At the end of the last decade we saw the shoots of second hand and pre-loved making inroads into fast fashion and the throw away culture.

And now pre-owned is firmly rooted and booming across the generations.

For families pre-owned has the dual benefits of saving money and saving the planet and satisfies the dopamine hit humans crave. It is becoming ingrained and part of the everyday.

And this reset to real or ‘back to basics’ is just starting to roll, as families are starting to become overwhelmed with the abundance of products, media and an out of control climate.

Plus, trust in ‘leaders’ has significantly diminished in the wake of ‘fake news’, ‘pandemic cover ups’ and ‘media scandals’.

So what back to basic changes will we see taking root in 2024:

1. Reaction to Ultra Processed Foods (UPF) and unclear/misleading ingredients in food and drink.

The green light system for many remains confusing and is not fully trusted. Families are starting to reset to real – the fringes are beginning to avoid UPF buying more real and we see this bleeding into the mainstream in a number of ways over the coming years, with outlier brands and personalities leading the way. The full force of this will however be felt from word of mouth, individuals spreading the word and recruiting others.

2. Social Media Pickiness

This pickiness will manifest itself in two main ways from choosing which platforms to remain on and who to follow. Consumers are finding they are posting less on platforms such as Facebook and only scrolling on the likes of Instagram and TikTok. Tolerance for brands, personalities and friends who post content that no-longer pleases is low and the block/unfollow button will be used more frequently. Making it harder for brands to cut through.

3. Eco-friendly products becoming mainstream

We are at a tipping point for these types of products, this is no longer just for the early adopters. More consumers are making a conscious choice and effort to avoid products with environmental consequences, from those causing deforestation to those releasing microplastics.

4. Taking stock

We are hearing consumers talk about looking closely at what they are subscribing to, buying and what they actually value. Everything from gym membership to streaming services to the bigger things of career and homes. Deciding on value over quantity and contentment over perfection.