A to Z Trend Kaleidoscope 2025

Peter Fisk helps you to make sense of a world of relentless change, to find the best new opportunities for innovation and growth. What are the most important trends for your business? How can you embrace them, right now, to shape a better future?

• Free Download: A to Z Trend Kaleidoscope 2025 by Peter Fisk

Superfast-gaming chips and fat-busting superdrugs, asteroid-chasing rockets and carbon-capturing technologies, 4 day working weeks and chess reinvented as a reality TV game, health-enhancing fashions and the rebirth of the hairy mammoth. Nvidia is transforming tech, while Novo Nordisk innovates healthcare, KinetX changes the space race, while Climeworks eliminates carbon. 2024 has been quite a year.

What does 2025 have in store for you, and your business?

Trends are the patterns of change shaping every aspect of culture and society, brands and business. They start as weak signals, often deviant behaviours on the edges of markets, and then embraced and amplified by the mainstream. Of course there are short-term fads, but trends are the more enduring ideas. And megatrends are the seismic shifts, illuminating your strategic pathways to the future.

As a CEO, marketer or innovator, finance or technologist, trends help you to navigate a world of relentless change. Indeed as change accelerates – not just because of incredible new technologies but also because of new agendas like climate change, and evolving social attitudes of young and old – so we need to look forwards, more than ever.

Each year there’s an avalanche of so-called trend reports. Some are decidedly flaky, full of superficial hyperbole, while some are built on profound insight.

Different trends will have more significance depending on your purpose, industry and location. That’s why I try to bring the best reports together, as a “kaleidoscope” of change. ?I then work with companies to make sense of what matters most, building vision and strategy, and how to embrace change as your best opportunities to innovate and grow.

Here's my A to Z of the most significant trends for global business in 2025. These trends are provocative and powerful disruptors of every business, and your strategies for success. You can explore more about each of these trends in my articles, and in my new keynote and workshop to explore the implications for you:

