Australia – With consumers increasingly bringing self-care rituals into their daily lives, gaming developer Lumi is creating a mindful game that invites players to nurture virtual houseplants. Called Kinder World, the game allows users to take care of digital potted plants through short and simple wellbeing exercises such as naming emotions or recalling a pleasing scent.

By prompting users to practise mindful tasks, the game’s virtual plants mirror the intended goal of achieving self-care and relaxation. With this in mind, Lumi intentionally chose to ensure that plants within Kinder World will never die. ‘We’re making Kinder World because it can be very hard to work on being compassionate with ourselves, especially amid a global pandemic,’ says Lauren Clinnick, CEO of Kinder World. ‘If you’ve struggled to make a habit with meditation or mindfulness apps, we’re making this game exactly for you.’

Here, the game aligns with the values we explore in Mundane Gaming – a trend that embraces the blandness of daily tasks to counter our hyper-emotional online existence.

At a time when retailers are focusing on physical store environments, a recent study reveals that many everyday items are still being bought online. According to findings by WARC, worldwide FMCG e-commerce penetration grew from 31.6% in 2019 to 39.8% in 2021.

The research also reveals that online FMCG sales increased by 15.8% year on year in 2021, more than three times faster than the next best performer, cash and carry. While the rise of online FMCG ordering was essential during pandemic-related lockdown periods, the research also forecasts that e-commerce will increase its share of the global FMCG home market to 9.2% by 2025.

This strong and continued growth demonstrates the continuing need for convenient and accessible services for purchasing FMCG brands. As we explore in our Next-gen Grocery Market, there has also been a surge in elevated online grocery services that prioritise speed, speciality and even sustainability.