Time for brands to meet consumer demands for ‘professional’ products: Mintel

By Andrew McDougall

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Personal care markets Consumer theory

Spending cutbacks will influence the way consumers purchase goods, with many looking for products that can provide similar benefits to professional treatments, according to market analyst Mintel.

In its latest report, entitled ‘Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) trends 2011, Mintel has highlighted professionalization of the amateur as a key trend.

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It predicts that in 2011, consumers will strive for a greater sense of control, including over how (and if) they spend money on services outside the home.

This signals a greater focus for more products that help consumers achieve in the home, what they would have gone to a specialist for in the past.

Mintel states this trend has its origins in personal care markets, with ‘salon-style’ hair treatments for home use, but will also expand across all categories.

For example, Unilever’s Seda shampoo and conditioner is co-designed by seven hair experts, a boast that many brands now claim.

Mainstream brands are getting into a more serious ‘professional’ arena, and cottoning on to this growing trend by bringing into the home what used to require a specialist service, and Mintel predicts this will continue as consumers take a ‘prepare for the worst’ stance toward budgeting.

It is not just hair care products either. Nail care and tanning products are also increasingly being bought in preference to salon treatments.

The CPG trends 2011 report is the result of the collaboration between all of Mintel’s analysts and compiles a list of 12 key trends for CPG for the coming year.

“These annual predictions represent continuations of current big-picture trends, rather than major changes in the marketplace and what companies are doing,”​ notes Lynn Dornblaser, director of innovation and insight at Mintel.

“Understanding the major trend areas and how they change from year to year is essential for companies to be successful when developing and launching new products.”

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