Start of the new year. Lots of consumer trends and predictions revealed. Which ones to read? Which ones are worth knowing by plant-based and vegan brands?
Here is a roundup of consumer trends that I believe every plant-based player must be aware of.
psst….most of these consumer and marketing trends seem to me less of a yearly trend and more of a directional shift.
How to use these trends?
- Understand the shift in consumer attitudes, preferences and behavior
- Use them as inspiration to launch limited edition products
- Create an innovation that has a higher chance of popular acceptance
- Take design cues for social media posts and other marketing communication
- Talk about them in your niche to show your consumer knowledge
- Get yourself a head start from your competitors.
Who are they relevant for?
- Marketers
- Plant-based and vegan industry players
- Product designers
- Innovators
- Graphic designers
- Communications agencies
- Chefs
- Creators
- You
Now, let’s dive in…
Consumer Trends Worth Knowing in 2025 and beyond
No platform is as visually driven as Pinterest. Consumers use the platform to find inspiration for fashion, design, graphics, lifestyle, decor, among others.
This gives Pinterest a unique, first hand peek into what caught the fancy of people across ages.
Pinterest Predicts, these 20 trends will dominate design, beauty and fashion sensibilities this year:
- Trends 1-5: Cherry Coded, Aura Beauty, Rococo Revival, Sea Witchery, Surreal Soirees
- Trends 6-10: Castle Core, Dolled Up, Fisherman Aesthetic, Goddess Complex, Rebel Floats
- Trends 11-15: Terra Futura, Primary Play, Pickle Fix, Moto Boho, Peak Travel
- Trends 16-20: Chaos Cakes, Player One, Mix and Maximalist, Seeing Double, Nesting Parties
You may read the report here.
2. Mintel’s Global Beauty and Personal Care Trends
Mintel is a rich resource for all things consumer. Of their other reports, I particularly liked this one related to the beauty and personal care industry. Because this is one sector where both consumers and brands are eager to go plant-based.
Why this report stood out for me:
- It shared the evolution of each trend over 3 time periods: Next 12 months, 18 months-3 years, 5 years and beyond
- It shows how each trend reached where it has today through the “Evolution of the trend” segment from 2009 onwards.
- It lists country-specific stats too
The report uncovered 3 themes:
- Embracing ownership and individuality while prioritizing functional efficacy
- The merging of climate adaptive beauty, localism and minimalism
- Back-to-basics through comfort, nostalgia and slow living
You may read the report here
3. Global Food and Beverage Trends
Yet another Mintel report, the 4 key trends that have emerged in this study are:
- Fundamentally Nutritious: Redefined consumer perceptions of ‘food as medicine’ from added functional ingredients to meeting daily essential nutrient needs.
- Rule Rebellion: Embrace consumers as ‘perfectly imperfect’ beings who are hungry for brands that help them ‘break the rules’ in food and drink.
- Chain Reaction: As disruptions to the food supply become more frequent, the industry will need to encourage consumers to welcome and trust the new origins, ingredients and flavours that will emerge locally and globally.
- Hybrid Harvests: Food and drink companies will need to illustrate how technology and agriculture work together to benefit consumers, farmers and the environment.
You may download the report here.
4. Flavour trends
Which were the most popular flavors dominating the Food and beverage industry in 2024? Which flavors are expected to go mainstream in 2025? The website Flavourtrends is a must visit.
What I loved about this website:
- It shared upcoming flavor trends
- It covered trends from 2024
- Also evaluated trends that were predicted to take off in 2024 but didn’t
- It gives plenty of examples.
- It compares 2024 trends with 2025 expectations
You may check out the website here.
5. Flavors to watch in 2025
Check out my key learnings from this trend report from my Linkedin post here.
You may read the article here
6. Food and drink trends for the alternate protein market
ProVeg is the leading authority on plant-based foods. This trend forecast by them not only shares key drivers for each trend but also shares how it will impact the plant-based industry and what opportunities it brings forth.
The 6 trends mentioned are:
- Functional and health-oriented foods
- Less processed and whole foods
- Innovative ingredients and plant-based aquatic foods
- Sustainability, traceability, and food tech
- Cultural fusion and tradition reinvented
- Everyday indulgence
You may read the report here
7. Foodtech Trends of 2025
What I love about this trend report from DigitalFoodLab are the graphs that plot the journey of different future foods through the stages of market reaction i.e. where is each future food category currently- from excitement to disillusion to rising stars to disruption.
You may download the report here.
8. The 50 next big innovations in foodtech
Hacksummit asked 20 VCs which innovations in Foodtech do they see as rising stars. Check out the 50 that they named here
9. Overarching consumer trends
Trendwatching’s 2025 Trend Report Highlights 4 trends and gives real world examples of brands living that trend.
A lot of the examples felt too out there or doable only by brands with deeper pockets. Yet, its worth going through to realize the massive scope for creativity and innovation.
The 4 trends covered are:
- Looplife
- Sensescaping
- Worthwise
- Humanisfesto
You may read the report here.
10. Consumer Outlook: Guide to 2025
This global report by NielsenIQ takes us through the following:
- State of Consumers: Measuring resilience and 2025 spending growth
- Consumption Drivers: As inflation shifts, will volume lift?
- Financial Polarization: Following the money with different consumer classes
- Redefining “Discount”: Sizing how consumers are shopping to stay ahead
- Trends to Watch: Anticipating catalysts to change in 2025
You may download the report here
11. Consumer products and retail trends for India
EY has written a short summary of the trends shaping consumer products and retail segment in India in 2025.
It also analyses what shaped 2024.
You may read this succinct summary here.
12. India at crossroads
Kantar conducted two webinars focusing only on India and Indian consumers and how their changing preferences are shaping the market. These webinars are free to watch.
The report, particularly useful for FMCG players, covers:
- India’s socio-economic shifts
- Positive rural sentiment
- Aspiration driving premiumization
- The attention economy and media consumption
- Rethinking Gen Z: No Room for Broad Generalizations
- Looking Ahead: Future Scenarios for 2025
- Key strategic recommendations for marketers in 2025
You may watch both these sessions by registering here
Or read the summary here
13. Marketing trends you need to know for 2025
Campaign Asia has curated a good round up of trends relevant for marketers from Asia, India included.
You may read the trends here
14. Social media trends
As every vegan and plant-based player must use social media to reach their audience, it is good to understand the trends within this space.
Hootsuite’s Social Media Trends 2025 includes:
- Content experimentation trend
- Social listening trend
- AI trends
You may read the entire report here.
Happy reading!
Question to think about: 💡
What would help a brand stand out- following the trend or bucking it?
Should you want to talk, I am just an email away. You know that, right?
