Forecast 2019: Nine Ways to Be Trendy in 2019

Linda Lisanti

NATIONAL REPORT — No outlook on the coming year can be complete without a rundown of the consumer trends that are expected to have the greatest impact on food and beverage retailing in 2019. Consumers these days are a demanding and discerning bunch, making it imperative for convenience store retailers to stay on top of the latest trends so they can meet the needs of their customers.

To help the c-store industry anticipate what’s next, Convenience Store News has combed through multiple forecasts from leading research firms, consulting firms, technology firms and convenience channel suppliers. Here is our curated list of the top nine trends for 2019:

1. Replenishing With Purpose

Consumers want to get more out of their meals and thus are looking for functional foods that don't just satisfy their hunger, but also pack a nutritional punch, according to Culinary Visions Panel's 2019 Trend Forecast. Culinary Visions Panel is a food-focused insights and trends research practice that studies a wide range of culinary topics. Seventy-three percent of consumers surveyed say they enjoy eating superfoods that serve specific functional purposes. Whether providing a powerful protein boost or a healthy dose of antioxidants, consumers are setting high ingredient expectations for the foods and beverages they consume.

2. The Adventurous Consumer

The connected world has led consumers of all ages to become more knowledgeable about other cultures, propelling them to move out of their comfort zones to explore bolder flavors and multisensory food experiences. Consumers are expanding their appetites to encompass global flavors and international ingredients. Targeting increasingly adventurous consumers, set on new discoveries and experiences, will be key in the food and beverage industries in 2019, according to Innova Market Insights' Top 10 Trends for 2019. The company maintains an extensive tracking system for new food and beverage product launches in more than 75 countries.

3. Cannabidiol Craze

2019 will mark the year when the cannabis plant extract cannabidiol (CBD) spreads throughout the food and beverage industries, according to KIND Healthy Snacksforecast of the top 10 food and nutrition trends for 2019. CBD's presence was seen in coffee, cocktails and even olive oil in 2018. This year, KIND anticipates that CBD will infiltrate other product categories including yogurts, soups, salad dressings and more. Imbibe, the beverage development company, also put CBD on its list of the top beverage trend predictions for 2019. CBD is said to aid with pain, nausea, seizures, anxiety and depression, which makes it an enticing functional ingredient. It’s also risqué in nature and that may add to its appeal, noted Imbibe.

4. Plant Power

The market for plant-based products shows no signs of slowing down. Plant-based product claims experienced a compound annual growth rate of 62 percent worldwide from 2013 to 2017, according to market researcher The NPD Group, and 86 percent of people buying plant-based products are meat-eaters. For many consumers, going plant-based is about achieving a healthy and sustainable balance between eating meat and vegetables. Manufacturers are increasingly "greening up" their product offerings to attract mainstream consumers who want to add more plant-based options into their diets. Further plant-based product innovation is expected in 2019 around nuts, extruded seeds, beans, water lentils and algae.

5. Go With Your Gut

Probiotic-rich and probiotic-fortified beverages, such as kombucha, juices and enhanced waters, have been growing in popularity over the past few years and won’t lose momentum in 2019, predicts Imbibe. Digestive health has emerged as a core component of the modern view of health and wellness, echoes KIND. In the year ahead, the company anticipates more new products coming to the market that tout the gut health trio of fiber, prebiotics and probiotics.

6. Hyper-Personalized Functional Beverages 

Functional beverages in 2019 will be "hyper-personalized" for consumers around wellness attributes such as improved sleep, energy, cognitive function, beauty, weight loss and gut health, according to Imbibe. Also, expect new products to launch that support even more personalized needs like oral or cardiovascular health. In particular, coffee that delivers health benefits beyond a dose of caffeine will be in the spotlight. Expect coffee to be fortified with additional functional ingredients such as protein, MCT oil, CBD oil, and adaptogens like reishi mushrooms.

7. E-Commerce Expansion

E-commerce expansion will continue in 2019 with various brick-and-mortar implications. Online retailers will continue to move selectively into brick-and-mortar spaces or partner with established retailers to grow their reach, according to Acosta’s 2019 consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry predictions. Acosta is a sales and marketing agency serving the CPG industry. At the same time, brick-and-mortar operators will continue to play catchup with e-commerce players like Amazon, and click-and-collect will evolve as retailers refine their implementation.

8. Vehicle-as-a-Service

Vehicle-as-a-service (VaaS) will grow quickly in 2019 – enabled by connected car technology, predicts Todd Walter, chief technologist at Teradata, a data intelligence and analytics company. VaaS providers such as Uber, ZipCar and Maven are changing the definition of vehicle ownership. The change will be slow but accelerating over the next couple of years. Companies should see the writing on the wall that there will be a lot less vehicle ownership and a lot more VaaS providers, and they should try to adjust their businesses now to get ready for and hopefully take advantage of this movement, according to Walter.

9. Do No Harm

Consumers today are looking to leave a light carbon footprint behind, and they want to spend their dollars with companies that can help them achieve this mission. Efforts around reduced packaging and ethical ingredient sourcing can go a long way, as sustainability claims have been shown to significantly impact purchase decisions. Data from Nielsen and Mintel also suggests consumers will pay more for products that boast sustainability claims.

About the Author

Linda Lisanti

Linda Lisanti

Linda Lisanti is Editor-in-Chief of Convenience Store News. She joined the brand in 2005. Linda is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable editors in the c-store industry. She leads CSNews’ editorial team and oversees content development across all of CSNews’ print and online properties. She has covered virtually every major product category and major retail company.

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