Trend Taster: ‘little treat culture’ edition
In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Buying European-made goods
Spain's fines for not labelling AI-generated content
People have become ruder since the pandemic
Little Treat Culture
The rise of baby tech
Buying European-made goods
With over 122,000 consumers joining the Reddit community r/BuyFromEU dedicated to European-made goods, shoppers are turning purchases into political statements. Danish retailer Salling Group introduced an electronic price tags which features a small star indicating European-owned brands.
Spain's fines for not labelling AI-generated content
Spain is moving to regulate AI-generated content with a groundbreaking bill that could impose fines up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover on companies failing to properly label AI content. Among the first EU countries to implement the bloc's comprehensive AI Act, Spain's legislation targets "deepfakes" and other AI misuses while banning manipulative subliminal techniques targeting vulnerable groups and preventing AI-based biometric classification systems that could limit access to benefits or assess criminal risk. This regulatory approach contrasts with the United States' more voluntary compliance system, reflecting growing global concerns about AI's potential to spread misinformation and undermine democratic processes since ChatGPT's debut in late 2022.
People have become ruder since the pandemic
Nearly half of Americans (47%) believe public behaviour has grown ruder since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 34% regularly witnessing rude conduct in daily life, according to new Pew Research data. 89% of adults over 65 find public cursing unacceptable compared to just 38% of those under 30. Despite these changing standards, 84% of Americans still say they personally find it easy to navigate appropriate public behaviour, suggesting a disconnect between how people view their own conduct versus that of others around them.
Little Treat Culture
"Little treat culture" is transforming how brands connect with Gen Z consumers who increasingly view small indulgences as essential self-care amid economic uncertainty. Brands like Glossier, Dove, and Rhode are strategically incorporating dessert themes into their products and marketing. This shift represents more than just aesthetic choices. Young consumers view treating themselves as necessary for mental wellbeing rather than a luxury, despite financial pressures from student loans, credit card debt, and rising housing costs.
The rise of baby tech
Baby tech products like app-controlled bouncers now have the fastest-growing digital ad spend of any market category. However, mental health experts caution that these devices, which play on parental fears like SIDS, can create dependency cycles, potentially increasing anxiety rather than confidence in parents' natural abilities to respond to their babies' needs.
