We checked out the new Hershey’s Kitchen in downtown T.O. Here is our assessment: The Experience The store was bright, fun, and smelled delicious! The storefront was covered in giant cookie decals, which were hard to miss, and the inside featured a “Life is Sweet” burst of candy with the Hershey’s name. They made the process simple by labeling where to order and pay from the moment you walked i [...]
Trend Watching just released five emerging consumer trends for 2020. Below we call out our top 3 picks and provide examples of products and services that support their forecast. Green Pressure Consumers are moving from eco-status to eco-shame in 2020. Eco-consumption will become less about the status of opting in, and more about the shame of opting out. We already see evidence of this when it c [...]
Euromonitor International’s 2019 Megatrends report focused on eight trends that will have significant impact on a wide range of industries. Below we will drill down on our top 3 picks and provide examples of products or services that are on target with these trends. Healthy Living The study reports that consumers are demonstrating a more holistic approach to wellness, encompassing physical, spi [...]
Pearl checked out the Carlo’s Bake Shop vending machine in Toronto! Here is our assessment. Slices from Carlo’s Bake Shop “ATM” around Toronto have been in high demand since their launch last week – most machines selling out by 2pm everyday! We were lucky enough to stop by during a quiet time and check out the machine and pick up a slice of our own to try. We were disappointed to see the beauti [...]
Pearl attended the 2019 Grocery Innovations Canada Tradeshow in Toronto on Oct 22-23 to check out the new products entering the market and to understand food and beverage trends. Below are Pearl’s top innovation themes and product picks from this year’s show. Wholesome. The word “wholesome” made an appearance in numerous ways as consumers continue to look for healthy snacks that feature a short [...]
Chicken sandwiches have been in the news lately, with the hype of Popeye’s limited time offering in the U.S. and the launch of the first Chik-fil-A location in Canada. Our team of tasters tried 6 of the most popular chicken sandwiches at quick service restaurants in Toronto, and here is what they thought. This is the 2nd part of a two-part blog series. Read part 1 here. Chick-fil-A Chick [...]
Chicken sandwiches have been in the news lately, with the hype of Popeye’s offering in the U.S. and the launch of the first Chik-fil-a location in Canada. Our team of tasters tried 6 of the most popular chicken sandwiches at quick service restaurants in Toronto, and here is what they thought. This is the 1st blog of a two part series. McDonald’s – Mc Chicken - $5.99 The Mc Chicken sandwi [...]
Design Thinking, simply put, is a “human centered” methodology or approach to innovation. At its very core it is about developing empathy for the end user of a product or service so you understand them and designing a solution that will solve a problem. Anyone can do Design Thinking. Here are some of the tools and techniques to help get you started. Photo Elicitation Select your target group. A [...]
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