Ever found yourself in a research debrief, thinking, “So what?” You're not alone. And it’s probably not because the data was bad, but because the research was designed forwards rather than backwards.

The backwards approach in market research isn’t new, but it's still surprisingly rare in practice. The central idea is simple: instead of starting with questions, start with the decisions.

If you've ever wrestled with a bloated questionnaire, or had that moment of realisation that your data doesn't actually answer the questions your stakeholders care about, this one's for you.

In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:

• Does anyone still print photographs?

• The hidden costs of digital nomadism

• "Lipstick in the dark" stores

• "Granny hobbies"

• Knit-while-you-watch screenings

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

In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:

• Vinted's Shopping Personas

• AI book discovery tools

• Singapore's laundromats are transforming "third spaces"

• Niche Book Clubs

• Italy’s first "emotional bookstore"

In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:

• Green ammonia is emerging as a sustainable fertilizer

• Turning invisible nature signals into haptic feedback

• Consumers' sustainability mindsets vary widely

• AI-powered lipstick robot

• Manga Lashes are spiking in popularity

Yesterday, the sky was that shade of grey that is typical for London: not quite threatening rain, but not offering sunshine either. And yet, there were little moment of joy: casually running into my neighbour’s dog Peanut, the perfect song shuffling onto my playlist, a message from an old friend that made me smile.

For 84% of us, it is important to find little moments of joy. So I dug into YouScan’s social listening data to understand how micro joy manifests in our daily conversations.

In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:

• Weighted plushies are designed to reduce stress

• AI Cribs support modern parenting

• Wearable Breast Pumps

• QR t-shirt helps find lost children

• Asda offers coffee pod recycling

In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:

• AI chatbot trained on ancient Buddhist texts

• Wearable pins combat phone theft

• Who is the "cool aunt"?

• Explainer: Hyperlocal Retail

• Gen Z are fickle with their brand loyalty

Physical retail is making a compelling comeback as brands reimagine their local presence through innovative experiences. Post-pandemic consumers are seeking authentic connections that digital spaces simply can't replicate. This is driving both established retailers and direct-to-consumer brands to create more engaging physical shopping experiences. From immersive store designs to creative pop-ups, these enhanced retail experiences are transforming traditional shopping into meaningful community gatherings.

In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:

Wikileaks of Beauty

Caregivers are burning out

Timeline apps offer content curation

Under 35s face homeownership hurdles

Daylight clubbing

In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:

• Walk 100 steps to earn one minute of scrolling

• Middle-class graduates now dominate internships

• Slow travel incentives

• The "silver tsunami" retirement crisis

• AI is moving from capturing attention to influencing choices

The menopause technology market is projected to reach $60 billion by 2027. Despite this:

• Only 27% of pre-menopausal women understand perimenopause

• Half of post-menopausal women still consider menopause a taboo topic

• Female-founded femtech start-ups raise less than half the funding of male-led companies

While current tech solutions focus primarily on symptoms like hot flushes, there is potential for more inclusive approaches that support the spectrum of menopausal experiences.

Explore my YouScan dashboard to see around which topics the menopause tech conversation clusters.

In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:

• How fast food prices have changed over time

• M&S's first food redistribution program

• The rise of functional drinks

• Orange Juice's Downturn

• The Resurgence of Cottage Cheese

In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:

• India's tourism sector funding gap

• The return of the mechanical wristwatch

• New accessibility tech is game-changing for visually-impaired fans

• Explainer: Knitfluencer

• Mixed-use development features a Costco store beneath 800 residential units

In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:

• Community-driven gratitude spaces combat digital negativity

• Millennials outshop Gen Z on social media

• Gen Z and Millennials are making cruising cool again

• Explainer: Corporate Sleaze

• Gen Z's phone call phobia

Inspired by celebrities like Beyoncé and runways like Saint Laurent, "corporate sleaze" is turning office wear on its head. This trend blends professional pieces with unexpected skin-revealing twists. While not exactly boardroom-ready, the style reflects a post-pandemic shift towards more personal, comfort-driven fashion that breaks traditional dress code norms.

City jumping is emerging as a travel trend for 2025, with travellers increasingly combining multiple destinations into single trips for richer, more diverse adventures. Whether it's a Caribbean island chain or a Southeast Asian circuit enabled by visa reforms, this trend caters to those seeking flexibility and novelty. Airlines and tourism boards are adapting with regional flight routes and incentives to make intraregional travel more seamless, projected to double by 2030.

In this week’s edition of the Trend Taster, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:

• Screen-Free Reading Room

• Emirates to become an 'Autism Certified Airline'

• Top 10 Most Powerful Passports

• Explainer: City Jumping

• Cover your Energy Bills via Online Resale Platforms