• A is for AI, of course. Growing exponentially, generative and "agentic", infused into everything, and a $826 billion market by 2030. A is also for Algorithms, loved and hated by humans, and for Authenticity which we all increasingly seek.
• B is for Biotech. CRISPR-based gene editing is driving a revolution in medicine, as is bioprinting, brain-machine interfaces and remote diagnostics. B is also for Batteries, transforming energy, and BarBell economy, everything polarises to premium or low cost.
• C is for Creators. Artists to bloggers, homecrafters to podcasters are building a $528 billion market by 2030, enabled by individuality and social media. C is also for Content, dominating in the digital world, enabled by Curation and Community.
• D is for Deglobalisation. After decades of increasing global connectedness, we now see a fragmenting through geopolitics, nationalism, supply fragility and localism. D is also for Digital twins and accelerating Decarbonisation.
• E is for Energy transition.?As climate change becomes more obvious and urgent, so is the shift from fossil to sustainable energy. Solar and wind, but also hydrogen, geothermal, waste, and more. E is also for Ecosystem innovation and growth.
• F is for Frictionless. Digital interactions have transformed expectations of simplicity and speed, both online and in the physical world. However there’s also friction positive, the need to sometimes slow down, be human. F is also for Filter focus.
• G is for Guochao.?Chinese luxury brands are increasingly preferred by Chinese consumers. Brands like NIO, Li Auto, and Xpeng combine high-tech innovation with local luxury. G is also for Gamification of engagements, and Green proofing.
• H is for?Humanicity. In a tech world, the best moments, the most valued and memorable experiences are human ones. H is also for Hybridisation, the fusion of physical and digital, and Hyperconnectedness of technologies, markets, people.
• I is for India. Growing GDP at around 7% in 2025, India is the only significant high growth market, compared to 2-3% in most other large economies. I is also for Intelligence, a word captured by Apple, and for Individuality and Intuition.
• J is for Joy. Kamala Harris appropriated the word in her campaign, because it was shown by psychologists to register as one of the most positive triggers in a world of chaos and change. J is also for Just in time logistics, speed and efficiency.
• K is for Kidult. Adults embracing their inner child, playful activities and hobbies, fun and nostalgic, escaping from a crazy world, including crafting and board games. K is also for K-commerce, anything Korean from beauty to music.
• L is for Luxury2. While some brands like Hermes have risen to new heights, others like Gucci have fallen. Luxury is not simply about glitz, it is about heritage, meaning, exclusivity and taste. ?L is also Live-streaming and Local-first shopping.
• M is for Microgrids. This might seem a technical one, but microgrids are the decentralised, digitalised future of energy. Where consumers, or prosumers can generate energy locally. M is also for Migration, Microinfluencer and Multisensation.
• N is for Net positive. Net zero is not enough. Creating a circular business model is a good start, but better is for business to create more than it started with, a net positive impact on the world. N is also for Nature based solutions and Nostalgia.
• O is for Older people. We will see a global 40% increase in Over 60s by 2030. Still active and aspirational, with time and money. But few brands focus on them. Have you seen an ad for older people recently? O is also for Open source, and Optimism.
• P is for Personalised. Digital technologies, with huge amounts of data and now AI, can truly personalise anything, from food to fashion, education to insurance. Which is now the expectation of consumers too. P is also for Playful, and Padel.
• Q is for Quantum speed. This will revolutionise the power and speed of computing processes over the next decade – from AI to drug discoveries, financial modelling to cybersecurity. Q is also for Qcommerce, from home delivery to super apps.
• R is for Regeneration. Beyond circular thinking, to reinvent business models and processes that restore, renew, and revitalise the environment with positive impact. R is also for Reinvention of every industry, and Retro fashion and living.
• S is for Slops. Too much marketing has become mediocre spam – or slops – clogging up our inboxes. It’s lazy, inefficient and unwanted. S is also for Social innovation that has more resonance emotionally, and for Security, and Simplicity.
• T is for Tech anxiety. People are increasingly switching off from an over-digitalised world – uncertain about AI, breaking free from algorithms, driven crazy by automated call handling. T is at the same time for TikTok and Trust and Taylor Swift.
• U is for Urban design. 55% of the world’s 8.2 billion people now live in cities, and rapidly growing, transforming how we build, live, work, shop, learn, socialise, travel and much more. U is also for UGC, user generated content, and Upcycling.
• V is for Visual and Voice. Alexa and Siri, HoloLens and Oculus – XR devices are transforming how consumers engage with brands and knowledge – in fast, personal, and immersive ways. V is also for Vigilantes, stepping up where systems fail.
• W of for Wellness. The pursuit of health, positivity, and wellbeing is now a key factor in any service – food and fashion, tech and travel, banking and buildings. W is also for the evolving Web 3 beyond metaverse, and for Women's sports.
• X is for Xenogenesis. 65% of CEOs say their business will need to be reinvented or die within the next 10 years. This reinvention is unlimited by sector, geography or capability. It could be anything. X is also for XaaS, anything as a service.
• Y is for YinYang. In a crazy, fast and uncertain world, sense and stability comes from balance. By finding connectedness and coexistence, we can better embrace the familiar and unknown, continuity with change, challenge and opportunity.
• Z is for Zalpha. In 2030, 75% of growth market consumers will be 15 to 34. Gen Z are digital natives, Gen Alpha are social natives. They have new aspirations, behaviours, priorities, language. Time to get with it. Slay, as they say, or be slain.

