During the years, I have explained many times to my audiences and clients 7 reasons a Trend Book can help their business grow. But I actually have never written about it on Eclectic Trends.
We shared last week our new direction of how we are going to publish trend reports from now on. There are many reasons why we have adopted this new path of more and one-single themed Trend Books.
Truth is, my mission is to make trend information accessible to an audience who would love to be ‘educated’ in how trends work, why they matter and contribute with our publications.
We all know, education is key.
Giving Trend Lectures involves educating, inspiring, offering value.
Let me share one of the two major trends myth I encounter when discussing trends with an audience:
Trends are superficial.
They don’t have a relevant power or contribute to anything meaningful.
Whenever I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to address these thoughts, I like to ask the person giving that statement, what s/he thinks a trend is.
It turns out that most of the times a trend is being confused with a fashion related topic or a fad (according to Cambridge: a style, activity, or interest that is very popular for a short period of time). Products appeal to trendsetters, but they only reach a tiny crowd and disappear quickly, hence they do not have a relevant impact.
Now, let me give you the shortened version of my answer.
You can see if a Trend Study is well done if you it goes further than showing you color and material ideas only, but brings key concepts on the surface and talks about consumer expectations, too (there is more to it, let’s keep it short for now:)
How could a Trend Study possibly help you in your business?
This is what I have learned so far:
I am not putting the answers by importance – they all matter. You basically will learn about or gain:
1// Knowledge
Knowledge provides clarity. Clarity is power. You will gain a firm understanding on what is happening in a certain area, and even if you were already aware, you gain confirmation and very likely, extra information. That knowledge helps you to take innovative decisions.
There is nothing better than share that knowledge, work with your teams and plan on how to translate all the trend information you have just gained.
2// Consumer Behavior
When some people say, “I am in the business of ‘slow’, not interested in trends at all, they are counterproductive”, please note, you still need to innovate.
Why? Because your consumer has a certain style or taste that will change over time and you have to adapt to it to stay relevant.
Remember, the only constant is change.
Even in the business of ‘slow’. A Trend Study shows you what end consumers expect, how much they spend, what values they have, how they shift.
3// Leadership
Innovation matters. Be ahead of the game in your industry and know more about the most recent developments, might be essential. And this has nothing to do with the size of your business. I am working with one-woman structures and larger cooperation. Being in the know and communicating accordingly, shows the market how dynamic your business is.
And believe me, sometimes it is much easier to implement trends in smaller businesses since they are much more flexible.
4// Design inspiration
The right combination of key visuals, texts, color palettes, and materials will most likely make your head spin with new ideas. Again, some might be confirming, others are new and inspirational.
We also offer a workbook with our Trend Books so you can translate the learnings and get into action. If you are a product designer, this is a very good tool to think about upcoming collections.
5// Vision
Who does not want to feel confident about the path your business will take mid and long-term? A well-planned vision gives your organization a clear focus. Knowing what comes next and what end consumers expect will contribute to be on the right track.
6// Confidence
The more you read, the more you learn about trend vocabulary such as drivers, manifestations, signals, opportunities, new trend terms that come up such as No-Throw Philosophy, compound words like Resi-mmercial, Bleisure or Phygital.
It gets easier to argument certain decisions in front of your colleagues and clients when you can explain THE WHY.
You get independent from your competitors and their work and can draft your own strategy. Powerful, right?
7// Economical advantages
In short, money. If any of the former points apply, they will eventually lead to an increasing revenue in your business, I see this all the time if all departments are involved and speak the same language.
Being prepared saves and generates money.
Every single point listed here is the result of feedbacks I have received from my clients over the past ten years. I take my craft seriously and hope to be able to contribute to a better understanding why #TrendsMatter. Un abrazo.G.
