Spotlight On... Societal Changes

Sign

Of The Times

Diversity, gender neutrality, mental health, veganism, protecting our planet and gaming are among the key elements driving societal change.

PG&H takes a look at what strides the gift industry has taken to reflect these popular culture shifts.

Recyclability, climate change, mental health/wellbeing, woke-ness, gender neutral, multi-cultural diversity, rainbow families, veganism, ‘girl boss’ attitudes and gaming... these are just some of the many societal changes that are currently part of our lifestyles, changing the way we think and feel about everyday living.

According to Bookspeed’s managing director Lewis Dawson, publishing is always one of the best places to look to see how societies are changing. “We have seen a significant change to the make-up of our bestseller lists over the past few years, with consumers looking for more substantive books on current cultural trends in addition to the more traditional gift books that contain easier or lighter content that was more dominant a few years ago, such as Ladybird novelty parody books,” comments Lewis. “Broadly, the areas that have proved popular would fall under the categories of inclusivity - race, gender, diversity of thought, body types, ways of living etc - and sustainability, environmentalism, and specifically, what individuals can do, whether that is reducing one’s own carbon footprint or plastic usage etc.”

He continues: “What ties these two strands together is a growing realisation that the world is lacking coherent joined-up political leadership and a common vision for what we think the future should look like. Plus, there is a growing realisation that if we are to create the future that we want to see, we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves, whether that’s individuals, businesses, communities or coordinated campaigning/collective action. In a very fragmented world, there is a huge opportunity for new ideas of how we exist, or how we are to deal with the huge challenges we face, to emerge, and books have always been the place where new ways of thinking have come from.”

Sam Wahid, managing director at Gift Republic, highlights that the company recognises that there is a very strong voice in the world now, and always will be, from all

Above: A few of the titles from Bookspeed that address today’s societal changes. Left: Gift Republic’s handmade habitat bee hotel. Below: Vegan Zana crossbody bags from Katie Loxton.

Playing The Game

Calendars too, which are often bought as gifts in the run up to Christmas, are also tapping into societal changes. “Over the past few years we have seen a huge increase in popularity in gaming,” confirms Danilo’s marketing manager Claire Bates. “According to a WGSN report, gaming is no longer just a hobby, it is now emerging as a full blown lifestyle category in its own right, as dedicated and casual gamers buy into accessories and gaming-related products, and brands adapt their offerings to keep up with the growing demand for all things gaming. Total global spending on gaming is now expected to exceed $200bn by 2023, according to Newzoo, and therefore consumer appetite looks set to continue growing.” In line with the trend, Danilo continues to add new gaming titles to its portfolio each year, with its 2022 greeting card and calendar collection featuring Minecraft, Super Mario, Animal Crossing, X Box and many more.

Left: Danilo’s calendars for 2022 include Super Mario, reflecting the huge trend for gaming.

ages, embracing gender neutral, diversity, veganism and female empowerment, as well as taking care of the planet with recyclable packaging and less packaging.

“These strong voices have made us introduce more products that help the environment, such as our new DIY Birdhouse, Bug Hostel, Bee Hotel and Butterfly Lodge that are interactive, help nurture nature and a customer’s own wellness, while also helping the environment,” Sam explains. “These products also contain no plastic and are specifically packed for the consumer with a reusable, 'cool' tin. Sales of these items have started well and we see a large demand for them going into 2022, as well as our vegan bath range which we wanted to offer because of the high demand and need for these items. We now see this not as a need, but as an expectation.”

Sam continues: “We love to see the customer pushing for a better environment and more sustainable products. They are all pushing the gifting industry in a positive direction and the consumer is really driving all companies to think of a better, more sustainable, and more environmentally friendly way of working. We see this not as a trend but the direction of our business year on year, and we are on board to make the changes needed to improve the market we love.”

Highlighting veganism, Katie Loxton, founder of her eponymous brand, as well as Joma Jewellery, says that she is extremely proud that the company has been a vegan leather brand since day one, only using quality, built-to-last, soft vegan leather materials. “Using vegan leather across our handbags and accessories collections creates less caron dioxide emissions, uses less water and requires no toxic chemicals during production in comparison to real leather bags,” she explains. (In fact, the company is so confident in its designs and materials that it offers a one year guarantee as reassurance).

Novelty gifts too, are reflecting the way society is thinking nowadays. “Our new game Woke Up, launching at Spring Fair, has been influenced by societal changes,” highlights Bubblegum Stuff’s founder Courtney Wood (who was the runner-up to the winner of The Apprentice in 2016). "Initially, ‘woke’ was a term coined by those that identified as woke. But it has since become a pejorative word used by those looking to dismiss changes in attitudes around race, gender, sexuality and so on, and the language we use in relation to them. I therefore wanted to create a game that creates debate and reflects the views of current society,” Courtney explains. “Depending on the side of the fence you sit on, people will feel the game is either political correctness gone mad or rightfully woke. We've all got an opinion on whether woke is a force for good or a snowflake crusade, and that was our starting point for this game. Either way, it will be insightful, get everyone talking and might even get people to change their opinion."

Currently there is also a big ‘girl boss’ trend, with Boxer Gifts’ managing director, Thomas O’Brien, highlighting that the company has long seen strong women being recognised with fun gifting. “As far back as the 1980s, this was very popular in our range,” confirms Thomas. “However, the biggest change we are seeing today is the phrasing and language that is used, which is shown in our recently launched Bad Bitch Bible, a daily planner which follows current punchier word trends. Interestingly, our young, trendy product development team were shocked to find that this language, while not used much for 20 years, was a popular term of empowerment over 30 years ago too!”

He adds that in Boxer’s gift book range, there has also been a lot of renewed focus on sustainability, with easy gifting title such as How To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint talking about simple ways to be more eco-friendly. States Thomas: “There is now a growing range of books which offer a great way for retail to support changing consumer habits.”

Above: Bubblegum Stuff’s brand new Woke Up game. Below: Punchy word trends are reflected in Boxer Gifts’ Bad Bitch Bible planner.

A Focus On Mental Health

A Garden Centre’s Perspective...

One of the biggest societal changes over the past two years has been the focus on mental health, and as lockdowns during the pandemic revealed, gardening has been shown to be one of the best ways to alleviate stress and promote a calmer, more relaxed attitude, helping people to cope with the ups and downs of everyday life.

In terms of how people will be approaching gardening in 2022, Marcus Eyles, Dobbies’ horticultural director, expects wellbeing to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. “Gardening is often associated with having a positive impact on our mental health, as well as our physical wellbeing, which fits with the trends of looking after yourself and self-acceptance. The benefits of gardening are endless, and it’s expected that more people will take to their outdoor spaces to look after themselves in 2022.”

He predicts that city and townies will be making the most of their space too, and that more people will be interested in growing their own fruit and vegetables, with significant innovations in how vegetables can be grown in small spaces, linked with a flourishing interest in grow your own.”

Right: Dobbies’ ‘slow living’ pots encourage people to slow down, with muted tones and colours changing with the light, mirroring the way nature ebbs and flows.