Minimalism is More Popular Than Ever
Having less and doing less, in other words, minimalism has been gaining popularity over the past few years, as many people continue to protest against consumer culture.
At the moment, the concept of minimalism is enjoying the limelight. On Reddit, the r/antiwork subreddit (1), “for those curious about ending work and want to get the most out of work for free,” is rapidly approaching more than 1 million subscribers.
Notably, this is not just about being lazy. After all, every one of us needs to do something to make a living.
It is similar to what we have seen with the FIRE movement – Financially Independent, Retire Early (2), which recently got high recognition even though the concept has been around for ages.
Groups of individuals, enormous, are fundamentally rethinking their expectations around leisure and work. And, you can use this momentum to get in on the action with several capitalization opportunities.
There is a rising interest in hygge (3) and the cottagecore aesthetic. These two have established the foundation of this trend while also romanticizing a simpler life.
Finally, there is also the tang ping concept. It is a rebellious term in Chinese for “lying flat.” The term is taking off among millennials pushing against China’s over-demanding work culture. Opting out of the rat race is becoming popular (4, 5).
“Lying flat is my wise movement; only by lying down can we become the measure of all things,” wrote a user in a now-deleted post on Tieba, a discussion forum.
The comment was later discussed on Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging site (China’s Twitter), and it soon became a buzzword.
The concept behind “tang ping” is not overworking and is about being content with more realistic achievements, allowing people time to unwind. The term has been praised by many and inspired several memes. Long story short, the term has now evolved into a spiritual movement.
However, along with the original Tieba post, content has been deleted by the Chinese authorities. Notably, searches for #TangPing are also banned on Sina Weibo to hush the trend’s popularity (6).
While on this subject, it is also worth mentioning that young Chinese citizens are under increased pressure. This demographic has grown up under the one-child policy and is expected to work longer hours than their predecessors – a retiring population twice their size.
And it is not about China alone. In a recent study (7), Microsoft found that more than 41% of the entire workforce worldwide are considering resigning – heard about recent The Great Resignation?
You can assist people who are looking to do less by offering:
- Applications gamifying boredom like points for not checking your phone when in the bathroom, waiting room, etc
- Paid anti-productivity communities, online and in-person
- Minimalist vacations and experiences that are both budget-friendly and trendy
- Tang ping audit calculators and tools such as Marie Kondo but for activities and tasks. For instance, scheduling apps allow users to classify their tasks based on measures like relaxation, happiness, healthiness, productivity, kindness, etc.
Pine Needle
Pine needle tea, known for its high Vit A and C concentration, recently enjoyed an all-time high search interest on Google.
Notably, pine needles are usually popular on common social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram (8).
Various other pine needle products are raking in big on Amazon. According to Jungle Scout,
- Pine needle candle, more than 170k USD a month
- Pine needle powder, 79k USD
- Organic pine needle tea, 50k USD
- Pine needle liquid extract, 24k USD
Businesses can monetize this latest superfood ingredient by incorporating it in various items like cookies, snacks, spices, vinegar, spirits, and even cooking oils.
You can also consider combing this trend with other trending foods and beverages like popcorn, magical tea, and seltzers.
And since pine needle is a versatile ingredient, it is not limited to the kitchen either. You can also infuse it into firestarters, air fresheners, beard balms, beauty oils, lotions, and soaps.
Niche Adventure Sports
There has been a high interest in outdoor adventure sports. The fishing and climbing subreddits are closing in on 1 million members each (9, 10).
As we discussed multiple times in our previous stories, all things nature-based are surging since the pandemic-resultant lockdown. Whether camping gear, urban farming, or foraging, human rewilding is driving a sharp rise in popularity.
And if the concept reminds you of anarchist hippies, you are not alone.
Rewilding
The idea is often associated with anarcho-primitivism, aka a primeval life’s way (11). However, human rewilding is not a defined or cohesive movement. It is more of an assortment of our beliefs.
According to its modern interpretation, we do not have to give up our lives to be closer to nature. Rewilding enthusiasts range from silicon valley software engineers to remote off-grid home fans.
However, all of them have the one belief in common: the overarching message of human rewilding – reconnect with nature to realize your full potential.
In short, outdoor adventure has never been so strong since the coronavirus pandemic has reinforced it.
- The traffic of The Dyrt, a top-rank campground search app, witnessed a 7-year high in May with more than 400k MoM visitors (12).
- Paul Camper, a European RV rental company, witnessed a 100% growth in its bookings Y-o-Y this summer.
- Cabana, a travel-tech startup firm, closed a seed funding round of more than 3.5 million USD in May this year (13).
And if you combine this trend with the rising awareness of the mental and environmental issues associated with modern society and the surging popularity of the experience economy. In that case, you have a market ripe with opportunities.