25 of the best trend reports for 2025

Digging a little deeper, here are some of the best trend reports for 2025. My favourites include Foresight Factory's thoughtful view of humanity in a digital world, and OK Cool's provocative view of what matters to Gen Z and Alpha, and how Boomers don't get it":

• EIU Economic Outlook 2025 ... "Geopolitics will drive most significant change in the global economy. Global real GDP will expand by 2.6% a year on average over the next five years, below the 3% of the 2010s. US economic growth is slowing, Europe will build gradually from a low base, and China’s growth will be lifted slightly in 2025 by more vigorous stimulus. Emerging markets will benefit from a rebound in global trade while India’s expansion will be the fastest of any major economy in 2025-29."
• Accenture Life Trends 2025 ... As tech intensifies, and AI multiplies, reshaping our everyday lives ever more profoundly … people question what and who they trust, and seek new balances in how they live physically in a digital world. "Cost of hesitations details how it’s now incredibly easy to create all kinds of digital content, and a flood of scams is blurring the lines between the authentic and the deceptive. Even on once-trustworthy platforms, it’s harder for people to tell what’s real, seeding hesitation into their digital interactions."
• Mintel Global Consumer Trends 2025 ... "In 2025 and beyond, we’ll witness that the human mind, nature and technology aim to find harmony, but the puzzle is not always a perfect fit. As global consumer trends evolve, both consumers and brands will live in a pendulum that constantly swings between a sense of control and a loss of control. Three trends represent the layers of interaction that consumers and brands exist within: our home, our community and our globe."
• Foresight Factory Trending 2025 ?... "Consumers want to break free from the monotony of over-programmed lives. The ability of an algorithm to curate personalised content was once its most distinctive feature. Now, its ubiquity contributes to a feeling of soullessness and blanding of content. The once fun internet is inundated with “slops” – spam content that screams of mediocrity. The advancement of AI further contributes to this, with much AI- generated content lacking in originality and producing oddly similar outputs."
• GWI Consumer Trends 2025 ... "How podcasts are shaking up the ad game. How the buzz around women’s sports can drive lasting growth. How the future workforce is changing before our eyes. Over 1 in 10 business professionals have a side hustle now. But get this - who they are might surprise you. The number of US teens who say college is important has dropped 21% since 2021".
• Nielsen IQ Consumer Outlook 2025 ... "The global outlook for consumers is improving. Consumers are determined in their resilience to stay ahead, vigilant against further disruption, and intentional about every aspect of their daily spending. The report anticipates that global consumers will spend $3.2 trillion more in 2025, representing nearly 6% growth compared with 2024, according to World Data Lab."
• Publicis Sapient Consumer Trends 2025 ... "We're on the cusp of significant transformation as we enter 2025. A confluence of technological advancements, evolving consumer behaviours and economic shifts is reshaping the landscape. Economic pressures, including inflation, have reduced disposable income for many, creating distinct customer segments with a growing emphasis on value."
• WGSN Future Consumer 2025 ... "We see seismic shifts across our industries, our communities and our planet. We'll travel to new physical and digital cities, but won't forget the power of local. We'll focus on regenerative finance and business ecosystems, while understanding that growth isn't a dirty word. The Great Restructure is among us."
• Innova Global Consumer Trends 2025 ... "Consumers are facing many external stresses, especially in terms of health, the environment, the changing global political landscape and personal financial constraints. As a result, they are choosing to take more control for themselves and are evaluating brands more carefully."
• OK Cool Gen ZAlpha Trend Report 2025 ... “Social media continues to shape culture, creating new communities and niches from Brat Summer, to the cult of Reesa Teesa and the earworm I’m looking for a guy in finance. TikTok has become the new Google for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and young people are getting sick of 'basic' branded content online.”
• Gartner Strategic Technology Trends 2025 ... "The trends fall into three buckets: the rise of AI agents will require advancements in AI governance and new technologies to combat disinformation; Quantum computing demanding new cryptographic methods, while low-cost sensors will enable innovative business models; and enhanced interactions between physical and virtual experiences, robots integrating into daily life, and tech that directly influences cognition and performance."
