Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 433,068 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,165 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 336,141 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,165 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 336,141 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,158 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
During COVID-19, learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 433,068 cutting edge ideas.
FuturistU > Innovation & Change > Opportunity Hunting > Module 2 / 4

Megatrends

Instructor: Jeremy Gutsche
If you look at everything impacting the future, there are probably just 50 megatrends that explain every major change in consumer demand. Instead of predicting what’s hip next year, megatrends explain how the world changes in the next 3 to 10 years. At Trend Hunter, we are constantly reevaluating which megatrends are the most important and publicly reveal just 18 Megatrends that we believe have the most sway.

This module explores not just what those 18 Megatrends are, but how best to use them, alongside our 6 Patterns of Opportunity, to productionize creativity and employ more associative thinking.
Workshop Questions:
1. What is one outside industry you could better leverage for inspiration?
2. How does your team currently use trends? What could you do to refine that process?
Get Trend Hunter Dashboard

Insights by Trend Hunter AI

Private Socials
Emerging social media platforms are focusing on privacy
Trend - With criticisms around excessive social media use and the data-selling that goes along with it, some brands are releasing social media platforms with limited functions and privacy features that help protect users' data, while still enabling sharing between family and friends.
Workshop Question - How is your brand prioritizing the overall wellness of its customers?
3.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Plant-Based Pasta
Pre-packaged pastas are being made with vegan ingredients
Trend - As plant-based foods become more popular, pre-packaged pasta meals are now being made with vegan ingredients. These products include everything from vegan raviolis to lasagnas, and aim to simplify eating plant-based Italian food.
Workshop Question - How could your brand better balance convenience with health?
4.5
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Compost E-Commerce
Brands in the e-commerce space offer compostable packaging
Trend - The growth of the e-commerce industry has resulted in excessive packaging waste and pollution. Now, some brands in this space are offering compostable packaging solutions that help reduce their environmental impact, while simplifying sustainability.
Workshop Question - How could your brand make eco-friendly consumption easier to attain for its customers?
7.5
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Compostable Beauty
Beauty brands are reducing their impact with compostable packaging
Trend - Compostable packaging solutions in the beauty space are becoming more popular as brands in the cosmetic industry look to reduce their environmental impact. Everything from brands selling luxury goods to ones selling inexpensive beauty items are now adopting such packaging.
Workshop Question - How is your brand prioritizing environmental protection?
6.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Prebiotic Sodas
Sodas that contain prebiotic ingredients tout their nutritious benefits
Trend - Soda brands are trying to lose the label of being unhealthy by incorporating prebiotics into varying soda flavors. These items enhance gut health while still catering to consumers' desire for indulgence.
Workshop Question - How is your brand balancing indulgence and health for its customers?
5.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Cultivated Restaurant
More restaurants are experimenting with cultivated meat-based dishes
Trend - Lab-grown meat and seafood are being developed as sustainable alternatives to traditional farming. Now that there have been significant innovations in this space, some restaurants are already developing dishes or entire business models around cultivated meats and/or seafoods.
Workshop Question - How can your brand authentically prioritize sustainability?
3.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Cultivated Restaurant
More restaurants are experimenting with cultivated meat-based dishes
Trend - Lab-grown meat and seafood are being developed as sustainable alternatives to traditional farming. Now that there have been significant innovations in this space, some restaurants are already developing dishes or entire business models around cultivated meats and/or seafoods.
Workshop Question - How can your brand authentically prioritize sustainability?
3.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Zero-Waste Cosmetic
The cosmetic industry is now producing zero-waste packaging and products
Trend - Brands in the cosmetic industry are increasingly prioritizing zero-waste products, packaging and/or production in response to the growing demand for businesses to reduce their environmental impact.
Workshop Question - How is your brand looking into long-term environmental harm-reduction?
6
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Medicinal Waste
Medical and health products are created with upcycled waste
Trend - The health industry is now prioritizing waste-reduction by taking components of products that would normally be thrown away, and turning them into everything from PPE to bandages and supplements.
Workshop Question - How is your brand prioritizing sustainability and waste-reduction?
6.2
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
WFH Culture
Brands replicate office culture from home for their employees
Trend - In order to keep employees engaged as many companies enter a year of work-from-home setups, many are trying to replicate in-office rituals virtually. These include everything from coffee breaks to chat rooms that are mapped out to look like offices.
Workshop Question - How is your brand keeping employees engaged?
5.6
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends