2023 Trends: Realities Edge
What’s next for the future of health and wellness?
Permacrisis is Collins Dictionary’s 2022 word of the year and is defined as an extended period of instability and insecurity, especially one resulting from a series of catastrophic events. 2022 has undoubtedly found us swapping the post-pandemic blues for a series of crises that have put an immense burden on our society and planet, as well as on our personal and collective well-being.
As we step into 2023 with cautious optimism, we face a new set of challenges across industries and on a global scale. We’re standing at the intersection of our realities — feeling the pull of a fading world order, yet unsure of the path ahead. With growing expectations about the next 12 months, we have gone through the exercise of strategically mapping out the indicators, insights, and major changes that have the potential to shape what lies ahead for the health and wellness industry. Our 2023 Trends: Realities Edge report is the result of this future scenario planning.
This report is an open exploration of how consumers are shifting their mindsets and purchase points to best reflect themselves, consciously and unconsciously; an in-depth collection and analysis of the trends that will shape the evolving definition of health in the near term. With this in mind, we have carefully curated 6 big themes to illustrate how the concepts of identity, nourishment, self-exploration, relationships, mental health, and more are driving people and brands to pursue their most authentic selves. Let’s dive in.
01. Beyond Wellbeings: no longer limited by the physical world, we’re free to express ourselves across emerging realms to establish our truest selves.
On average, we spend a quarter of our lives online. This “always on” behavior means the distinction between our real-world identities and digital personas blurs. The opportunity to create and embrace our most authentic selves online allows individuals to rewrite their identities free of traditional societal constructs.
Starting with simple expressions such as inclusive Bitmojis and, reaching all the way to the rise of the Affirmative Avatar market as defined by the Future Laboratory, which recognizes that the diversity of the virtual world and its avatars should match that of the real world, the virtual space is booming with efforts such as People of Crypto Lab; affording a variety of audiences the representation and inclusion that have fallen short in our physical reality.
02. Intake and Uptake: care for the whole self; beyond fitness-as-expected, we must consume intelligently, sleep properly, and maintain our mental health.
Over the past decade, the food and beverage industry has expanded to meet consumer demand, providing functional products, sustainable nutrition, sleep health, and more. In today’s competitive market, brands are encouraged to provide natural and organic processes and enhanced product engineering to improve mood and lifestyle, all without compromising the environment.
Multitasking is the norm in our society, where time is scarce, and convenience is vital. Food that is fast, functional, and healthy is one of the best options when it comes to nutrition. Moreover, our mental health is key to advancements in sleep and sleep technology in the US market. Insomnia has grown into a prevalent sleep disorder, leading to the mass adoption of sleep monitors and smartwatches to increase the hours and quality of shut-eye.
03. Seek to Peak: global connectivity has launched sexual health taboos into the mainstream, shifting artificial intimacy, pleasure education, and wearable tech into the self-care realm.
Throughout the world, recent sex-positive movements have helped break down stereotypes related to gender, sexual orientation, and even age. Adaptive sex and other movements open sexual wellness to everyone, emphasizing the importance of living authentically and prioritizing sexual well-being through tech platforms.
There have been many advancements at play, and women’s health has not been forgotten. Women account for 80 percent of consumer purchasing decisions in the healthcare industry. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, women are turning to digital tools to manage their bodies and cycles. New apps and programs put users in control of their daily functions and critical life milestones.
04. Mindful Expansion: interest in alternative medicine has catapulted interest in experiential and psychedelic-enhanced remedies, bringing all-new answers to age-old problems.
A renewed interest in self-exploration and the rise of ultra-sensory decadence is shaping how brands design and offer experiences for their audiences. Furthermore, recent developments in the approval and application of psychedelic-based treatments have pushed consumers toward an increased search for transformational experiences as never before.
Under the concept of mood-boosting, we’re seeing the intentional alteration of emotional states using mobile applications, conscious VR immersions, purposefully designed healing spaces, sensory reset immersion rooms, and assisted-psychedelic treatments from the comfort of your home. The push for stimulating experiences is rife with opportunities for brands to provide meaningful interactions beyond the norm.
05. Transformative Spaces: public and private spaces are being technologically augmented, luring people from their homes into unfathomable experiences in nature, fantasy, and more.
In retail, fitness, and hospitality, spaces are being reimagined to make them more engaging, sensory, and sustainable, giving consumers a reason to leave the house. In contrast to sensory experiences that funnel into fantasy and social shares, some are turning down the noise. Retailers are adding quiet hours to ensure that shopping for neurodiverse customers can be more enjoyable, approachable, and inclusive.
With our new normal being reconfigured, wellness has taken over travel. Nature, human connection, sustainability, and mental wellness are new travel values paired with pent-up demand for not just exploring new places but for social healing as well.
06. The Autonomous Self: wearables allow data capture at an unimaginable level, then AI and machine learning decipher this insurmountable wave of information into action.
AI is reshaping the standard of care everywhere. As we step into the future of health, powered by wearable tech, predictive diagnosis, data-rich tracking applications, genetics testing, and other breakthrough advances, we can greet our upgraded, interconnected selves.
This new wave of health empowerment is set to bring the largest disruption of healthcare services we have seen in decades and usher in an era of patient-centric care. Starting with the proliferation of Digital Therapeutics (DTx, evidence-based therapeutic interventions driven via software to prevent, manage, or treat a medical condition), and all the way to cutting-edge innovations such as Immersive Therapeutics, which are virtual reality experiences or video games with breakthrough designations from the FDA; healthcare as we know it is about to be disrupted.
Mapping The Future
As social, cultural, and economic shifts continue to shape our society going forward, increased attention on our collective well-being will remain constant. Brands must stay vigilant, evolving as these shifts accelerate changing consumer behaviors and mindsets.
Make your brand future-proof by exploring our 2023 Trends: Realities Edge report. If you’d like to know more, reach out at hey-mango@havas.com.
