Insperience over experience: The great slowdown

The home insperience trend will remain an important opportunity for brands in 2021

 

As the roll-out of vaccines takes effect, lockdown procedures will begin to ease, allowing for more flexibility and the return of many pre-pandemic activities. Some consumers will jump at this opportunity, diving right back into out of home experiences. However, for many, the prospect of emerging from their homes and back into the settings they occupied pre-pandemic is a daunting one. The Fear of Going Out (FOGO) will continue to drive the insperience economy that boomed in 2020, as householders remain cautious. Gifting and homewares are a critical investment area for brands, with householders continuing a preference for the safety of home.

We look into some of the key home insperience trends that your brand should be tapping into for 2021. You can also watch our on-demand webinar with the Spring Fair @home to find out more about the key macro trends for 2021 and how to apply them to your business.

Introversion is OK

A celebratory attitude towards introversion is adopted; where saying no is OK. After a year of uncertainty and rules that enforced caution of large groups, consumers take tentative steps when going back to socialising. Rather than saying yes to every invite and offer to socialise, consumers protect time for themselves to rest and recuperate, as going back out will feel draining after so long apart.

For brands, there is an opportunity here to offer products that cater to both introverts and extroverts. Gift boxes personalised to personality types; soothing boxes with books, candles and teas or extrovert boxes with games, sharing snacks and drinks. 

Moment For Me

Creating a space for yourself in the home will remain high on the agenda for 2021. Continuing to spend the majority of our time at home, making space for yourself will be important to householders, especially for those in large families and communal living. A spare room, little nook or even a high-back chair become precious retreats. Further product development opportunities lie in items that foster moments of me-time; such as indoor hammocks that envelop the user.

Treat Mentality

With many of the luxuries afforded to us pre-pandemic unlikely to return to ‘normal’ this year, consumers adopt a treat mentality. Spending on holidays or other big-ticket items is diverted elsewhere. As a result, householders embrace everyday luxuries, recreating the feeling of a night at the cinema or their favourite restaurant from the comfort of their own homes. Gourmet snacks and subscription boxes become key opportunities for gifting, luxury candles for homewares and projector screens for home technology.