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Posts Tagged ‘2013 trends’


100 Trends to Watch for 2013

January 17th, 2013 ::

By Karen Axelton

As you prepare your small business for greater success in the coming year, be sure to take a look through trendspotting company JWT’s list of 100 Things to Watch for 2013. While you’ll want to peruse the whole list at leisure, here are a few that stood out to us as of interest to business owners:

  1. Allergen-free foods: JWT cites a 2011 study showing that as many as 1 in 12 American children may have a food allergy. That’s twice as high as previously believed. In 2013, JWT predicts that “allergen-free” will become as ubiquitous as gluten-free, with more food manufacturers, restaurants and retailers devoting themselves to allergy-free meals and snacks.
  2. Ambushed by Amazon: Is Amazon today’s Wal-Mart or Barnes & Noble? Like those mass merchants before it, the ecommerce giant is threatening to run all types of independent retailers out of town. With same-day delivery currently being tested in some cities, its Amazon Flow app that shows shoppers in your store how much the same product costs on Amazon, and everything from luxury jewelry to food for sale, Amazon is a major “disruptor” that retailers and etailers will have to take into account. Latest news? It’s reportedly considering opening brick-and-mortar stores
  3. Appcessories: Accessories are taking on high-tech functionality, turning into “appcessories.” Whether it’s smart eyeglasses, wristwatches or wristbands that integrate with tech toys, or even gloves and socks with RFID tags or embedded microphones, companies are creating dozens of ways for consumers to integrate technology into their clothing and accessories.
  4. Coaching brands: Companies now have the ability to gather unheard-of reams of data about their customers. In 2013, they’ll increasingly use that data to “coach” their customers on how to do things better, provide personalized recommendations for products and services, and otherwise provide customized assistance to help clients improve their lives.
  5. Hyper-personalized customer service: In a closely related trend, businesses in some industries are using information about customers to provide extremely personalized service. For example, restaurants can log details about customer preferences and then provide “the usual” cocktail or a gluten-free menu without the person even having to ask. As technology enables bigger companies to provide the kind of personal touch that used to belong to small companies, your firm will have to find new ways to keep pace.
  6. Dads in the aisles: With women working outside the home and the number of stay-at-home dads multiplying, more marketers that used to focus
on moms will need to include dad as well. Whether you sell cleaning supplies, household products and décor, children’s clothing or food, you will need to market to men and take into account how they like to shop, buy and spend.

Read the full report for 94 more thought-provoking trends.

Image by Flickr user Steve Bowbrick (Creative Commons)

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Business Development, Customer Service, Innovation, Small Business, small business, Technology | No Comments »

10 Menu Trends to Watch in 2013

January 15th, 2013 ::

By Karen Axelton

Do you own a quick-service restaurant? If so, you’ll want to know about the top 10 trends that QSR Magazine has identified for the coming year.

  1. Going local. While truly locally sourced ingredients may be tough for some quick-serve eateries to muster, you can substitute “fresh,” “made from scratch” or “healthy” for the word “local” and get the general idea.
  2. Healthy kids’ meals. No longer is this trend just driven by parents; kids are starting to embrace healthier menu items. The key is using things kids are familiar with: Asian dumplings, hummus, yogurt or sweet potato fries are all healthier options that don’t scare children away.
  3. Economic challenges. While the National Restaurant Association predicts slight growth, rising food costs and stagnating consumer incomes will create challenges for QSRs. You’ll need to be creative with your menu to avoid passing costs on to customers.
  4. Snacks as a meal. Continuing from 2012, this trend will keep growing as consumers demand to eat what they want, when they want it, while also looking for lower-priced items and smaller (healthier) portions.
  5. Vegetables. Moving beyond sweet potato fries and vegetables in sandwiches, steamed and roasted veggies are showing up on QSR menus. Avocado, artichoke hearts, beets, broccoli, cucumbers, edamame, jicama, mushrooms, red peppers, sprouts and zucchini are among the rising stars.
  6. Gluten-free. With nearly 30 percent of U.S. adults claiming they avoid gluten, adding gluten-free items to your menu can greatly increase your customer base.
  7. Trickle-up trends. QSR restaurants are no longer followers of high-end trends but are increasingly leading the way. Because QSR is one of the few growth areas in the restaurant industry, other eateries are looking to this niche for ideas. Fast-casual, one-concept eateries such as burger-only restaurants will continue to be hot in 2013, and there will also be more competition in the QSR niche.
  8. Ethnic food. Ethnic food is moving beyond the familiar staples. Quick-serve Asian food is expanding to include Thai and Vietnamese, while Mexican food lovers are discovering the cuisines of Brazil, Argentina and Peru.
  9. Beverage innovations. Think creative and healthy. Fresh fruit beverages, natural energy drinks, and local products such as house-made sodas and regional craft beer will be hot, as will vegetable-based drinks and smoothies.
  10. Health-care changes. More QSR chains are adding calorie counts and other nutritional information to the menu, whether legally required to do so or not. Customers seem to appreciate this information, so you might want to consider offering it.

