Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

The U.S. market for tea sold at retail was expected to reach $6.5 billion in 2011, up 5.2% over 2010, according to “Tea and Ready-to-Drink Tea in the U.S.,” a recent report from Packaged Facts. Although supermarkets remain the top venue for leaf tea and ready-to-drink tea, tea sales have also been strong in alternative outlets such as convenience stores and natural food supermarkets. Black tea remains the most popular type, followed closely by green tea.

Latino spending on personal care products and services continues to outpace spending by non-Latino consumers. The Census Bureau projects that by 2015 Latinos will account for 20% of 18- to 49-year-olds, an age group that is critically important to marketers and advertisers. Growth dynamics in the personal care market, therefore, will increasingly be shaped by the health and beauty care (HBC) usage patterns and product choices of Latino consumers.

Baby boomers will control 52% of the total dollars spent on groceries in 2012, making them the largest food influencers, according to Lempert’s Top 10 Food Trends for 2012. To offset rising food prices, more people – including dads – will cook at home. Mobile phones will become the new way to check-out at the market, and consumers will continue to take an active interest in knowing where their food comes from and how it is produced.

The more than 20 million U.S. college students wield $417 billion in spending power, according to re:fuel’s College Explorer survey. Nearly half of college students’ discretionary spending (46%) goes to food. College students also spend heavily on technology, owning an average of six digital devices. Approximately 20% of students surveyed plan to purchase a smartphone within the next year.

According to two recent studies, women spend less time with media outlets such as TV and magazines – but more time online – after becoming a mom. For online shopping specifically, digital won out, with more than a third of mom internet users spending more time on ecommerce than before. U.S. e-commerce spending for retailers during the November-December holiday shopping period totaled $37.2 billion, a new record, according to comScore.

According to a new Travel Trends Survey, travelers are also willing to spend what is necessary for their desired vacation – over 91% of Travel Leaders surveyed say clients will spend the same or more on travel in 2012 as compared to 2011. Travel agents are seeing increased interest and bookings for small ship cruising, off-the-beaten path travel, and international family travel. Business travel is also expected to grow in 2012, fueled by Millennials and Generation X professionals who expect to take to the road more often, according to new research from Deloitte.