News 11.04.2025

Need to Know

Kate Spade launches Target collection, The Future Laboratory and Renude co-host AI beauty breakfast, Alice Crossley’s Foresight Friday and why consumers are growing bored of online shopping.

Target taps Kate Spade New York for affordable capsule collection

Kate Spade New York x Target, US
Kate Spade New York x Target, US
Kate Spade New York x Target, US

US – Target is teaming up with Kate Spade New York for a limited-edition collection launching on 12 April 2025. The collaboration includes more than 300 pieces spanning women’s and children’s apparel, handbags and home accessories, with over half of the items priced at £11.60 ($15, €13.50) or less.

Two years in the making, the partnership blends Kate Spade’s signature playful style with Target’s accessible design ethos. ‘With versatile pieces that work for every occasion and can’t-miss prices, this partnership brings together Kate Spade’s signature style with Target’s legacy of making the best design accessible to all,’ said Jill Sando, Target’s chief merchandising officer.

‘Our teams worked together for two years to create this collection, and I can’t wait for consumers to see everything we have to offer. It’s stylish, affordable and loaded with items that’ll add plenty of joy to everyday moments,’ she added.

Seeing a premium fashion brand lean into affordability aligns with the findings of our New Codes of Value macrotrend report, which explores how consumers are rethinking luxury through the lens of resourcefulness, care and connection – rather than price or exclusivity.

Strategic opportunity

Consider how to use capsule collections to pilot entry into adjacent categories such as homeware, pet accessories or children’s fashion with lower risk. These experiments can inform full-scale launches or reveal hidden demand

The Future of Intelligent Beauty breakfast briefing

Renude, UK Renude, UK

UK – The Future Laboratory and AI skincare brand Renude co-hosted a breakfast briefing earlier this month at The Curve Club in Shoreditch to explore The Future of Intelligent Beauty and debut Renude’s AI-powered Skin Chat tool.

The session opened with insights from The Future Laboratory’s insights and engagement director Olivia Houghton and senior foresight analyst Alice Crossley, who outlined how trends such as Accredited Beauty, EQ-Commerce and The Synthocene Era are converging to move the beauty industry from prescriptive to predictive, helping consumers navigate complexity with intelligent, evolving and emotionally aware customer service systems – without losing the human touch.

Renude co-founders Pippa Harman and Catherine Nisson then introduced Skin Chat AI – a chatbot tool powered by dermatologists. Built for integration into e-commerce platforms, it analyses skin via selfies to provide users with product advice and skincare routines and arms retailers with invaluable data on shopping behaviours and any pain points or areas for innovation.

Find out more

We offer in-person and online presentations to give you and your team access to our latest sector research, delivered by our world-class specialists. Get in touch now by emailing [email protected] to find out more

Foresight Friday: Alice Crossley, senior foresight analyst

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, senior foresight analyst Alice Crossley unpacks a visit to Neko Health’s latest full body scan centre in Spitalfields.

: Preventative healthcare technology provider Neko Health has just opened its second UK location, in Spitalfields, London. Founded in 2018 by engineer Hjalmar Nilsonne and Spotify CEO and co-founder Daniel Ek, the company offers comprehensive full-body scans mapping millions of health data points in minutes. As the largest centre yet, the Spitalfields location will become the Swedish company’s new flagship, with the capacity to scan up to 30,000 customers each year.

: Priced at £299 ($387, €346), the scan checks moles and marks for signs of skin cancer, symptoms of metabolic syndrome and risk factors for stroke and heart attack, along with blood sugar levels and blood abnormalities. Immediately after the scan, a doctor reviews the results with the patient. Both scientifically and aesthetically impressive, every element of the centre’s design is as intentional as the healthcare experience.  

: We first covered Neko Health in our Longevity Lifestyles report in 2023, which highlighted how preventative healthcare technologies are empowering individuals with the knowledge to lead healthier, longer lives. Currently working through a hefty waitlist, the company has plans for further expansion across the UK and to bring preventative healthcare to the US next. There’s certainly an appetite for it: a recent report from revealed that 67% of people in the US would pay for early cancer detection, 59% for preventative MRI scans and 66% for comprehensive blood work (source: Forerunner).

Neko Health, Spitalfields, UK

Quote of the week

‘Our spaces celebrate preventive health, making wellbeing something to be seen, embraced, and experienced’

Hjalmar Nilsonne, CEO and co-founder, Neko Health

Stat: Convenient online shopping lacks excitement and discovery

The Future Laboratory, UK The Future Laboratory, UK

Global – While online shopping offers ease, most consumers say it lacks excitement, according to an international survey by Criteo. Some 76% of shoppers say online retail is dull, with nearly a third (29%) calling it a ‘chore’. The survey polled 6,000 consumers and 600 brand leaders in six countries.

Although 61% of shoppers turn to online retail for convenience, 79% describe the experience as ‘lonely’ and 78% feel overwhelmed by too many choices. Only half say they find online shopping enjoyable or relaxing.

‘Once, shopping was about excitement – the thrill of the unexpected, the delight of discovery,’ says Marc Fischli, executive managing director at Criteo. ‘Online retail has become a functional necessity, optimised for speed but stripped of surprise and spontaneity.’

Personalisation could offer a solution. Some 43% of online shoppers are open to brands using their data to improve experiences provided it’s done transparently and with trust. Fischli notes that consumers crave the unexpected, but discovery is too often left to chance.

While 98% of brand leaders believe their discovery strategies are effective, 79% admit that data privacy concerns limit their ability to improve them. Interestingly, 55% believe influencers drive traffic, yet only 29% of consumers say influencer content makes them feel more positively about a brand.

In our Escapism Retail report, we explored how innovative physical retail spaces are becoming a compelling antidote to online shopping’s lack of excitement.

Strategic opportunity

E-tailers should explore how to turn personalisation into moments of joy – not just ‘you may also like’ but surprise perks, hidden Easter eggs or exciting product storytelling

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