Purposeful Lives
What’s Happening:
As people look to live with a more defined sense of purpose and meaning, businesses could help reinforce that sense of self through food and drink.
Wider forces like the climate crisis and economic uncertainty are encouraging a turn to existentialism (see ‘quiet quitting’ and r/anti-work). A time of ‘post-truth’ also means no one can be quite sure about what is true and who to trust. Additionally, notions of the self are fragmenting, as people negotiate what it means to exist IRL in a digitally mediated world. As a result, people are searching for a greater sense of meaning, and hoping their consumer lives can provide them with some much-needed purpose.
32%
Globally, an average of 30% of people agree that ‘most people can be trusted’ – down from 62% in 2020.
Behavioural Trends
'Quiet Luxury' Dining
People are searching for honesty and quality in their food experiences.
Off the back of the refound respect for the human craft behind culture, people are revisiting culinary classics and searching for pre-digital food experiences that evoke a bygone era. #IYKYK (‘If You Know You Know) content is booming, with people showing off their discerning tastes, exclusive insider knowledge, and rare finds.
To have a connoisseur’s or insider’s grasp of craft now translates to societal status, especially at a time when algorithms are often the drivers of people’s decision-making.
568%
increase in searches for the term ‘old money style’ between 2022 and 2023.
Source: Karen Millen
Case Study
By-gone era dining:
A whole swath of well-known restaurants are swapping out minimalist luxury for decors that evoke the aesthetics of bygone eras. Carlotta of London, Prada’s pop-up cafe in Harrods, and Major Tom Bar in Calgary are just a few examples of attempts to tap into this trend. Together, they speak to a consumer desire for pre-digital era dining experiences.
Natural Identities
People are searching for a connection to nature that will ground them.
It’s a desire in part inspired by Danish concepts like ‘Friluftsliv’ and the evidenced links between nature and mental health. As technology mediates more of life, and the climate emergency asks society to treat nature better, people are starting to see their connection to nature as part of their identity.
On top of this, there are also sections of society who are ‘prepping’ for an independent way of life, tapping into a nascent state of survivalism and self-sufficiency as the outside world feels too complex and chaotic for people to feel in control of it.
Case Study
LG: Bringing agriculture to urbanites
South Korean electronics company LG unveiled its ‘tiiun’ indoor gardening appliance at CES 2022. The product addresses the growing urbanised population's need for access to fresh, natural ingredients. It also aligns with people's yearning to connect with nature and cultivate food in non-natural environments, made possible through advancements in technology.
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People are seeking out genuine and meaningful cross-cultural experiences.
People’s growing exploration of cultures outside of their own has led to an increased interest in regionally specific dishes, culinary styles, and ingredients, as part of a wider search for new sources of inspiration from around the world. Interest in international cuisines is growing: during lockdown, 69% of Gen Yers and 65% of Gen Xers looked to new cuisines as a means of exploring different cultures. This curiosity about the ‘new’ is driven by a need to find authentic stories from different cultures, creating a pick ‘n’ mix approach to tastes and preferences.
62%
of adults globally say their country will be better off if it opts to be open to changes instead of sticking to traditions
Case Study
Modern Heritage Food
Third Culture Kids (mainly millennials of specific ethnic origin who have grown up in Western countries) are bringing their lived Western experiences together with homages to their ethnic backgrounds. Vietnamese-American sisters Vanessa and Kim Pham started OMSOM, a meal kit brand, to make more authentic and regionally inspired Asian food available to American palates. Meanwhile, US
pop star The Weeknd recently partnered with Blue Bottle Coffee
to release a coffee range that taps into his Ethiopian roots.
Explore the new Innovation Pathways
Purposeful Lives
As people look to live with a more defined sense of purpose and meaning, businesses could help reinforce that sense of self through food and drink
