Looking Ahead: The Best of 2015 Trends

January 2015: The only constant in the 21^st century is change.Geopolitical turbulence and technological advances will be just some of the factors shaping the year ahead. Creating a point of view about ongoing and future trends is increasingly important to thrive in an ever more complex and competitive world. In 2011, when we typed Trends for 2011 into Google on January 1^st 2011 it gave us around 46 million results. As we typed Trends for 2015 in January 1^st 2015 it gave us 579 million results. The number and diversity of opinions about what’s in store for the forthcoming year is exploding – making it harder to sift the important from the irrelevant, and to develop that critical point of view.

Looking ahead to the next year, and even further, here’s our annual round-up of where you can find some of the more interesting and useful trend forecasts and ideas for 2015. As always, treat them as directional and informed opinions that can supplement your own thinking on what might be possible, feasible and desirable. The biggest challenge for leaders is not finding the most accurate predictions. Rather, it is about developing a broad and open understanding of the trends reshaping the world, translating these into an informed point of view on the future and what it means for your organization and, and most importantly, taking actions today to begin to prepare. The biggest risk is not being wrong in your point of view about the future, but beginning to take action too late.

So let’s take a look.

Global Trends/Macro Trends

• 10 Trends to Watch for 2015! If you missed our December briefing we suggest you take a look back at our 10 Key Trends to Watch as they are not only relevant for 2015 but well beyond. Check out:A picture paints a thousand words: Visual (and social) everything, Exposed in a connected world: The fight back, ThinkZero: Towards a circular economy, Putting your money where your mouth is: The rise of impact capitalism, Upstarts: Driving the entrepreneurial economy and more trends here.
• Topics for the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum: On all levels – global, regional and national – the world is confronted by profound political, economic, social and technological transformations. Davos 2015 will be about “The New Global Context” for future decision-making in this challenging world. For the executive summary click here.
• World Economic Forum: Every year WEF forecast the 10 biggest trends for the coming year as input for the Davos meeting. In the report “Outlook on the Global Agenda 2015” the trends are ranked by importance. The 10 key trends for 2015 are: 1. Deepening income inequality, 2. Persistent jobless growth, 3. Lack of leadership, 4. Rising geostrategic competition, 5. Weakening of representative democracy, 6. Rising pollution in the developing world, 7. Increasing occurrence of severe weather events, 8. Intensifying nationalism, 9. Increasing water stress, and 10. Growing importance of health in the economy. For more information on how these trends will influence global and regional, economic, political and social change click here.
• Monocle: Amongst the usual eclectic mix of forecasts on global affairs, tourism, culture and design, Monocle offers its annual index of the leading 30 soft power nations – who’s got power through a range of soft attributes from a reputation for design to culture to business assets to green credentials – as opposed to military and industrial might. Everyone wants it, some have it and many more are figuring out how to develop and use it – take a look here to see how your country and the countries in which you are operating stack up. (Note: Subscription required or buy the hard copy).
• The Economist World in 2015: Offers a broad and challenging mix of insights and predictions from leading global figures, experts and commentators from the fields of politics, business, science and the arts. Well worth a read – see the app here, and/or buy a print/digital copy.
• Kjaer: Global Trend Snapshots 2015+ explores how macro trends presented over the last year will inform the short to mid-term future for organizations and people. Among the trends you will find: Self-tracking, Circular economy, Collaborative culture and Betrapreneurship.

