These are the top 10 global consumer trends in 2019 - Marjorie van Elven| Wednesday, 16 January 2019

Market Research Firm Euromonitor has published a report outlining the top 10 consumers trends to be expected in 2019 around the world. FashionUnited summarizes them below.

Everybody’s an expert

Consumers are becoming wiser and wiser. While back in the day they could only rely on a limited number of sources to get shopping inspiration and information about products they were interested in buying, now there’s a plethora of sources to educate oneself. Perhaps even too many. Reviews, forums, tutorials, social media... As a result, the power dynamics between retailers and consumers is changing, requiring companies to “constantly innovate, drive prices down and streamline and aestheticize their offerings” to stay relevant and entice shoppers, in the words of Euromonitor. The sayings “the customer is always right” and “there’s no better advertising than word of mouth” have never been truer, as people are turning more and more to their peers to make purchasing decisions.

Self-sufficiency

When information about anything is just a few clicks away, consumers cannot help but feel like they don’t have to consult a professional to make decisions regarding their wardrobes, diets, fitness regimes, interior design and so on. In short, they’re cutting out the middle person. In this process of looking after oneself, many people feel that mass market offerings are not the best solution for them, turning therefore to apps and personalization services to create a unique product that suits their preferences. This way, they don’t have to constantly engage with brand marketing -- something they’re actually getting tired of, as shown by the popularity of ad blocking services.

Stitch Fix is an example of a fashion company following this trend. It sends clients a box of clothing and accessories especially selected for them by a combination of human stylists and algorithms. FashionUnited recently spoke to Stitch Fix’s Chief Algorithm Officer to learn more about its business model. 

Canadian suits label Indochino, which sells made-to-measure suits online, is another good example. Shoppers must take their own measurements before ordering and they can choose from a range of lapel, vent, pocket, lining and button color options. “Each of the 500,000 garments we’ll ship this year are unique”, Indochino’s CEO Drew Green told FashionUnited.

Immediacy

Young consumers are often accused of being impatient and having short attention spans. However, according to Euromonitor’s report, there’s more to the “I want it now” attitude than just the seek of instant gratification. In this day and age, everybody’s busy and time is a luxury. That’s why so many consumers are looking for “frictionless experiences that mesh with their lifestyles, allowing them to dedicate more time to their professional or social lives”.

As a result, speed has become a crucial factor for a retailer’s success. A recent study pointed out online fashion shops which constantly add more products to their offering perform better than those which are perceived to be more stylish in comparison. Speed of delivery is equally important: a research published last month by eMarketer with over 1,500 US consumers revealed a 59 percent increase in shoppers expecting retailers to offer same or next-day delivery, compared to 2017. Brick and mortar retailers are expected to be efficient too, which explains why Amazon has launched cashier-less physical stores called Amazon Go.

Another example of fashion brands catering for consumers’ increasing need for speed are the “see now, buy now” runway shows: consumers no longer need to wait months to get a hold of an item they saw during fashion week.

Last but not least, look at all the fashion startups whose core business is to offer trending apparel and accessories as soon as they rise on social media: Fashion Nova, Choosy and Polette are just three examples of promising young companies offering an impressive amount of new styles each week.

Back to basics for status

With so many options to choose from, many consumers are going through a materialism hangover. They want to “simplify”, “detox” and “declutter” their lives. The success of Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo, author of worldwide bestseller “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” and a Netflix series under the same name, is perhaps one of the biggest signs of this trend. Kondo advises people to only keep items which “sparkle their joy”. In such a context, products positioned as “minimalist”, “craft” or “back to basics” become the new status symbols, the new way to show the world you’re sophisticated and unique. Just think of the rise of craft beers, “old school” barbershops, natural cosmetics, and restaurants and supermarkets offering fresh, organic, hyperlocal food.

Things are no different in fashion. Last year we saw a number of luxury brands change their logos, including Burberry, Balmain and Celine. Their choice for minimalist fonts and straight lines was not for nothing: the new luxury is simple, less is more. H&M’s decision to expand its “minimalist”, “seasonless” brands COS and Arket is no coincidence, either.

Bye bye, plastics

Euromonitor predicts consumers will increasingly use their wallets to protest against the excessive use of plastic. Single-use plastic packaging is frowned upon more and more, as are disposable plastic cutlery and plastic microbeads in cosmetics. Currently, 63 percent of the world’s packaging is made from plastic, which shows companies will need to take significant steps to keep their customers.

The fashion industry has seen many initiatives to reduce plastic waste in recent times. A number of apparel collections made from recycled plastic bottles are available in the market, from brands like Everlane, Patagonia, C&A and H&M. Additionally, over 290 companies representing 20 percent of all plastic packaging produced globally have signed a global commitment to end plastic waste and pollution at the source last year, including fashion retailers and brands such as H&M, Walmart, Burberry, Target and Marks & Spencer.