Important Trends for Vegan Businesses and Entrepreneurs

Trends come and go. Whether it be Beanie Babies, where people invested huge amounts of money into the cute little bears, mini-skirts, hula hoops, or nose piercings, there’s one thing for sure, trends can be key to growing your business… or being left behind.

Although there are those who did invest wisely in Beanie Babies, most people were left sorely disappointed with their return on investment.

So what do trends have to do with vegans and vegan owned businesses. Actually, a great deal. Although the term “vegan” was coined in 1944, by Donald Watson, a British woodworker, it’s only been recently that vegans are considered more mainstream.

In the last few years, those who identify as vegan, veganism and vegan-identified businesses are definitely on the rise. There are a few primary reasons.

One, with information more widely available due to the Internet, people are more well-informed about what veganism is and that while a part of it is about factory farming and the atrocities animals are subjected to, that isn’t everything.

Second, due to the shutdowns caused by the pandemic, more people sought out information on how to improve their personal health and that of their families, finding that eliminating meat has led to some incredible health turnarounds.

Third, with people realizing they have been misguided about veganism, the meat industry, and the benefits of a whole food, plant-based lifestyle, more are seeking the truth. That truth has led to a greater understanding of the current and impending negative impact that raising animals for human consumption is creating on the environment, our water supply, in increased mortality rates, and a decline in the survival of our planet.

Additionally, regardless of whether or not people view veganism as ethical, they see the financial benefit to offering vegan food options.

While some may think veganism is the latest “fad trend”, research indicates the opposite. • The number of people who identify as vegans has jumped 3,000% in the last 15 years. (LiveKindly) • The worldwide vegan food market grew from $14.44 billion in 2020 to $15.77 billion in 2021. (OpenPR) • Vegan identified service-based companies are on the rise, with many vegans choosing to do business primarily with vegan-owned businesses.

Additionally, the number of vegan-identified podcast shows is on the rise. A quick search on Apple Podcast under the category of “Vegan” results in numerous choices. Dig deeper into “Vegan Marketing” or “Vegan Business” and there are even more shows to choose from.

While most trends come and go, others evolve into beneficial lifestyle changes. As vegan business owners, we’ve found other trends of importance as follows.

Trend 1: Hybrid Events

One of the greatest impacts to business, due to the pandemic, are hybrid events. With all the shutdowns, at one point, almost every in-person event was postponed or cancelled.

The greatest frustration to event coordinators, conference planners and attendees, was not knowing when things would get back to normal. It became apparent that things will never go back to how they were, and that we are in a new normal.

The new normal for events is Hybrid Events. Simply put, this is a combination of in-person and virtual.

If you have not yet jumped into using platforms like Zoom, StreamYard and other virtual platforms, now is the perfect time to do so. If you keep putting it off, you will soon find yourself struggling to keep up.

Trend 2: Integrated Content Creation

He, or she, who creates the most relevant and timely content, wins. It’s really that simple. We are in the information age, and to not create content on a regular basis is another aspect of the “left behind” syndrome. It’s not just more, it’s about relevance and timeliness.

Whether it’s writing book(s), hosting a podcast show, appearing on podcasts, social media or article marketing, content creation is highly valuable to your expert status, influence, and market position.

One way to stay on top of content creation is to make sure you have a great handle on what your market is interested in. Next, create a content calendar in order to carve out time to keep the ball rolling.

Trend 3: Cause Marketing

Cause marketing involves a collaboration between a for-profit business and a nonprofit organization for a common benefit. Cause marketing can also refer to social or charitable campaigns put on by for-profit brands.

During times when there is a lot of mistrust of how corporations and government are responding to many social situations, transparency is highly regarded by consumers.

They expect brands to be socially responsible and many people create loyalty to such brands. According to one study, 70% of consumers want to know how brands are addressing social and environmental issues.

However, companies that simply jump on the cause marketing bandwagon as the latest “catch phrase” trend, will be dropped like a hot potato if they are not sincere in their commitment to the cause.

There are obviously more trends, but these three are definitely at the top and as a vegan entrepreneur, your company will benefit by incorporating this information into your business practices.

ABOUT KATHLEEN GAGE:

Kathleen Gage is a highly seasoned business consultant, keynote speaker, author, marketing strategist and visibility mentor. She is the founder of Vegan Visibility, a marketing and visibility consulting company dedicated to working with clients who promote healthy living, compassion for the animals and kindness to the planet. Kathleen is the author of over a dozen books, the host of two popular podcast shows, Vegan Visibility and Plant Based Eating for Health, and a highly accomplished content creator and a committed, ethical vegan.

ABOUT VLYNN HAWKINS

VLynn Hawkins is a leading authority on growing small businesses. Her passion is working with ethical businesses who believe in social responsibility. She is founder of Vegan Crowdfunding Hacker and Healthpreneur Dynamics, firms helping Healthpreneur clients with creating integrated systems, including incorporating crowdfunding, and promotional campaigns for increasing online visibility. VLynn is an author, speaker, a certified hypnotherapist, and host of the popular podcast, Health Wisdom & Wealth: Powerful Conversations for Living Your Best Life - Using Lifestyle and Food As Medicine.

Together, Kathleen and VLynn have co-founded Vegan Visibility Productions, and are the Co-Hosts of the Vegan Visibility Summit, which they produce quarterly. Find them at https://veganvisibility.com/summit2022