Consumer Trends

• Trendwatching’s 10 Trends shaping consumerism for 2015: Another round-up of the key consumer trends to watch during the year ahead and beyond, with useful examples to generate inspiration and innovation. Explore the 10 trends in the Trendwatching briefing. These include: Instant skills, Fast-laning, Internet of shared things, Branded government, Robolove, and Branded stands.
• Trend Hunter: Consumer trend site, Trend Hunter, has published their 2015 trend reports. While these require subscription the free sample highlights some of the hot 10 trends they identify for 2015, including: Masculinity Redefined, Practical Printing, Everyday Robotics, Chemical Revolt, Responsive Retail. See the sample here.
• Mintel: Market research and insight company Mintel has identified four key U.S. consumer trends that will have the most impact in 2015. The four trends are: Get smart; My wallet, my way; Fight for your rights and Gender agenda. Read more here.
• Landor: Brand agency Landor has made a list of its 11 upcoming 2015 consumer trends. Among the trends you will find: Megacities spur consumer desire for a stronger sense of belonging, Naming goes super simple, Social responsibility becomes old school, Brands speak more like real people. For more Landor trends click here.
• JWT Intelligence: In the report The Future 100: Trends and Changes to Watch in 2015,JWT Intelligence has rounded up 100 trends and changes, some big, some small, all worth noting, to watch in the coming year. Click here for the free report.

Economic Trends

• IMF: The IMF World Economic Outlook (WEO) offers the IMF staff’s analysis and projections for economic developments globally, by major regions and levels of development, as well as for individual countries. It covers major economic policy issues plus prospects. The last full version “Legacies, Clouds, Uncertainties” was published in October 2014. Click here to download the report.
• World Bank: The World Bank published its World Economic Prospects named Shifting priorities: building for the future, in June 2014 (click here), suggesting that developing countries are headed for a third consecutive year of disappointing growth below 5% while recovery in high-income countries is gaining momentum. However, the world is not totally out of the woods but it is time to prepare for the next crisis. The Global Economic Monitor offers monthly and weekly updates on economic conditions.
• The Conference Board: Expects to see that global economic growth will accelerate modestly in 2015 from 3.2% to 3.4%, which is still disappointing. Predictions include: Across the advanced economies we will see a 2.3% growth in 2015, compared to 1.9% in 2014; U.S. growth is expected to rise from 2.2% in 2014 to 2.6% in 2015; growth in developing and emerging economies is projected to slow down to 4.7% in 2015, compared to 4.8% in 2014 and 6.2% in 2010–2013. Click here for more.
• Goldman Sachs: The major investment bank’s economists offer their Top 10 key economic factors for 2015. Among the trends you will find: A broadening recovery, DM divergence lives on, The new oil order, Lowflation and the fight against it, The dollar bull market. More trendscan be found here.
• Wells Fargo: Wells Fargo expects better days ahead. The world’s economy will most likely improve helped by a stronger U.S. economy, lower energy prices, subdued inflation, and international stimulus. Read the Wells Fargo report here.
• Credit Suisse: The Swiss bank believes we will see improved global growth in 2015. A mid-year increase in U.S. interest rate is expected. Most regions should also see decreasing growth headwinds in 2015, although geopolitical uncertainties, volatile oil prices, and moderating Chinese growth remain concerns. Click here for more information.
• Bloomberg BusinessWeek: From Bloomberg BusinessWeek a 2015 global economic outlook that is better than 2014 – but not much. Visit here to read the article.