How will you incorporate these trends in the coming year?

Image by Flickr user mhaller1979 (Creative Commons)

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Posted in Innovation, Marketing, Small Business, small business | No Comments »

Top 20 Beverage Trends for 2013

December 21st, 2012 ::

By Rieva Lesonsky

Earlier this week I shared the National Restaurant Association’s predictions for the hottest food trends for 2013. The NRA also surveyed bartenders nationwide to come up with its What’s Hot in 2013-Alcohol report, which predicts the top 20 alcoholic drink menu trends for 2013 will be:

1. Onsite barrel-aged drinks
2. Food-liquor/cocktail pairings
3. Culinary cocktails (e.g. savory, fresh ingredients)
4. Micro-distilled/artisan liquor
5. Locally produced spirits
6. Locally sourced fruit/berries/produce
7. Beer sommeliers/Cicerones
8. Regional signature cocktails
9. Beer-based cocktails
10. Locally produced beer
11. Food beer/pairings/beer dinners
12. Salt (e.g. flavored, smoked, regional)
13. House-made lemonade/soft drinks/tonics
14. Cask beer/ale
15. Wine on tap/draft wine
16. Organic cocktails
17. Cocktails on tap
18. Craft beer
19. Signature cocktails
20. Shrubs

Many of the trends, such as locally produced alcoholic beverages, artisan cocktails and creative combinations are also hot in the world of food. What’s not so hot? The bartenders cited the following as “waning trends”: hard lemonade, non-alcoholic wine, “skinny” cocktails, dessert-flavored cocktails, white sangria, frozen cocktails, light beer, kosher wine and boxed wine.

Of course, some drinks never go out of style. Cited as perennial favorites are red wine, white wine, French wine, citrus fruit and olives as garnish, stouts, Scotch whisky, porters and food-wine pairings.

Two out of five (40 percent) of the bartenders ranked social media marketing and loyalty programs as the hottest technology trend in 2013. Also hot are tablet computers (cited by 29 percent) and smartphone apps (14 percent).

Another trend worth noting: More than half (51 percent) of bartenders report more guests are dining at the bar instead of being seated at a table compared to two years ago.

Image by Flickr user Dana Beveridge (Creative Commons)

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Posted in Marketing, Small Business, small business | 1 Comment »

20 Hot Food Trends for 2013

December 19th, 2012 ::

By Rieva Lesonsky

What are the hot food trends restaurant and bar owners, food service entrepreneurs and food manufacturers should know about for 2013? The National Restaurant Association recently released its What’s Hot in 2013 menu trends report.

The top 20 food menu trends for 2013 are:

  1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
  2. Locally grown produce
  3. Healthful kids’ meals
  4. Environmental sustainability as a culinary theme
  5. Children’s nutrition as a culinary theme
  6. New cuts of meat (e.g. Denver steak, pork flat iron, teres major)
  7. Hyperlocal sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens)
  8. Gluten-free cuisine
  9. Sustainable seafood
  10. Whole grain items in kids’ meals
  11. Farm/estate branded items
  12. Non-wheat noodles/pasta (e.g. quinoa, rice, buckwheat)
  13. Non-traditional fish (e.g. branzino, Arctic char, barramundi)
  14. Ethnic-inspired breakfast items (e.g. Chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes)
  15. Fruit/vegetable children’s side items
  16. Health/nutrition as a culinary theme
  17. Half-portions/smaller portions for a smaller price
  18. House-made/artisan ice cream
  19. Black/forbidden rice
  20. Food trucks

While many of these trends are continuing on from 2012, some 2012 trends have had their day. What did the chefs in the survey rank as “out”? Froth/air/foam, ramen, gazpacho, “fun-shaped” children’s items, mini-burgers/sliders, flavored/enhanced water, bacon-flavored chocolate, flavored popcorn, fish collars and desserts with bacon were cited as “waning trends.”

Meanwhile, some food items are always popular no matter what the trends may be. The dishes chefs named as perennial favorites are: Italian cuisine, hamburgers/cheeseburgers, egg dishes, French toast, barbeque, fruit desserts (cobbler, pie, tart), comfort foods, grilling, milkshakes and Mexican food.

Of course, not all food trends involve edibles. More than one-fourth (27 percent) of the chefs say tablet computers are the hottest technology trend in restaurants, with smartphone apps (25 percent) and mobile/wireless/pay-at-the-table (19 percent) close behind.

Image by Flickr user ultrakmi (Creative Commons)

 

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Posted in Marketing, Small Business, small business | 21 Comments »