Nancy Griffin

Is there a silver lining in 2012? Yes, but you may have to sort through a few clouds to find it. “Many people are trudging into 2012 broke, stressed and looking for someone to blame,” according to Marian Salzman, CEO, Euro RSCG Worldwide PR. Euro RSCG’s new report The Big Little Book of Nexts: Trendspotting for 2012, makes important predictions that will influence your spa in the coming years. Here are some highlights (I highly suggest you read the entire report.)

Grooming: Good news for spas! Anti-aging products will continue to dominate shelves in coming years. Consumers will continue to fight the aging process with as many creams, serums and scrubs as they can get their hands on. Men’s cosmetics, nutricosmetics and organic products will also continue to gain ground.

Home Furnishings: Conscious home will have an emphasis on being not only earth-friendly but also health-minded. The new era of home design will emphasize indoor air quality with windows that allow for better ventilation.

Lifestage Marketing: Brands are harnessing the power of the brand-me-down (items that transcend marketing to age groups and are to be passed down from mother to daughter or father to son.)

Lifestyles: Look for a massive emphasis on relationship building Metrics indicate that customers who have an in-person relationship with a brand ambassador typically buy double from that brand and stay loyal for a longer time.

Luxury: “Responsible luxury” is the realization that power goes hand in hand with responsibility. Also look for “organic overload.” Many people who are unemployed and unable to pay their mortgages are fatigued with endless conversations about all things organic and sustainable.

Moods and Minds: In the future, people will manage moods by better by harnessing technology. Based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, The Moody Me app and the Moodometer get users to record their mood and notice what triggers changes. MoodKit flags mood-enhancing activities to identify and change unhealthy thinking. Mood Touch interprets mood from touch.

Shopping/Retail: “hoteltail” blurs travel and shopping. The Standard sells everything from CDs to sarongs in its locations and Le Meridien is transforming its lobbies and common spaces to “Hubs”—creative, art-filled gathering places

Wellness and Wellbeing; There will be serious interest in “gross national happiness.” In July 2011, the United Nations adopted a resolution to “give more importance to happiness and well-being in determining how to achieve and measure social and economic development.” The report points to the field of positive psychology, which is concerned with identifying the “strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.” (For more info, check out Jeremy McCarthy’s blog The Psychology of Wellbeing.)