By Alicia Rosa
New trends are continuing to make their way through the trend cycle as we get through the second half of 2022. People are turning to new hobbies and crafts as part of a renewed focus on personal creativity, and new flavor combinations are taking over the grocery aisles. These are all the trends we have an eye on as 2022 wraps up.
Textured Crafts
Crafting is all about experimenting with texture right now, from crochet granny squares to tufted car hangings to DIY puffy paint. Textured painting is particularly popular right now with people creating thick, puffy paint that dries with a 3D texture. DIY plaster paint has also been a key trend for people looking to recreate expensive textured art pieces. This trend is trickling down into the kid’s space with crafts and projects like DIY puffy paint, salt dough painting, and more. Tufted crafts are also continuing their never-ending rise, evolving from customized rugs to tufted car coasters, tufted phone cases, mirrors, wall décor, murals, and more. We expect to see this trend continue into 2023 as more people experiment with texture.
Board Gaming
The line between board games and video games is being blurred thanks to an increase in “phygital” experiences. Not only are some board games moving online, digital-first games are making their way into the board game space as well.
Bethesda Softworks recently announced a board game based on Skyrim and another tabletop game based on their fantasy series Elder Scrolls. The New York Times has also announced a new board game based on the viral mobile game Wordle, which will launch in October in collaboration with Hasbro. Tabletop games in general continue to grow as Netflix, for example, is planning to launch new board games based on Stranger Things and Ozark. According to Globe Newswire, the board game market is estimated to reach a value of nearly $31 million by 2028.
Asian Flavors in Condiments
Asian-inspired flavors have been everywhere this year as young Gen Z consumers continue to embrace multicultural ingredients and flavor combinations.
The condiments aisle has seen a huge surge of new flavors inspired by a variety of Asian cuisines from Korean to Japanese to Indian to Thai.
Sky Valley recently launched a vegan green sriracha sauce, combining Asian-inspired flavors with the plant-based trend, and Brooklyn Delhi created Curry Ketchup.
Outside of spice, fermented and umami Asian flavors such as kimchi and miso have also seen a rise in demand from consumers. People are turning to products like Lucky Foods’ Kimchi Mayo from Whole Foods or kimchi hot sauces to combat the sriracha shortage.
In addition to flavors, condiments and brands popular in Asian countries are on the rise in US grocery stores.
Products like gochujang, a spicy fermented Korean chili paste, and Kewpie mayo have seen a spike in popularity. More grocery stores are also developing their own private label products like chili crisp, harissa paste, fermented vinaigrettes, furikake seasoning, and kimchi.
We Bring You Up to the Speed of Now
We’re Brand Central Insights, a custom trend intelligence service from licensing agency Brand Central. We understand that trends change so quickly it can hinder the ability to strategize and innovate, so we created a unique offering that distills pop culture trends and market insights most important to your business so you can stay focused on the future. Unlike other “syndicated” trend services, Brand Central Insights only gives you trends specific to your business and core consumer, along with actionable recommendations on how to leverage these trends to drive sales and build buzz. Each month we’ll be rounding up the hottest trends across food, fashion, home, influencers, and more to show you what we’ve been loving.
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.