The US Surgeon General’s recent warning on alcohol consumption and cancer risk comes at a time when many consumers are participating in dry January, with new terms such as sober-curious being used and demand for “sober bars.” But rather than getting caught up in the pessimistic future of alcoholic beverage companies or the food and beverage industries, the consumer implication here is really about an obsession with self-optimization. Forty-four percent of US consumers and 45% of UK consumers self-reported their plans to make New Year’s resolutions in 2025, according to Forrester’s December 2024 Consumer Pulse Survey, and much of their intentions haven’t changed over previous years: exercising better habits with their health, finances, and connections with friends and family.

Consumers Now Live In The Age Of Self-Growth

The global medical spa market — with services in beauty treatments such as injectables and weight loss enhancements — is projected to surpass $59.4 billion by 2033; emerging startups around longevity and biohacking are fueling headlines and investments by billionaires, with a focus on research and development around anti-aging therapies; and the percentage of US adults who received any mental health treatment in the past year increased 4% between 2019 and 2023.

The emphasis on self-optimization and personal growth trends is fueled and amplified by a couple of cultural factors:

  1. Algorithms that influence content consumption. Consumer preferences are now driven by recommendation engines and social media algorithms, spotlighting the “illusory truth effect,” through which humans are more likely to believe that something is true simply because it is repeated often. Hacks, products, and advice on being a better version of yourself will continue to reign over the types of content that the individual consumer consumes and engages with.
  2. Increased access but decreased control. The feeling of being overwhelmed by too many choices has steadily grown 3% between 2021 and 2024 in the US, according to Forrester’s Consumer Benchmark Survey, 2024. In reaction to handing over agency to technology, consumers will seek ways to increase control over their life. With better metrics, technologies, and therapies — from daily usage of smartphones to expensive biotherapies — these tools optimize a person’s physical and mental health, steadily ushering consumers toward increased experimentation over self-optimization.

Consumer trends typically indicate a turning point to something bigger. Identifying the trend will give you awareness, but to act on it, marketers must look at the bigger picture. Why are consumers behaving this way? Where are they turning to? Why is this trend happening at this moment?

To help you better understand consumer trends in 2025 and beyond, schedule a guidance session with me.