Why do trends matter?

For so many of us invested in an industry dominated by products, it’s natural that our ears perk up every time we hear the word “trend”. While core items will always sell, tapping into trends can add value to your customer while allowing you to enjoy a healthy uptick in sales. Beyond these benefits, embracing trends and staying current taps into something deeper, and understanding why this happens can make us more intuitive and help execute our strategy more effectively.

Trends help us connect and relate.

What makes a good salesperson? Research, preparation, and a charming personality can get you far in this industry and many others. However, a truly great salesperson understands human nature and the primal instincts that drive us. People are weird. We’re wired to think independently, yet often rely on the actions of our tribe to dictate what’s “good” and “bad”.

Trends give us the opportunity to opt in or out of key social groups and can play both positive and negative roles in our lives. At their worst, they can make you feel alienated (Anyone else still experience PTSD from middle school?) But at their best, they can do something wonderful. They connect us.

Think about the last time you bought or received something that you knew was cool or trendy. How great did that feel? Jumping on the bandwagon might have a negative connotation, but it shouldn’t always be that way. There’s a party happening on that bandwagon with people who share your interests and have opted in just like you. Jump on while it’s on the upswing and enjoy the ride!

Trends give us a new medium to tell our brand story.

Like many others in this field, I feel passionate about product not because it “feels like shopping”, but because of the stories we can tell through it. From the outside looking in, we might seem like product peddlers, but we know that’s far from the truth. We are storytellers.

Trends provide us with a new, compelling way to tell a brand’s story – one that people are excited to read. When you embrace a relevant trend, you open up new possibilities that weren’t there before. Embracing this strategy tells the world that you’re open-minded, observant, forward-thinking and most importantly – relevant.

Consider the craziness surrounding fidget spinners in 2017. While I know that it caused a lot of logistical and warehousing issues, everyone and their grandma’s dog needed one. Every vertical market had requests for those things – even customers who had traditionally kept a more professional tone. With a fidget spinner, their message transformed to: “We’re friendly, youthful, fun – remember us.”

Today, we’re seeing similar hype surrounding paper and reusable straws. Some of these same customers are drawn to this idea as well. Their message can be retold to say: “We’re socially conscious, progressive, creative – remember us.”

When we take a minute to slow down and analyze why we have an emotional response to a product, we can make a big impact for our customers. A thoughtful approach to creative projects is the key to bettering ourselves and our industry. We don’t sell product – we sell emotion, and that emotion evokes action. It might seem like our model is simple: sell logoed product. It’s our mission to embrace the complexity of our trade to help our customers reach their goals. When we consider trends beyond their face value, we open the door to authentic connectivity and strategic storytelling to solve intangible problems with tangible products.

Taylor Borst is head of communications and public relations for American Solutions for Business. Joining the print and promo industry in 2015, she specializes in social media, promotional products, and supplier relations. Taylor is currently a Sous Chef with PromoKitchen, on the Networking Committee for PPAI SPARK and is an advocate for education and youth involvement in the industry. Connect with her on Instagram and LinkedIn.