Beyond Trend Hunting: Five Shifts Worth Betting On in 2026

Our industry is mad for trends. Every week delivers a new flavor, format or functional promise, with each one pitched as the next growth driver. And yet growth has been increasingly elusive. Not because trends have stopped working - but because our obsession with what’s new seems to have replaced our understanding of what’s changing.

Consumers, meanwhile, are no longer wide-eyed spectators. They’re more selective with their attention, quicker to tune out, and far less impressed by brands that put gimmicks before genuine value. Being early to a trend may still earn visibility, and that’s important, but it no longer guarantees relevance, let alone growth.

The strongest growth today comes from something harder and less glamorous: aligning with the deeper shifts shaping how people live, decide or even disengage. Shifts that reward brands for being genuinely useful!

This article explores five such shifts. Not the next big things, but the things that clearly matter more than they once did - and are reshaping how growth can actually be realised.

Protein will continue to sell. But its dominance is already being challenged by a more grown-up idea of health: nutritional density and diversity. As GLP-1 usage rises and diets compress, consumers are becoming acutely aware of what’s missing, not just what’s added. The appeal is shifting from single bolt-ons to products that compact a broader spectrum of nutrients into convenient formats. Increasingly seen as a trailblazer in the UK, M&S Simply Food has just announced a range of products that bring nutrition density to the forefront.

This signals a turning point in the UPF debate. Blanket rejection of processing is giving way to a more pragmatic mindset: processing that earns its place. As everyday performance seekers normalise electrolytes, creatine, and protein, consumers are no longer impressed by purity alone. They are looking for foods that deliver real nutritional power - compact, functional, and demonstrably beneficial.

Key brand question:
Does our product meaningfully upgrade someone’s diet, or just decorate it with one hero claim?

Nutrition density feeds directly into a second, more profound shift: the desire to live better for longer. Longevity is no longer a fringe obsession confined to supplements or Silicon Valley biohackers. It is rapidly becoming a mainstream organizing principle for how people think about health, ageing, and everyday consumption. From slow-ageing skincare to preventative food, drink, and self-care routines, consumers are increasingly prioritising resilience over repair.

This is not speculative. MMR’s consumer research across both health & wellness as well as beauty & personal care consistently shows longevity emerging as one of the most powerful life goals and innovation platforms. Across categories, people are migrating away from short-term fixes and cosmetic outcomes towards products that support long-term function, vitality, and durability. Longevity is becoming less about adding years to life and more about protecting the quality of life across those years. It’s also the key theme at COSMOPROF convention in Bologna in March 2026 – as illustrated below.

As populations age and spending power shifts toward older cohorts, longevity thinking is shedding its vanity associations. Consumers are investing earlier, expecting brands to support health span, not just lifespan - helping their bodies, minds and routines hold up better under the pressures of modern life.

Key brand question:

Are we helping people stay well for longer or simply helping them fix problems once they appear?

For much of the past decade, technology has promised connection while actually delivering the opposite. Algorithmic feeds, solo screen time and hyper-personalised digital worlds have fragmented daily life - but the people are beginning to push back. Evidence is mounting. According to GWI, social media usage has fallen sharply since 2022, with younger consumers leading the retreat. Governments are responding too: Australia’s decision to ban social media for under-16s - supported by a clear majority of young people - is a sign that concerns about digital overreach are no longer fringe.

What’s emerging in its place is a renewed appetite for real-world connection. Gen Z, in particular, is showing signs of re-socialisation rather than retreat. Data from IWSR shows participation among Gen Z rising again across major global markets – an unexpected reversal that many interpret as a desire to reconnect, gather and relearn face-to-face interaction. After years of mediated interaction, people are actively seeking moments that feel shared, embodied and emotionally grounding.

This shift has profound implications for product design. Connection can no longer be treated as a communications outcome; it must be designed into the experience itself. Across food, drink and even home care, products that enable ritual, sharing and sensory reward are gaining emotional weight. Think formats that invite participation, textures and scents that set a mood, and small imperfections that signal humanity rather than polish. In an increasingly digital world, the most valuable products will be those that help people feel present, with others, and with themselves.

Key brand question:

Is our product designed for solo consumption - or does it actively create moments of connection, ritual or shared feeling in the real world?

Inflation may be stabilizing, but grocery prices remain close to 20% higher than they were just a few years ago, and the price of supermarket brand orange juice 134% higher than it was in 2020. These realities have fundamentally reset how people judge value. The winners so far are clear: private label and discounters who have captured outsized growth by delivering competence at a lower cost. Consumers are not simply asking, ‘is this affordable?’ They are asking, ‘is this worth it, really?’ And that question now supersedes brand, habit, and even loyalty.

This is where the previous shifts collide. Nutritional power, longevity living, and human connectivity all raise expectations of what products should do for people. In a high-priced world, empty calories, superficial wellness cues, and trend-led gimmicks are exposed quickly. Products are compared not just to competitors, but to the best private-label alternatives plus everything else that money could buy instead. Value is no longer cheapness; it is density, usefulness, and relevance per dollar spent. Costco’s Kirkland Signature is built on the quiet promise that you’re paying for substance, not spin. Minimal SKUs, simple packaging, and a reputation for benchmarking against category leaders all reinforce the sense that choosing Kirkland is a rational, informed decision and not a compromise.

The opportunity for brands is to redefine value on their own terms. That means adding meaningful value: compacting more benefit into fewer decisions, reducing friction, supporting real-life goals and justifying price through relevance rather than rhetoric. In this new value paradigm, brands that merely cost more will continue to lose ground. Brands that make people feel smarter, healthier, calmer, or more connected for the money will earn their place.

Key brand question:
If our product costs more, can we clearly explain what people get back - in real life, not on pack?

In recent times, attention has become the holy grail for brands. But louder claims, heavier messaging, and constant social presence are losing appeal. Increasingly, they are signals of noise. What once felt like engagement is now experienced as intrusion.

Nowhere is this more visible than on social platforms. As Gen Z panelists told us on the Impact Makers podcast, TikTok is now compared to an annoying shopping channel - and brands that treat it like one risk being ignored entirely. Young consumers are clear: attention is scarce, and it is not freely given. Brands do not have an automatic right to be in the conversation. In a world of infinite content, persuasion without permission feels exploitative, not inspiring.

This shift is the behavioral consequence of the New Value Paradigm. When money, time and mental bandwidth are under pressure, people reward brands that make decisions easier, not those that push harder. Transparency beats storytelling. Restraint beats repetition. Usefulness beats narrative. Trust is built not by amplifying aspiration, but by helping people feel confident they’ve made the right choice. Brands that earn the right to be heard will gain something far more valuable than reach: trust, relevance and permission.

Key brand question:
Have we earned the right to be listened to - or are we still assuming it?

One final force will accelerate every shift outlined above: the rise of AI-assisted shopping and agent-led decision making. As more people delegate everyday choices, products will be chosen not because they shout the loudest, but because they make life easier. AI won’t be impressed by hype or nostalgia. It will favor brands that deliver real usefulness, clear value and fewer reasons to regret a purchase.

In that world, persuasion matters less and trust matters more. The brands that thrive won’t be those trying to out-talk the system, but those designed to work better for people. Products that earn repeat choice by helping consumers feel healthier, calmer, more confident or more connected.

So, consider that the future doesn’t belong to the loudest brands. Rather, it belongs to the ones that genuinely earn their place in our everyday lives.

If you or your team are looking for ways to prepare for these shifts and create products that actually stick in 2026, reach out to us today.