• Startus Technology Trends 2025 ... "Emerging technology trends will present unparalleled opportunities for growth, efficiency, and transformation. We categorized it into 10 clusters such as AI, automation, advanced computing, biotech, extended reality (XR), and more. Each category features specific technologies, including generative AI (genAI), predictive maintenance, and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs)."
• CBInsights Tech Gamechangers 2025 ... "New breakthroughs are altering the future direction of tech and its influence on the world at large. While AI has captured headlines, it’s just one part of a broader technological surge. Startups and tech giants alike are making strides in fields as diverse as clean energy, space exploration, and human longevity."
• Kantar Marketing Trends 2025 ... "More than two in five consumers don't trust AI-generated ads, making data provenance a big theme for 2025. Other trends include slowing global population growth, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, creator communities, coalescence of broadcast and online video platforms, livestreaming, Retail Media Networks (RMNs), and a decline in social media ad effectiveness".
• Statista Must Watch Consumer Trends 2025 ... "From AI-driven shopping to the rise of wellness, In 2025, AI isn't just a buzzword, it's the driving force behind smarter shopping decisions. Online influencers have reshaped consumer habits, but their growth is slowing, seen as less real and less trusted. Wellness is no longer confined to one category, from food to beauty, fashion and travel. Loyalty programs are the new tool to grow not just retain customers".
• CMS Social Media Trends 2025 ... "More than 5 billion people worldwide currently use social media, around 65% of the global population. AI-driven content creation becomes essential for crafting what users want to see. Niche influencers become crucial, driving deep engagement with specialized communities. Social commerce evolves, providing seamless experiences within the customer journey."
• Webby Trend Report 2025 ... "Brainrot is a condition that describes the impact of being 'terminally online' and a genre of nonsensical or absurdist internet humour. Today, the chronically online reign supreme. “Brat summer” can cannibalize pop culture and media, a baby hippo can become the next IT girl, and being “rizzed up” or “Costco guys” are terms expected to be widely understood."
• Dentsu, Media Trends 2025 ... "Media is increasingly driven by sophisticated algorithms, becoming 100% addressable, 100% shoppable, and 100% accountable. For 15 years, dentsu's annual media trends report has been the industry's most sought-after trend forecast. Download the 2025 edition to prepare for the many opportunities to drive impact in the algorithmic era."
• Hilton Travel Trends 2025 ... "From the awe-inspiring skies of the total eclipse to sold out sports stadiums, concerts and conferences, travel fuels memorable and important cultural conversations. We travel to discover new cultures, make connections, to recover and recharge."
• Korn Ferry's Talent Trends 2025 ... "After last year’s AI boom and the shift to skills-based hiring, many global enterprises were caught in endless planning. Now’s the time to stop overthinking and start acting with purpose. The takeaway for 2025? Be intentional and brave."
• JP Morgan Outlook 2025 ... "Easing global monetary policy and increasing capital investment have the potential to drive growth in 2025. The key question for 2025 is how low rates will go. AI is poised to revolutionise productivity across the economy, from pharmaceutical development to white-collar labor. With political power shifts perpetuating uncertainty, investors should consider how they are diversifying exposures to bolster portfolio resilience."
• UK MOD Global Strategic Trends to 2055 ... "6 global drivers of change will redefine societies, economies, governance, security and defence, as well the natural world itself: global power competition, demographic pressures, climate change and pressure on the environment, technological advances and connectivity, economic transformation and energy transition, inequality and pressure on governance".

What will you do in 2025?

?? Peter Fisk 2024

Peter Fisk is a global thought leader, bestselling author, and inspiring keynote speaker. Scientist to strategist, entrepreneur and academic, he has worked with over 250 companies in 50 countries. Airlines to automotive, cosmetics to cement, finance and pharma, he helps leaders to make sense of change, explore innovative strategies to compete, and embrace the mindset to transform organisations and deliver sustainable impact. With 10 books in 35 languages, from "Gamechangers" to "People Planet Profit", and most recently "Business Recoded", he continues to inspire and shape the business landscape.

Email now to explore new keynotes and workshops in 2025 ... [email protected]

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