The consumer desire to transition to an all-natural lifestyle has been growing for some time, especially when considering the shift from processed to whole foods and organic, or from potentially harmful synthetic chemicals in homecare products to more natural solutions. However, this movement is now gaining fresh momentum as consumers start to engage technology in their quest to get closer to nature.
Marie Stafford, planning foresight director at JWT London, says this is something that the ad agency’s intelligence arm is focusing on with its 2016 trend "New Naturals".
"There’s a new interpretation of what natural means," she explains. "People want to live increasingly natural lives with fewer industrially-made products, but the way they’re going about it is by using really advanced technology."
She cites two examples that are leading the way. One is homecare brand Natural House, which pits itself against the "kills 99.9% of bacteria" tagline by actively encouraging good bacteria to flourish. This, according to the manufacturers, enhances micro-biomes – each home’s unique bacterial composition.
Another area in which we’re seeing tech-enabled natural solutions is with fertility-awareness apps. Kindara and Glow are just two that are growing in popularity, allowing users to monitor their cycles and avoid using hormone-based, pharmaceutical birth-control alternatives.