaries. However, from intimate dinner parties to large-scale weddings, entertaining and events are returning to our lives. And the tabletop industry is bracing for a comeback.

• Launched during the pandemic, Martha Stewart’s new dinnerware collection continues to gain market share and retail placement.

• Actress/author/activist Marlo Thomas launched a collection with Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn.

• The Gap announced plans to launch tabletop as part of its Gap Home collection on Walmart.com.

• In the U.K., leading home retailer John Lewis partnered with supermarket chain Waitrose to launch a collection inspired by the Middle Eastern Levant region featuring multicultural designs, shapes, and colors.

In addition to residential consumers, commercial kitchens are also fueling category growth as diners return to restaurants.