Need to Know
04 : 12 : 18

Global – Our Future Forecast 2019 is launched today, packed with more practical consumer insights than ever before.

This time last year, our annual Future Forecast predicted that cosmetic crusaders would vanquish make-up shaming, that fitness would become a platform for inclusivity and that sleep innovation would be ushered in by the travel industry. As we approach the end of 2018, not only have these and dozens more of our predictions come to pass, they have also equipped more than 5,000 of our clients with the knowledge to take proactive action to future-proof their businesses.

We’ve arranged our findings into 10 core markets: Food, Drink, Beauty, Health and Wellness, Luxury, Fashion, Retail, Fintech, Travel and Hospitality, and Youth. From Acne Positivity and Biometric Money to Alternative Intoxication and Optimised Wardrobes, every consumer sector will see transformative changes over the next 12 months.

Cut through the noise and gain a quick and clear understanding of how these key shifts will affect your brand by downloading the Future Forecast 2019 here. If you’re a member of LS:N Global, make sure to claim your free copy.

Berlin – Founded by Alakina Mann, Anatomy of Pleasure aims to educate women on the intricacies of their bodies both from a pleasure and an anatomical perspective. Mann, who this year graduated from Glasgow School of Art’s Medical Visualisation and Human Anatomy course, wanted to address the fact that children often only receive cursory sex education, which has exacerbated the taboo around female sexual pleasure.

‘My fine art practice involved large scale autobiographical drawings of the body, exploring the connection between mind and body,’ says Mann. ‘By omission, my drawings highlighted to me the areas I was not willing to discuss or draw; the sexual areas of the body. I also realised how little I really knew about them.' The Anatomy of Pleasure site, which is currently still under construction, offers photos, 2D diagrams and interactive 3D models of the vulva, clitoris, vagina and the uterus as well as self-titled ‘pleasure maps’ and a look at what happens to a woman physically when she gets turned on.

There is a growing realisation that the conversation around sexual pleasure has for too long been skewed towards men, resulting in a host of women-led brands that aim to empower their consumers sexually.

UK – Alma is a non-invasive biosensor and app that monitors vaginal discharge and helps to diagnose gynaecological conditions.

The wearable device, which is placed in the gusset of underwear, monitors pH and lactic acid levels and sends this information to the wearer’s smartphone via Bluetooth. With the Alma app, women can see their data archive and track vaginal conditions such as candidal vulvovaginitis (CVV) and bacterial vaginosis (BV), which many women experience recurrently. The app also advises women when they should consult a doctor.

While currently at prototype stage, the project is being led by a multidisciplinary team of three scientists from the University of Cambridge and Giulia Tomasello, a designer specialising in women's healthcare, who are developing the biosensor to enable everyday women to become experts on what is normal and abnormal when it comes to their gynaecological health. It also hopes to break down societal stigma around the subject.

With innovations like Alma women can become more knowledgeable about their vaginal health, having been historically underserved by meditech devices.

The annual shopping event developed by American Express to boost small, independent businesses in the US, reported record sales for its ninth iteration on November 24, 2018.

Among US consumers who said they shopped at local independent retailers and restaurants on the day, total spending reached an estimated $17.8bn (£13.9bn, €17.7bn). This reflects shoppers’ growing recognition of the event, with 70% of US adult consumers now aware of Small Business Saturday, according to this year’s insights survey from American Express.

The same report also found that 42% of US consumers shopped at a local retailer on Small Business Saturday, while another 41% said they shopped online with local companies. One-day retail events continue to be a force for spend around the world, as reflected by November's Singles Day, which continues to break sales records in China.