By Alicia Rosa
Brand Central Sr. Manager of Trend and Creative Services
2022 is coming to a close and 2023 will be a time for new trends and consumer insights across all industries.
2022 saw tons of growth in new categories and a slew of trends that captured the attention of shoppers and audiences. As we ring in the new year, here are the biggest trends from 2022 and a sneak peek at the trends we can expect to see in 2023.
2000s Nostalgia
As we forecasted, Y2K nostalgia was one of the biggest trends of 2022. Gen Zers discovered and brought back retired brands like Von Dutch and Baby Phat and revived fashion trends like claw clips, low-rise jeans, and “vintage” tech like digital cameras and flip phones. This movement shows no signs of slowing down and continues to drive micro-trends across fashion, crafting, licensing, and even toys and games.
Social-Emotional Learning
This year kids content and products saw a major focus on sensory and SEL, or social emotional learning. Parents and caregivers of older children have become increasingly interested in toys and games that help kids convey and understand their feelings and emotions, while parents of younger toddlers and babies are leaning into sensory play that allows kids to explore and learn about the world with their five senses. This year we saw a wide range of products that tap into these trends from the viral popping fidget toys, to kid-focused meditation apps, to ulta-sensory immersive experiences.
Kidults
“Kidults” was a major trend we saw across toys, collectibles, gaming, and content. Adult consumers tapped into trends of their youth and leaned into “kid” hobbies like collecting toys, crafting friendship bracelets, and more. Many brands got in on the trend with toys and games geared towards young adults like LEGO’s artsy building sets and Razor’s range of adult scooters. Categories like board games, puzzles, DIY kits, and toy collectibles saw a major lift from Millennials and Gen Xers looking to recapture their childhood. Fashion also saw the effects of this trend with popular style aesthetics like “kidcore,” which includes elements like crafty beaded jewelry, friendship charm bracelets, and ultra-colorful apparel and accessories.
The Metaverse
2022 was the year of the Metaverse. Roblox partnerships were everywhere alongside new NFT launches, blockchain partnerships, Minecraft collaborations, metaverse pop-ups, and more. We saw everyone from fashion brands like Gucci to retailers like Walmart dip their toes into the web3 space with offerings tailored to digitally-native audiences. Success in this space seemed to hinge on a strong story or set of characters as well as “phygital” elements like accompanying toys, an apparel line, or a collectible. For instance, fashion brand Givenchy recently released a new 360-piece collection of apparel that includes a limited edition NFT collectible tied to each individual item in the line. The NFTs also offer access to an exclusive membership program that will debut in 2023.
2023 Trends
2023 will see the continuation of many of the same trends we saw in 2022. The metaverse trend, in particular, is showing no signs of slowing down and will likely see growth in terms of brands entering the space and in revenue as companies evolve their offerings. Here are a few other trends we have our eye on.
Upcycled Food
Sustainability has been a macro-trend for awhile and consumers are starting to expect concrete action instead of social pledges and partly recycled packaging. Food waste has become a growing concern for consumers and they will be looking to food brands and retailers to address the problem with new products and offerings. Brands like Rind Snacks are already seeing success in this space–their dried fruit snacks are made from upcycled fruit peels and the company states that they saved over 340,000 lbs of food waste in 2021. We expect to see this trend grow in snacking the most, but non-dairy milk has also seen a boost from upcycling. Upcycled oat pulp products have been on the rise like Fancypants Baking Co.’s of upcycled oat milk cookies and SunOpta’s upcycled oat milk protein powder.
Foodie Toys
Food play is set to be a huge trend in the toy aisle in the next year. Thanks to the pandemic families have been cooking meals at home more than ever and kids are ready to join in on the fun. From elaborate cooking playsets to food-themed crafting to baking kits, foodie toys will have an emphasis on building actual kitchen skills and will also lean into adult food trends like charcuterie boards, intricately decorated cakes, picnics, and more.
Elevated Kids Brands
Kids brands are increasingly being tapped for elevated collections aimed at adults, especially in fashion. Fashion collaborations are of course nothing new, but 2023 will put a focus on truly elevating brands aimed at young kids and toddlers. We expect to see more high-fashion licensed collections this year with elements of playfulness and sophistication. Accessibility will also be a key theme–every day consumers want to be able to afford these collections and don’t want to have to buy things on reseller sites. While scarcity has been a huge driver for collabs over the last few years, many consumers are experiencing “drop” fatigue and want to be able to easily buy trendy items without being disappointed by instant sell-outs.
We’re Brand Central Insights, a custom trend intelligence service from licensing agency Brand Central. Want even more trends in the meantime? Contact us to learn more about Brand Central Insights and for a sample report! Email Alicia at alicia@brandcentralgroup.com or visit brandcentralinsights.com today for more information.