Around the ole Tin Can Ranch, I am ready to bid 2017 a fond(?) adieu, looking for a good year ahead for all. Here are some more articles on trends people are seeing going into the new year, as well as a little future AR tech. Wishing for peace and happiness, for everyone around the world.
Flavors and clean labels are some of the things that flavor and extract companies are expecting in the year ahead, as reported from the recent Nosh/BevNet Live event in Santa Monica.
(lin to Nosh: Taste Takeover: 5 Flavor Trends from BevNET Live)
The Supermarket Guru has a good, semi-long, read on his thoughts on the trends in food in the year ahead. Mindfulness and vertical farming are just a couple that I have been watching too.
(link to Forbes: 10 Food Trends That Will Shape 2018)
Augmented/virtual reality is being tested in a coffee shop, to give the customer more of an ‘experience‘ which I’ve mentioned in this blog before, as being what retailers need to help set them apart and draw consumers in.
(link to Retail Info Systems: Starbucks’ First Foray Into In-Store Augmented Reality)
It does seem that kelp/seaweed is starting to catch on a bit in the US, not only as a snack, but into other foods and dishes, becoming more accepted by the mainstream consumer. So will it be the next ‘trend,’ we’ll have to see.
(link to Civil Eats: Is Seaweed the Next Big Thing in Sustainable Food?)
We know that private label products are becoming a larger part of retailers’ offerings. Now data is coming out that with Amazon’s acquisition of WFM, selling WFM’s 365 branded products online has really boosted sales.
(link to Business Insider: Whole Foods is overtaking Amazon’s brands with $10 million in online sales in just 4 months)