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SPOTTING A TREND--AND RUNNING WITH IT

A true trend -- as opposed to a fad -- lasts a long time and offers opportunity not only for companies creating new products but for existing businesses, too.

For instance, the fitness trend, about 20 years old, has evolved into something that could be called the "well being" trend. Think of it as a health kick without the leg warmers. Staying fit without being tied to a fanatical gym schedule. Integrating alternative medicine into a health regimen. Making time for family in the face of mounting work pressures.

So how does this play out in the marketplace? Here are how some businesses are cashing in now or may in the near future. They show that nearly any company, if it thinks about a trend creatively enough, might tap into the public's passions.

Grocery: Will see increased sales in unprocessed "whole foods" as well as natural and organic foods. Along with fresh herbs, look for medicinal herbs and a greater variety of vitamins and food supplements.

Clothing store: Will carry more clothes of humanely gathered wool and organic cotton. Look for clothes colored with vegetable dyes and items with rustic appeal from Third World countries. Already, you'll find simpler-to-care-for offerings in solid colors prominently displayed in chain-store windows.

Insurance company: An interest in natural and alternative medicine creates opportunities for companies to promote their alternative-care-giver policies, whether they cover chiropractors or aroma therapists.

Medical center: Might extend nontraditional services from chiropractors and acupuncturists to wellness offerings such as Reiki, reflexology, and massage.

Hardware store: Will carry water and air purifiers, germ-free humidifiers, and nontoxic paints and repair materials. Will stock contaminant detectors for toxic materials like lead and radon, and also for nonthreatening additives like chlorine in tap water.

Bookstore: Many already move quickly to display titles that are au courant, from organic cookbooks to anything with "soul" in the title. Many are also staging in-store events with wellness authors and experts. This helps educate readers (and, of course, tempts them to buy more books).

Online advising: Services with a limited number of practioners -- say organic nutritionists -- can get a new boost consulting via the Web.

Software designer: Life-management programs, such as time scheduling, meal preparation, and meditation programs (which could link to a heart monitor for interactivity), are natural well-being extensions.

Pet store: Owners want the best for their pets, and you can bet if people are buying organic food, natural pet food will be in demand too.

Updated Feb. 19, 1998 by bwwebmaster
Copyright 1998, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
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