Marketing Trends Analysis

India’s ₹12,800 crore wellness industry is being disrupted by free park meetups. Across India, people are trading fitness apps for early morning run clubs and outdoor yoga classes. This movement toward what experts call "analog wellness" is changing how brands connect with consumers. I visited three such communities last week, and I liked the diversity of participants and their loyalty. Many attend 3-5 sessions weekly and bring friends consistently. What's driving this movement? 📍 India's health and wellness market has exploded to ₹12,800 crore ($1.5 billion) in 2024, with the industry showing a 5.3% annual growth rate (IMARC Group, "India Health and Wellness Market Report 2024"). 📍 India’s wellness tourism market alone is projected to reach $21.3 billion by 2025, growing to $41 billion by 2030, reflecting Indians' rising preference for experiential wellness (FICCI–EY Wellness Report, 2023). 📍 While digital fitness platforms are growing, a recent OnePoll survey found 56% of respondents prefer group workouts, with over one-quarter specifically wanting to exercise with others rather than alone (OnePoll/Zepp Health, 2023). Smart brands are already capitalizing on this trend: ➡ Decathlon hosts free weekend hiking groups that build community while showcasing their products (Decathlon India Events Page, 2024) ➡ Local athleisure brands are sponsoring neighborhood sports leagues instead of paying for Instagram ads (Business Today, "How Homegrown Fitness Brands Are Winning," Feb 2024) ➡ Several fitness chains report that their outdoor bootcamps generate significantly more word-of-mouth referrals than digital offerings If I could give one piece of advice to wellness brands right now: 👉 Stop thinking about customers as metrics and start creating physical spaces where people can truly connect with each other. In our hyper-digital world, the simplest human connection, like sweating next to a stranger who becomes a friend, might be the most valuable offering of all. Have you attended any offline wellness communities yet?

The recent transformations within leading Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies signify a paradigm shift underscored by the necessity to adapt to evolving consumer preferences. As these brands pivot away from traditional food categories toward personal care and wellness, they are responding to critical market dynamics: shrinking profit margins in food sectors, a surge in health-conscious consumer behavior, and eroding brand loyalty among food products. This transition illustrates how businesses must not only recognize but anticipate changes in consumer values, particularly the growing inclination towards premium self-care and wellness products. The implications of this shift are profound. For instance, while the global personal care market is projected to reach $758 billion by 2030, the sluggish growth within processed food sectors signals a pressing need for CPG leaders to innovate continually. The evidence revealed through L'Oréal’s robust revenue growth in skincare juxtaposed with declines in traditional food categories serves as a clarion call for all CPG firms: the future lies in aligning product offerings with consumer demands for personalization, health optimization, and quality over quantity. Thus, the critical question posed to FMCG executives is not merely one of survival but of strategic foresight: Are you actively redefining your brand strategy to harness the potential of emerging categories, or are you resigned to merely managing a downward trajectory? This moment is not just about adaptation; it represents an opportunity for reinvention and sustained relevance in a rapidly changing consumer landscape.

Serial returners frequently over-ordering with intent to return a high proportion of items are projected to generate £6.6bn of online returns this year. This group account for just 1 in 10 returners, yet generate a disproportionate quarter of the UK’s £27.3bn of annual online non-food returns. Put another way, each serial returner is projected to send back a staggering £1,400 worth of non-food products this year – more than double that returned by typical online shoppers. Serial returners are skewed towards younger shoppers, often engaging in new behaviours unseen in previous generations. This includes ‘staging’ products on social media, ‘bracketing’ by ordering multiple sizes, and ‘wardrobing’ by informally borrowing clothes to wear for a short time such as a social event. Sub-optimal returns policies are driving opportunistic behaviours, with fast fashion brands such as H&M, Zara, and PrettyLittleThing.com having to introduce fees for online returns to discourage excessive returns and offset expenses. To counteract the impact of serial returners in particular, some brands including ASOS.com have introduced higher returns fees for individual customers and deactivated accounts altogether. There is no-one-size-fits-all solution for tackling this silent crisis for online retailers. Differences across generations and product categories means retailers must strike a balance between minimising losses and maximising customer satisfaction. This necessitates tailoring returns policies based on individual customer behaviour. Great to chat with The Telegraph’s Hannah Boland, Retail Week’s Chloe Mills, The Guardian’s Joanna Partridge and others about Retail Economics’ new research with ZigZag Global. Message me if you'd like a copy of the report. ____________________________________ ⤴ Follow me for weekly retail, consumer and economic insights. ____________________________________

Customer Success Managers who only manage relationships will be replaced. Customer Success Managers who manage value will become irreplaceable. That’s the shift happening right now. For years, CS was measured on: -QBRs delivered -Tickets resolved -NPS scores “Strong relationships” But here’s what’s changing... Executives don’t want activity. They want durable revenue. Now, Customer Success is being pulled closer to: • Net Revenue Retention • Expansion targets • Gross churn reduction • Lifetime Value And AI is accelerating this shift. - Reporting? Automated. - Health scores? Automated. - Usage dashboards? Automated. So what’s left for the CSM? 1. Translating customer behavior into revenue strategy. 2. Quantifying risk before churn happens. 3. Identifying expansion paths tied to business outcomes. 4. Feeding product and pricing teams with monetizable insight. This is the rise of the Value Manager. Not a relationship coordinator. Not a reactive firefighter. Not a post-sale support buffer. A revenue strategist embedded in the customer lifecycle. Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: Relationships open doors. Value keeps contracts. The CSMs who thrive in the next 3–5 years will: • Speak in retention impact, not sentiment. • Frame feedback in revenue exposure, not frustration. • Model expansion opportunities, not just suggest them. • Influence product and pricing with financial language. Customer Success is no longer about being liked. It’s about being financially indispensable. So the real question is: Are you managing accounts… Or governing predictable growth? #CustomerSuccess #RevenueRetention #NetRevenueRetention #SaaSLeadership #CSLeadership #ValueRealization #ExpansionRevenue #B2BStrategy

Whole Foods Market: food trends follow values, not fads Whole Foods Market – the US-based natural and organic retail chain (part of Amazon, over 500 stores, ~$22B revenue) – just released its annual food trend forecast for 2026: The Next Big Things. --> https://lnkd.in/edC5Mvxn Curated by the Whole Foods Trends Council, the report reveals how evolving consumer values around health, sustainability, and lifestyle are reshaping the food landscape. Here’s what stands out: 🔹 Tallow Takeover Animal fats like tallow are making a return, as consumers move away from industrial seed oils and revisit traditional fats. → Indicates a broader shift from plant-based purity to a more “ancestral” approach to eating. 🔹 Focus on Fiber Fiber is stepping into the spotlight, especially for gut health, satiety, and overall wellness. → Reflects how microbiome health is entering mainstream nutrition awareness. 🔹 Year of the Female Farmer In line with the UN’s declaration of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, there's growing recognition of women-led agricultural ventures. → Puts diversity and inclusion at the center of food production. 🔹 Kitchen Couture Design-forward packaging is transforming everyday staples into display-worthy kitchen objects. → Highlights the increasing role of branding, aesthetics, and self-expression in food purchasing decisions. 🔹 Freezer Fine Dining Chef-crafted frozen meals with global inspiration and clean labels are redefining the frozen aisle. → Convenience is no longer at odds with quality or transparency. 🔹 Very Vinegar Vinegar – especially small-batch and drinkable formats – is gaining traction for both flavor and function. → A signal of fermentation culture and acidity becoming wellness tools. 🔹 Sweet, but Make It Mindful Natural sweeteners, fruit-based desserts, and smaller portions are reshaping indulgence. → It’s not about restriction, but about intentional choices. 🔹 Instant Reimagined Premium instant foods and beverages – from lattes to meals – now deliver on taste, nutrition, and clean ingredients. → A rising category for time-poor, quality-conscious consumers. Whole Foods Market remains a reliable indicator of conscious consumption trends in the North American food ecosystem – often with global ripple effects. Europe here we come ;-) #foodtrends #retailinnovation #consumerbehavior #fmcg #foodtech #ecommerce #retailstrategy #omnichannel #healthyfood #naturalproducts #packagingdesign #conveniencefood #sustainability #agriculture #femaleempowerment #nutritiontrends #futureoffood #cleanlabel #microbiome #fermentation #guthealth #sweeteners #frozenfood #instantramen #globalcuisine #wellnessindustry #us #northamerica #wholefoods #amazon #foodsystem

Iterating on the "systems of context" concept I shared earlier this week. Instead of systems of record and systems of engagement, I see #martech stacks evolving into: (1) SYSTEMS OF TRUTH — a small set of platforms, such as CRM, MDM, and DAM, that arbitrate correct and canonical data, most of which is increasingly stored and distributed within a universal data layer of a cloud data warehouse (lakehouse). (2) SYSTEMS OF CONTEXT — a large number of platforms, apps, and now AI agents that combine data and services to serve the specific context in which an employee is working or a customer is engaging with the business. This includes core martech products such as MAP, CEP, DXP, DSP. I believe CDPs are increasingly a system of context too, assembling combinations of data for specific campaigns or programs, but not necessarily serving as the arbiter of truth for the underlying source data. (To me, identity resolution is an example of establishing context to incoming data at a particular touchpoint.) What's exciting is that we're now moving from mostly FIXED systems of context — apps with relatively rigid boundaries, functions, and UX — to a multitude of DYNAMIC systems of context with AI agents and automations. A dynamic system of context crosses traditional app and data boundaries to tailor an experience or process to serve more specific "jobs to be done" — whether employee-facing or customer-facing. The software adapts to the context of that moment, that purpose, that individual. These AI agents and automations can leverage (or even live within) more fixed systems of context, such as a CRM or CEP. Context can be layered: a CDP feeds contextual data to a CEP, which in turn feeds contextual framing and services to a customer-facing AI agent. By the way, you don't need all of the pieces shown in this diagram. I just placed common #martech products here to show where they approximately fit in this model. There are also plenty of other pieces that I didn't include. But hopefully this gets the idea across. Thoughts?

Past week, dozens of billion dollar brands changed their colors overnight. Starbucks. M&M’s. United Airlines. Cheez-It. poppi. The Texas Longhorns. Even fashion houses, beverage giants, and universities. Entirely different industries, all suddenly adopting the same two tones: mint and orange. Not because of a board vote, a rebrand agency, or a shareholder push. The reason? Taylor Swift. It wasn’t a marketing campaign. It wasn’t a corporate directive. It was culture, moving faster than strategy, faster than planning cycles, faster than any internal alignment process could ever dream of. That’s what fascinates me. Leaders often think about competition in their own category. Beverage vs. beverage. Airline vs. airline. Snack vs. snack. But this shows the real competitive arena has shifted. You’re not just competing for shelf space or ad share, you’re competing for cultural proximity. And cultural proximity is set by whoever has the gravitational pull to bend industries at once. For FMCG and consumer leaders, the implications are sharp: Do you have teams built to spot and respond to these signals in real time? Do your structures allow agility, or do you get slowed by process? Are you cultivating leaders who can balance relevance with authenticity, so you don’t just ride culture but add to it? Because if you don’t have the talent architecture to keep pace, culture will make the decision for you. Sometimes it’s color. Sometimes it’s something much bigger. So, what do you think, is this a bold way for brands to stay relevant, or a risky surrender of their own identity? #BrandStrategy #Marketing #BusinessLeadership #ConsumerTrends #Culture #FMGC

The hottest job in B2B marketing right now is the VP of Revenue Marketing. Two years ago this would have been VP of Demand Generation. In just the past week I've talked to four CMOs who are prioritizing a VP of Revenue Marketing role as a key member of their leadership team. The differences and shifts in organizational and go-to-market philosophy represented here are significant for companies hoping to grow and scale profitably in the quarters and years to come. To me it signals four things happening in B2B marketing (all positive signs): 1️⃣ It's a recognition that demand alone is short-sighted. Focusing on near-term direct pipeline alone is expensive and misses the nuances of an increasingly advanced and complex buying journey and buying group dynamic. Demand generation alone also fails to coordinate consensus building and influence from inside and outside the buying group. - partners, peer groups and more. 2️⃣ It recognizes that revenue comes from far more than just net-new leads. We have some clients that focus 90% of their efforts on their customer base. The concept of scrambling for net-new leads outside of their core target market would be inefficient and borderline negligent. 3️⃣ It means more CMOs are focused on the entire marketing function, not just "promotion". In all too many cases in the recent past, the CMO WAS the VP of Demand Generation. The role in some orgs had been reduced to tomorrow's leads and this week's new pipeline. Thankfully today's advanced Chief Market officers are leaning into product roadmap leadership, product/market fit, brand management and more. Back to the roots of successful marketing leadership, as some may say. 4️⃣ It validates that “lifecycle revenue marketing” is outperforming… and org charts are catching up. Forrester’s work on lifecycle revenue marketing shows advanced teams are more likely to meet/exceed revenue goals than siloed teams. Lifecycle + orchestration + accountability is becoming the model—so companies are hiring the executive who can build it. 5️⃣ It reflects how "self-serve" is moving upmarket, putting website + lifecycle in the revenue path. Forrester predicts that more than half of $1M+ B2B transactions will be processed through digital self-serve channels (vendor site or marketplace). That’s not “demand gen.” That’s revenue infrastructure: conversion paths, nurture, expansion, product-led signals, and orchestration. 

