TrendSource Trending Blog

It's the first blog of the new decade! We've seen a lot over the last ten years, from the boom of fast casual and delivery to the bust of Sears and Circuit City. It was a great decade for Tom Brady and Beyonce, not so much for Jared and Subway. But now, it's time to look forward! Below, we offer four market research topics that we already have in the hopper for 2020, things we've had on our mind for a while and can't wait to explore and share in this new year. 

We all know that CPG is hurting, but we also know it’s not going anywhere. Unless we all roll up our sleeves and dig into an agrarian renaissance, we will always need consumer packaged goods—that’s not changing unless we all start farming. And I for one do not farm.

What’s changing, then, is where, how, and from whom consumers are getting these goods. Formerly the exclusive territory of CPG titans like Unilever and Kraft, CPG is increasingly fragmented and less monolithic.

Lately it seems as though Bud Light has fewer and fewer buddies.

Facing challenges from the domestic craft beer revolution, foreign imports, and wine and spirits, brands like Bud Light have seen their sales and market share erode over the past several years.

We set our own editorial calendar, but every now and again, a casual workplace question becomes an internal debate…and then becomes a blog topic.

Recently, a lively discussion ensued in TrendSource's lunchroom about how (and, indeed, if) all-you-can-eat (AYCE) establishments could possibly succeed. You know what we mean—AYCE buffets ranging from pizza to Chinese, AYCE restaurants like Korean BBQ and sushi, how do they stay afloat?

When meal kits became a thing around 2012, their approach seemed as fresh and timely as the food they provided. With 80% of meals (and half of restaurant orders) consumed at home, meal kits were potentially a perfectly timed hybrid. Appealing to foodies’ adventurous desire to take a guided exploration of unfamiliar cuisine while streamlining the multiple steps required to prepare a home-cooked meal, Blue Apron and the like utilized the subscription model that has served so many industries well (except for you, MoviePass).