Feeling Good: The Future Of Happiness Is Here

Transformative Times: Trends Shaping Our Future

How will the future look? It's difficult to say. As the world moves forward, the reality is that expectations have rapidly changed about what people need and want.

In this series, we share how we predict these consumer trends will influence people and their behaviour, and what this means for brands.

Here are a few notable key trends currently shaping the future that brands should be paying attention to in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Feeling good: The future of happiness is here

After two years of the pandemic, it is no wonder that people are seeking happiness in new and different ways. As the outside world begins to open up (again), people are looking for ways to be inspired and feel good. For many, happiness, creativity and playfulness provide the perfect escape. People will seek out new products and experiences that help them achieve that.

What’s the point of ‘feeling good’?

As people swing back into normal, we expect to see people going back to living their best lives. From coming out of the height of the pandemic, people are craving new interactions, celebrations and events, balanced with a focus on wellbeing. There is a clear desire for people to treat themselves after such a difficult period of time.

During lockdown, we saw ‘revenge spending’ behaviour, where people would “binge-buy”, to make themselves feel good after being restricted for so long. Some 51% of consumers reported “a desire to splurge and indulge themselves in a fit of post-pandemic revenge spending”. Even with rising living costs and economic uncertainty, people still don't appear to be deterred from spending their money.

Why do we want to ‘feel good’?

People are keen to escape the monotony and ‘explore, play and embrace novel experiences’, according to the 2022 Mintel Trend Report ‘Enjoyment Everywhere’. There is no doubt that people want to have fun and forget about the bad times.

As we all know, people have been confined to their homes and stuck on digital screens. Not forgetting, people have endured endless cancellations, delays, and postponements that resulted in many disappointments and missed moments. People are keen for meaningful experiences that are real and tangible. The more visible it becomes as people go out and enjoy new experiences, other people want the same experiences for themselves to rediscover the excitement of life.

How can brands make us feel good about ourselves?

Brands that can represent a break and uplift the current problems in the world for people will form deeper connections with this audience. Some things never change. People have always wanted to feel good about their choices, and that's unlikely to go away anytime soon.

For example, Heineken®’s global campaign ‘The Night is Young’, as part of their #FreshBeginnings platform, focuses on celebrating our ability to get out and safely socialise once more.

Lush takes feeling good with being good. Lush pledged to invest in their retail experience to create a more memorable, creative, and personal touch around their product offering with bespoke Lush parties and spa experiences to elevate the customer experience.

Brands can make people ‘feel good’ by enabling people to break out of their routines and become pioneers in discovering new things. People want to feel inspired and celebrate new experiences. Brands should consider how they can create products and experiences that evoke happiness, fun, and wellness.

What’s next for the trend of ‘feeling good’?

There is no denying that the future has been shaped by the pandemic. While we can’t predict the future with certainty, there is still potential for brands to find new opportunities - no matter what comes their way.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge facing brands in 2022 and beyond?