Trend Taster: bakery tourism edition
In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Americans are ditching fitness influencers and smartwatches
Fictional memories are reshaping our identities
What are the latest snack trends?
Explainer: bakery tourism
Solo travel is becoming mainstream
Americans are ditching fitness influencers and smartwatches
A new survey reveals 47% of active US adults now trust their own instincts over experts, tracking tech, or "no pain, no gain" mantras. This is a pushback against commodified wellness culture. Friend groups are becoming innovation hubs, personal experimentation trumps scientific validation, and longevity matters more than abs. Brands like Orangetheory are already pivoting from authority figures to collaborators.
Fictional memories are reshaping our identities
Research reveals that scenes from books, films, and games can carry as much emotional weight as real-life experiences. Video game memories stand out particularly, remembered with first-person perspective like autobiographical events due to player agency. The key isn't frequency of consumption but empathy levels and emotional connection. People with higher empathy form richer fictional memories that actually guide real decisions and validate self-concepts.
What are the latest snack trends?
At 2025's Sweets & Snacks Expo, five trends dominated: multisensorial experiences (freeze-dried everything), "newstalgia" (elevated classics like Rice Krispies Treats Bliss), Dubai chocolate mania (pistachio-kataifi combos everywhere), "swicy" global flavours (chamoy and matcha popcorn), and brand mashups (Slim Jim meets Buffalo Wild Wings). Despite tight budgets, consumers still treat candy as affordable indulgence. Familiar comfort with unexpected twists wins over pure novelty.
Explainer: bakery tourism
Britain is swapping £100 dinners for £6 artisan buns. Cash-strapped diners are driving four hours to Wales for honey buns, queuing in Edinburgh for cult cardamom pastries, and turning local bakeries into pilgrimage sites. It's about redefining luxury. When fine dining feels extravagant, we're finding sophistication in sourdough. The bakery tourism boom shows that even in tough times, we won't compromise on quality, we'll just find it elsewhere.
Solo travel is becoming mainstream
1/3 of Americans have taken solo leisure trips in the past five years. Yet travel brands are still designing experiences for couples and families. Solo travellers crave spontaneity over structure, preferring flexible itineraries they can adapt on the fly. However, there's a stark gender divide in barriers: 60% of women cite safety concerns versus just 39% of men. The solo travel market isn't niche anymore, it's underserved.
