TheFutureParty
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Retailers — from streetwear to luxury to basics — are putting coffee shops inside their brick-and-mortar stores to keep customers around longer and build community. Why It Fits: Post-COVID, people, especially Gen Zers, are gravitating back to “third spaces” — places where people can be social and feel belonging outside their homes. By creating those spaces inside retail […]
While there’s been plenty of anecdotal evidence of smartphones impacting our mental health, recent medical studies are showing how smartphone addiction is literally rewiring our brains. Why It Hurts: Expert studies demonstrating how smartphones impact our attention spans, ability to regulate our emotions, and potential for productivity have wide-ranging implications — including a growing no-phones-in-school movement, society’s […]
A new study has found that Gen Z doesn’t really care about the latest trend of giving every podcast a video component… preferring the “old-school” habit of just listening while doing other things. Why It Hits: YouTube, Spotify, and Apple have all been pushing video podcasts because they lead to higher ad revenue… and, well, the kids […]
A new study has found that Americans are increasingly spending more time at home — a trend that was happening even before COVID forced us to stay in. Why It Sits: People generally spending more time indoors has ripple effects on all of society, including how people consume entertainment, what they spend their money on, […]
Toy giant Hasbro is shifting its strategy to focus more on teens and adults, who, logically, have more money to spend than kids… and a growing appetite to play with the IP they grew up with. The Big Game: Hasbro hasn’t exactly been on a financial rollercoaster in recent years, as it enjoyed the highs […]
“Functional beverages” — drinks that claim to fortify your hair and nails, give you clean energy, or make you live longer — are becoming one of the hottest markets in the food and beverage industry, as people look to boost their health, beauty, and performance. Why It Hits: Health and wellness has been surging in popularity across […]
The next era of work will introduce widespread collaboration between human employees and agentic AI chatbots — systems that can both answer questions and complete tasks. Why It Hits: The AI revolution is here. While the tech industry is pitching AI agents as an added value to a human workforce, chatbots are already replacing humans in some roles. […]
The top 10% of earners in the US — households that make $250,000 or more annually — are powering the economy with increased spending… while the bottom 80% of earners cut back to keep pace with inflation and the rising cost of living. Why It Hits: The US is increasingly becoming a country of haves and have […]
Employees at newish startups are being offered modern, specialized, and personalized perks designed to communicate the culture companies hope to foster… and why they should choose to work there over blue-chip firms. Why It Hits: The battle for who had the most generous perks became something of an absurd competition in the last decade. But post-pandemic, those same companies have […]
Professional line standing — paying people to stand in line for you — has become a growing, lucrative industry, as seemingly every store, restaurant, show, etc., now has a line around the block for entry or to score tickets. The Big Line: No one wants to be left out of the coolest happenings, but as the “cash-rich, […]