FuturistU > Consumers > Unpacking Consumer Behavior > Module 4 / 5

Social Circles

Instructor: Shelby Walsh
Co-Creation & Customization
Download the Co-Creation & Customization Trend Report
Now is the time to get creative with customer engagement. How consumers are interacting with brands is reflective of the evolution they’ve undergone in how they communicate with their friends, family, significant others and co-workers.



Consumers are increasingly connected, and they expect this sort of closeness with the brands they’re loyal to. Opportunities exist for brands to look at how they can enhance their omnichannel presence, with trends such as Activated E-Commerce and Branded Webisode emerging to bridge the gap between the tensions of online and offline forms of engagement.
Related Trend Report: Co-Creation & Customization
Workshop Questions:
1. Rate your company on a scale of 1-10 on its visual identity online. What would need to change for it to score a 10?
2. What can you do to foster more personalized relationships with your consumers?
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Featured Insights

Branded Webisode
Brands create original online content to create immersive storytelling
Trend - Getting into the content space, brands are turning to YouTube videos and webisodes to better prompt consumer engagement. Going beyond product placement or tutorials, brands are opting for storytelling techniques to create narratives around lifestyle habits, social issues and cultural sentiments not only tied to the brand itself but to the consumers they support.
Workshop Question - How can you utilize storytelling techniques, particularly online, to better connect and engage with your consumers?
2.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Hair-Centric Webseries
Hair-Centric Webseries
L'Oréal Paris' 'The Roots Family' Series Shares Remedies for Gray Roots
For the launch of the L’Oréal Paris’ Magic Root Precision Pen, L’Oréal Paris introduced a new web series on YouTube dubbed ‘The Roots Family’ that is full of... MORE
play_circle_filledInspirational Cooking Web Series
Inspirational Cooking Web Series
'La Vida Comida' Employs Latin-American Chef Jose Garces
Leading provider of high-quality pork products Smithfield and Garces Group collaborate in the launch of a cooking web series, dubbed ‘La Vida Comida,’ that seeks to inspire at-home cooks... MORE
play_circle_filledHealthy Food Webseries
Healthy Food Webseries
Panera Bread's 'Food Interrupted' Showcases Dedicated Food Makers
In an attempt to better showcase its food transparency, Panera Bread has released a six-episode weekly digital video series called ‘Food Interrupted.’ Created alongside Participant Media MORE
play_circle_filledShort-Form Coming-of-Age Series
Short-Form Coming-of-Age Series
göt2b's 'Turning the Tables' Targets Millennial & Gen Z Viewers
Hair color and styling brand göt2b worked with the award-winning production company Shaftesbury to create Turning the Tables, a nine-episode series of five-minute episodes that tell a coming-of-age... MORE
play_circle_filledDorm Decor Webisodes
Dorm Decor Webisodes
Urban Outfitters' 'UO On Campus' Web Series Spotlights Real Students
Lifestyle retailer Urban Outfitters is known for its hipster-approved clothing, home, and beauty products, and its latest ‘UO On Campus’ webisode gives the retailer’s fans dorm... MORE
Mindful Daycare
Daycare designs and programs focus more on niche health-related functions
Trend - The adoption of health-focused designs and programs in daycare facilities is on the rise, with specialized areas and nutritional items that adapt to the health preferences that some parents like to ensure their children are aligned with.
Workshop Question - Consider a local, national, or global issue that your brand holds strong beliefs in, and would like to resolve. How would your brand go about aligning itself with that cause?
4.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends

Insights by Trend Hunter AI

Participatory Retail
Stores are becoming hands-on learning environments for shoppers

Trend - The brick-and-mortar retail environment is being redesigned around hands-on participation add-ons rather than solely display-led browsing. Stores are organizing workshops, DIY stations, community events, and other types of activations that align with their branding, industry, and product offerings. This shift gives shoppers a reason to physically show up in stores, beyond their need for a purchase.

Workshop Question - How could your brand turn product discovery into a guided activity that helps customers learn, test, or create something for themselves?
7.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Destination Beauty
Beauty retailers are turning stores into interactive trial experiences

Trend - Beauty retail is expanding beyond product display into environments built for testing, play, and social sharing. Phydigital store experiences, interactive pop-ups, and other temporary activations are being deployed to encourage longer visits and more meaningful consumer engagement. Many of these concepts borrow cues from entertainment, fandom, and cultural storytelling rather than classic merchandising.

Workshop Question - How could your brand turn a routine purchase environment into a place people would choose to spend time in?
8.7
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Experiential K-Beauty
Immersive K-beauty pop-ups are redefining product discovery and retail
Trend - As experiential retail evolves, K-beauty brands are launching pop-ups where skincare diagnostics, interactive product testing, personalized consultations and visually curated installations transform product discovery into multisensory experiences that reinforce brand identity and engagement.
Workshop Question - How can your brand create physical experiences that strengthen consumer affinity?
9.1
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Maker Experience
Hands-on brand experiences are making consumers active creative participants
Trend - Brands are introducing large-scale maker experiences that invite consumers to customize, assemble or create products firsthand. Through interactive workshops, personalization stations and DIY activations, these experiences shift consumers from passive attendees to active participants.
Workshop Question - How could your brand empower consumers to become active participants in creating brand experiences?
7.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Americana Sips
Heritage aesthetics are shaping contemporary can and bottle design
Trend - Beverage brands are drawing on classic American visuals such as patriotic color palettes, vintage typography, and iconography to create packaging that feels familiar and authentic; transforming cans and bottles into storytelling tools that evoke cultural identity.
Workshop Question - How can your brand use packaging to communicate authenticity and cultural relevance?
8.1
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Micro Drama
New Entertainment Apps Launch with More Serious Content in Short Doses
Trend - As short-form, vertical video apps continue to gain popularity, brands are looking to expand the types of content available in the space. Brands launch apps focused on delivering full-scale drama series in short-form vertical doses as an alternative to apps focused on individual user-created videos.
Workshop Question - How can we create engaging, emotionally rich content in short formats that align with the modern viewer's media consumption habits?
7.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Phygital Hangouts
Youth-facing retailers redesign stores as social, sensory destinations
Trend - Retailers are reimagining youth-focused stores as immersive spaces that blend shopping, socializing, and content creation. Watsons Pink locations feature lipstick-shaped makeup bars and K-pop photo zones, Claire’s sensory stores include slime, squishies, and recording booths, and Urban Outfitters’ UO x Glendale concept uses modular fixtures and personalization informed by Gen Z shoppers.
Workshop Question - How could your brand make its physical spaces feel more social, sensory, and worth showing up for?
8.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Carob Baking
Food brands are adopting carob as a more nutritious cocoa alternative
Trend - Food brands reformulate chocolate‑style bars, beverage mixes, bakery inclusions and shelf‑stable snacks using roasted carob powders and syrups; offerings tout lower caffeine, natural sweetness, fiber content and allergen‑friendly positioning while mimicking familiar chocolate flavor profiles.
Workshop Question - How can brands innovate with alternative ingredients to meet consumer demands for healthier, allergen-free options while maintaining the sensory appeal of traditional products?
5.9
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Restaurant Retail
Dining establishments extend brand loyalty through consumer packaged goods
Trend - Restaurant brands are increasingly launching consumer packaged goods to capture revenue beyond their physical locations. From Momofuku's bestselling chili crunch at Whole Foods to Chick-fil-A's signature sauces in grocery aisles, dining establishments are translating their most popular menu items into retail products.
Workshop Question - How could your brand create products that extend customer relationships beyond traditional touchpoints?
4.7
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends