The U.S Surgeon General’s recent warning on alcohol consumption and cancer risk came at a time when many consumers are participating in dry January. New terms like sober-curious are being used. Demand for “sober bars”. But rather than getting caught up on the pessimistic future of alcoholic beverage companies or the food and beverage industries, the consumer implication here is really about an obsession on self-optimization. Forty-four percent of U.S consumers and 45% of UK consumers self-reported their plans to make New Year’s resolutions in 2025, according to Forrester’s December 2024 Consumer Pulse Survey – and much of their intentions haven’t changed over previous years – exercising better habits with their health, finances, and connections with friends and family.
Consumers Now Live In The Age Of Self-Growth
The global med spa market – with services in beauty treatments like injectables and weight loss enhancements – is projected to surpass 59.4 Billion USD by 2033. Emerging startups around longevity and biohacking are fueling headlines and investments by billionaires – with a focus on research and development around anti-ageing therapies. The percentage of U.S. adults who had received any mental health treatment in the past year increased 4% between 2019 and 2023.
The emphasis on self-optimization and personal growth trends are fueled and amplified by a couple of cultural factors:
Algorithms that influence content consumption. Consumer preferences are now driven by recommendation engines and social media algorithms, spotlighting the “illusory truth effect” – in which humans are more likely to believe something is true simply because it was repeated often. Hacks, products and advice on being a better version of yourself will continue to reign over the types of content that the individual consumer consumes and engages with.
Increased access but decreased control. The feeling of being overwhelmed by too many choices has steadily grown 3% between 2021 and 2024 in the US, according to Forrester’s Consumer Online Benchmark Survey In reaction to handing over agency to technology, consumers will seek ways to increase control over their life. With better metrics, technologies, and therapies – from daily usage of smartphones to expensive bio therapies – these tools optimize a person’s physical and mental health, steadily ushering consumers toward increased experimentation over self-optimization.
Consumer trends typically indicate a turning point to something bigger. Identifying what the trend is will get you awareness – however, to act on it, marketers must look at the bigger picture. Why are consumers behaving this way? Where are they turning to? Why is this trend happening at this moment?
To help you better understand consumer trends in 2025 and beyond, schedule a guidance session with me.
