Three Top Expo West 2018 Trends Garner Consumer Traction

After ExpoWest, we were curious about whether the trends we were discovering would have consumer traction, so we put our top three trends into a quick video study. 25 participants fitting our profile each completed a 2min or less video response to the question below. Within 48 hours of placing the question, all 25 video responses had been collected, analyzed and clipped together in the below clip reel.

Recruiting Criteria:

• 18-55
• 40k+ HHI
• Most or All of the packaged products (food, snacks, beverages, beauty, personal care, pet care, etc) regularly purchased at the grocery are natural, simple or organic

Participants were asked this question:

At a recent natural products trade show, lots of products emerged in the following three areas:

1. Sustainable and/or Regenerative Practices – Companies can source crops that help the soil instead of hurting it, they can offer fair wages to farmers, they can package products in ways that biodegrade quickly or packaging that is made from renewable resources. There are a variety of ways that companies can be sustainable and/or regenerative anywhere in the process, from farm to store.
2. CBD-infused – Non-psychoactive hemp-derived CBD oil can be infused into snacks, chocolates, bars, mints and more. Companies indicate the amount of CBD in each serving. Benefits of CBD oil vary by variety, but some benefits that products are sharing about include supporting pain relief, stress reduction or relaxation.
3. Functional Ingredients – Instead of just removing chemical or synthetic ingredients like dyes, nutrition or benefits can be included in food or beverages through ingredients that naturally do this. Examples include using ingredients like turmeric for inflammation or ginger for digestive support in beverages, foods, snacks or treats.

Which one of these is most impactful or important in your life? Why? Tell us which specific aspects of the trend are appealing and why they’re appealing. If possible, share an example of the impact you could see it making in your life. If you have any questions about the trend or things you wish brands and products would explain related to the trend, let us know that, too. If none of these trends are appealing to you, explain why.

Participants were intrigued by all three trends and were able to make tangible connections to why they would be important in their lives. Sustainable and/or Regenerative Practices was the trend that participants were most passionate about because of the broad-reaching impact it could have (beyond the participants themselves, and their personal health, impacting farmers and future generations), followed by CBD-Infused, and finally Functional Ingredients. Participants want to see product production from seed to store leave less of a mark on the environment and to be less harmful to soil, but had lots of questions about the topic. Those familiar with CBD readily understood its benefits and wanted to see it included in food, snacks, and desserts. And finally, many participants voiced that they wanted food to achieve nutrient dense profiles through functional ingredients, not synthetic, because “there’s so much junk in food!”

Don’t take our word for it, though – check out what participants had to say!
\