Below is a summary of markets poised for growth.
Rewilding Experiences
Historically, rewilding experiences were limited to joining donation-based community events led by hippies or doing some survival training on weekends. However, there is more to it than we used to realize.
There is a demand for innovative, tamer, and more enjoyable options.
People are raking in thousands of USD a month by renting out land to campers.
There is also a demand to create experience-centric businesses around the 2020 Pinterest rewilding trends (14).
There is a growing interest for:
- Bushcraft camping, +1,069%: You can invest in some of the lands for sale near National Parks and cash in on rewilding enthusiasts living out their camping dreams.
- Lake Fishing Trips, +274%: You can rent out or purchase quite acres of surrounding rustic homes or woodland areas with big lakes.
- Rockhounding, 185%: Buy land around geological formations where people can dig for gems and geodes.
You can also consider reworking old-school products previously used for these experiences. We found the best example for it is Crua XTENt (15), a multifunctional temperature-controlled tent with adjustable height. It is worth highlighting that the company reached its Kickstarter fundraising target within 75 minutes and secured 250k USD more.
Travel Tech
Businesses are now building apps that simplify and enrich outdoor experiences.
CampTarget is a new-age road-mapping app that allows users to discover and share new campgrounds and sights.
A recently launched platform named Travel Diary creatively documents your adventures for about 0.5 USD a week (16). And if you purchase their premium subscription for about 12.5 USD a month, you will also get handy tools to plan your trip as per your specific schedule and budgetary constraints.
Products in this market will become increasingly modern as younger tech-savvy generations like Millennials and Gen Z turn to staycations and other outdoor activities. You can also consider creating or a marketplace of apps for niche travel needs.
One sure-to-be hit niche is traveling with pets; there are ways to capitalize on this trend similar to pet-friendly rentals.
Outdoor Gears
“Hiking fashion” is up 194% on Pinterest this year. #HikingBoots alone has more than 285k Instagram tags (17).
Last year, Moncler, Canada Goose, and other luxury outdoor fashion brands witnessed a double-digit sales growth compared to 2018 (18). However, there are slim chances that animal-based expensive jackets and backpacks would compete with the sustainability focus of rewilding enthusiasts.
A global survey highlighted that more than 61% of consumers are less willing to purchase a product if the brand has poor environmental practices.
Many retailers are looking at a circular fashion economy to advance their company’s efforts towards sustainability (19).
You can also do it by:
- Adapting to recently developed 3D digital sampling processes to reduce your fabric waste significantly.
- Introducing software to increase your visibility on returns, allowing diversion to recycling and resale. Consider Optoro, for example.
- Leveraging blockchain technology to store supply chain history and establish sustainable resale and recycling processes.
- Establishing an after-sales garment repair service to ensure long-term use of your products
In short, demand for outdoor recreation has been exploding continually. Be it apps, accessories, or sports gears, all of them offer numerous opportunities.
Three particular high-growth areas that stand out to us for niche adventure includes:
Mountain Adventure
There has been surging interest in activities like backcountry skiing and bouldering.
Indoor climbing has also witnessed a rise in interest, and data suggest that it would continue to do so over the winter.
According to Jungle Scout data:
- Outdoor climbing rope, 616k USD a month
- Liquid hand chalk, 428k USD
- Rubber hand grip-strength trainers, 146k USD
Also, don’t forget to include kids. As per available data, Amazon searches for “toddler climbing toys” have increased by about 30% over the past 90 days to reach 2k+ searches a month.
Since flexibility and mobility are important for these sports, there are numerous “how-to” and “help with” questions peering subreddits. You can also build app-based exercises and relevant programs for the climbing community.
Suggested reading: Click here to read more about the mobility trend.
Businesses can also leverage the aesthetic in gifts, wall art, and decor.
Notably, subscribers to r/ClimbingPorn have increased five times over the past year, and one Etsy seller (20), offering gifts for hikers and climbers, racked up more than 9.5k USD in sales.
Fishing
While fishing is not the most adventurous outdoor sport, the activity is witnessing a rather good surge.
Several subreddits, including r/BassFishing, r/Fishing-Gear, r/TroutFishing, r/IceFishing, are reeling in enormous subscribers.
There are also forecasts that the global fishing equipment market will reach 16 billion USD by 2027 (21).
You can focus on services such as Mystery Tackle Box (22), which has so far shipped more than 5.2 million boxes, with prices ranging from 19 USD to as much as 38 USD.
Entrepreneurs can also niche down in the sport. For instance, there is a buzzing interest in Fly-fishing (23).
And since tying your flies can be a pricey business, you can also consider offering materials, app-based guides, and starter packs. Your particular attractive prospects can include retirees (24).
