Trend spotting consultancies use a variety of methods and produce many different products and services. That said, there are some methods and offerings that repeat across trend spotter type and industry of focus. These are discussed below.
The trend spotting industry is clearly international in nature. For the most part, it would be impractical to address trends from a purely regional or national viewpoint as the world has become so interconnected. Even when investigating regional trends, trend analysts must consider international influences more than ever as what is worn on the streets of Beijing will eventually find itself to suburban middle America, designs generated by South American graphic artists will make their way to billboards in Germany, and new technologies developed in small-town New England garages may someday change the way people communicate across the entire planet.
As trend spotting is such an elusive and constantly evolving form, it is difficult to pin under a single definition. In the twentieth century, it was first positioned as a strategic tool to be used in time of war, and then, by governments. Trend spotting subsequently entered a more flowery period of fashion forecasting during [...]
Now that we have a general layout of the industry, it would be helpful to consider its different forces of competition- specifically suppliers, buyers, substitutes, and complementors, and potential entrants.
While it is useful to consider the trend spotting industry from the perspective of the various types of companies and professionals of which it is comprised, it may be more useful to consider the trend spotting industry in terms of the various other industries to which it caters. This is important because a fashion trends company will be almost entirely useless to the Environmental Protection Agency, whereas a technology forecasting company will be unable to assist a local handbag designer hoping to select strategically smart patterns, colors, and fabrics. The most appropriate trend spotting methods vary from industry to industry; for some, more formalized research methods are appropriate, while for others, it is better to let experts rely on informal scanning and intuition.
I therefore invite you to consider the trend spotting industry in its most prominent ecosystems: the fashion industry, technology, advertising, and design.
In addition to video footage, written observation, purchase tracking, and interviews, photography is frequently utilized in ethnographic studies. Though ethnography is used across the entire field of market research, it is especially helpful with trend analysis as it can be utilized to identify trends before significant changes take place in mainstream society.
Let us consider the major trend spotting company formats in greater detail:
Food photography is just as relevant to the food and beverage industry as fashion photography is to designers and clothing retailers. Food photography can be utilized for inspiration, trend spotting, and general competitive research. There are two significant subsets of food photography that are relevant to trend researchers: culinary photography generated by food innovators and opinion leaders, and field shots generated by researchers searching for new and interesting developments.
As you know, I published a book on trend photography for fun, and since I’m not really out to sell it or anything, I thought I’d share the text and some of the photos with you. Hence I’ll publish it bit by bit over the next couple of weeks or so. I’ll start with the intro- here goes!
Many trend spotting consultancies publish books on trends or the trend spotting process to augment their product offering, establish a reputation, and (if the book is good enough) establish another income flow.