“Did B2B break in 2024?” asked the penguin-hatted emcee of the CMO Super Huddle. The 100+ marketing leaders crammed into a Palo Alto hotel ballroom listened and nodded. Few had a great year. Most had major challenges, which they shared on a small card. An analysis of these challenges reveals some interesting truths about the CMO role. The CMO role remains the most bespoke in the C-suite This isn’t news. It’s just a reminder to avoid assumptions when speaking with CMOs. Some have vast portfolios and should call themselves “Chief Market Officers,” noted executive recruiting legend Kate Bullis. Most don’t. About half report to the CEO. A few “own” ecommerce and a P&L. Most don’t. Some own marketing and comms. Some have enlightened CEOs who understand that marketing is a growth lever. Most don’t! Few CMOs believe they have sufficient resources to hit their goals After years of budget cuts and goal hikes, many B2B CMOs are at the breaking point. Several highly skilled CMOs quit in 2024 in the face of relentless magical thinking by PE firms. Others describe their 2025 challenge as “dedicating sufficient resources (people + budget) to meet increasingly high goals,” “so many priorities, so few resources,” or simply “doing more with less.” To make this visceral, one CMO asked, “How can I scale demand and awareness with a budget of only $20,000/month?”  Educating the C-Suite remains a top challenge This is not just about educating other execs that marketing is not a simple input/output function (like Jon Miller’s gumball machine metaphor). It turns out that a lot of execs, particularly at start-ups, can’t agree on a go-to-market strategy or even what “strategy” means. Thus CMO challenges like “GTM alignment,” “lack of clarity of business objectives” and “executive alignment & engagement around a cohesive customer-centric narrative” are surprisingly frequent. The era of just handing off leads to Sales is over While marketing leaders still wish their sales counterparts were better closers, few relinquish responsibility for conversion rates. Most CMOs now realize that MQLs and SQLs are meaningless if deals don’t get closed. As such, challenges like “pipeline progression,” “sales enablement,” and “improving close rates” are their top priorities. While these aren’t easily solved issues, marketers are finding meaningful ways to support their sales counterparts from discovery through acquisition and retention. And in doing so, become recognized as business leaders not just the marketing person! CMOs are remarkably resilient and infinitely curious Despite the challenges stated above (and many others I'll cover later), the atmosphere in the room was electric. For several hours, these execs ignored their email and listened intently. They shared leadership tips and sought answers on how GenAI would reshape their companies, products, and marketing. They opened their minds, prepared to pivot, and networked for answers. It was flocking awesome 🐧 💜 

The Evolving Face of the US Homebuyer The National Association of Realtors' (NAR) 2024 report provides a fascinating snapshot of the US housing market’s buyer profile that looks significantly different than it did just a few years ago. The data reveals a changing homebuyer. The average buyer age has climbed to a record 56, underscoring the impact of high housing costs and rising interest rates that have sidelined younger would-be buyers. For first-time buyers, the average age is now 38, nearly a decade older than it was in the early 1980s. These changes signal a more mature buyer who brings accumulated wealth and likely more significant financial security to the table. Additionally, a fifth of all home purchases were made by single women, a notable demographic shift reflecting both a societal change in homeownership goals and an economic shift in who can afford to buy. By contrast, single men comprised only 8% of recent buyers. This snapshot highlights what many are calling a “bifurcated housing market,” where those able to buy homes are increasingly established, wealthier individuals, often using home equity from previous properties to secure cash purchases or make substantial down payments. This market has been largely inaccessible to younger buyers, who continue to face affordability challenges, limited savings, and reduced opportunities for financial support in the form of lower mortgage rates. With affordability gauges near record lows, first-time homebuyers hold a mere 24% share of the market, down dramatically from the 40% share held in pre-Great Recession years. Rising prices and interest rates have compounded these barriers, leading to a market where nearly three-quarters of all buyers have no children under 18 at home, reflecting an older and more established buyer profile than in decades past. While this report offers a look back, the trends it captures underscore a potential turning point. Recent mortgage application data suggests that prospective buyers who had previously been priced out or sidelined may begin to re-enter the market as interest rates stabilize. If these sidelined buyers do return, particularly younger and more diverse demographics, the profile of the typical buyer could again start to shift, gradually increasing diversity in age, household composition, and race among homebuyers. At Havas Edge, we’re continually analyzing these demographic shifts to support brands in delivering timely, targeted strategies that meet the realities of today’s buyers and the anticipated resurgence of those who’ve been waiting on the sidelines. #RealEstate #Homebuyers #MarketTrends #HousingEconomics #ConsumerInsights