Financial Markets/Investment Trends

• Business News Daily: From traditional funding to peer-to-peer and crowdfunding, how organizations and individuals fund themselves is changing dramatically. Business News Daily shares their three trends and tips for crowdfunding in 2015: Crowdfunding will go mainstream, nonprofits will benefit more from crowdfunding, and equity crowdfunding will grow (in U.S. states with crowdfunding exemptions). For more information click here.
• Deutsche Bank: Deutsche Bank believes that the growth momentum, monetary policy and stock markets in the U.S., Europe and Asia will initially further diverge in 2015. In its Capital Markets Outlook 2015: “USA leads, Europe stagnates” the bank summaries the outlook for 2015: 1. Macro Economy: U.S. economy on track, China: “Rising dragon”, Europe will also lag behind in 2015; 2. Capital markets: In central banks’ crossfire; 3. Bonds: Currently hardly any opportunities on the doorstep; 4. Equities: Essential but volatile; 5. Asset allocation: Diversity is the key, Commodities: Gold has not been a winner of the crisis; 7. Real estate: Potential on a regional basis. For more, click here.
• Credit Suisse: Credit Suisse has divided their top investment ideas for 2015 into four broad themes: Theme 1: Developed equities take center stage; Theme 2: Pathways to yield; Theme 3: The winners from lower commodity prices; Theme 4: Growing value capture in the IT sector. Click here for more.
• Seeking Alpha: According to Seeking Alpha the market in 2015 will be defined by volatility. They believe there are six reasons for this: 1. The Federal Reserve will raise rates; 2. China’s growth and Central Bank intervention; 3. Can the ECB be aggressive enough to prevent more European deflation?; 4. Oil prices; 5. Modi and Jokowi delivering on market reform promises; 6. Can Russia’s foreign policy withstand a downward spiral in the economy? For information, visit here.
• MarketWatch: MarketWatch offers an opinion about the 10 biggest risks to the stock market in 2015 from Jeff Reeves, editor of InvestorPlace.com. Among these risks you will find: The Fed, developed-economy divergence, Eurozone deflation, strong-dollar headwinds, and geopolitics. See more here.
• Bankrate: From Bankrate the best and the worst investment ideas for 2015. See here for more.
• Barron’s: On a more upbeat note,Wall Street veteran Byron Wien writes inthe magazine Barron’s, “there is reason to think that the present favorable trends will continue.” (Note: Registration may be required). Click here to see more.
• Financial Times: The FT offers a range of market views for 2015, (Note: Registration may be required). For 2015 market views, click here.

Technology, IT and Mobile Trends

• Gartner Strategic Technologies: Gartner defines a strategic technology as an existing or emerging technology that will potentially have a significant impact an organization’s long-term plans, programs and initiatives. Among the top 10 strategic technologies they identify are: Computing everywhere; 3D printing; smart machines; risk-based security; and self-protection. For more click here.
• Verizon: Verizon has identified five key enterprise tech trends for 2015: Network reliability; innovation is key to business success; internet of things adoption gains momentum downstream; predictive analytics will make sense of big data; IT will direct the cloud; and the game is changing in the fight against cybercrime. See more here.  
• Consumer Electronics Association (CEA): In its annual publication about tech trends expected to influence consumer electronics in the coming year the CEA examines: 1. Ghost in the machine: The predictive power of the big data analytics; 2. The rise of the machines; 3. Digital health and the quantified self; 4. Entertainment and immersive content; and 5. Business models in the innovation economy. For more visit here.
• InfoWorld: Technology is reshaping the world with a mixed bag of trends according to InfoWorld’s predictions amongst which you will find: The triumph of the public cloud; container madness; liquid computing; and endpoint security innovation. For more trends click here.
• Forrester via Forbes: Technology and market research company Forrester has predicted its top IT trends for 2015 and beyond. Gil Press, a contributor to Forbes, offers his take on the predictions, which include: The gap between digital leaders and digital laggards will widen in 2015; Apple will rule 2015; data is the new product; and many established companies will become venture capitalists. For more on these trends, click here.
• Clickz: What can we expect to see in the mobile space next year? Clickz think it is: Micro-moments; location-based marketing and maps; mobile video; mobile shopping, holidays and beyond. Visit here for more.
• ITBusinessEdge: ITBusinessEdge shares, via a slideshow, Gartner’s Top 10 mobile technologies and capabilities for 2015 and 2016. Among these are: HTML 5; advanced mobile user experience design; high precision location sensing; and new Wi-Fi standards. See the slideshow here.

Cyber Security Trends

• Websense: San Diego based Websense, which specializes in web filtering software, looked at recent security and attack trends to identify looming cyber security threats. To mention a few: The healthcare sector will see an increase in data stealing attack campaigns; attacks on the internet of things (IoT) will focus on businesses, not consumer products; credit card thieves will morph into information dealers.See more on the threats here.
• Fortinet: American Fortinet, specializing in network security appliances, has also looked into the crystal ball to identify the biggest cyber security threats to watch out for in 2015. Predicting cyber threats is hard – but not trying to do so can cost businesses big money. Among the threats highlighted are: Security breaches are harder to stop; cloud technologies are finally taking root; internet of things and industrial control systems (ICS) collide. For a detailed list, visit here.
• Symantec: According to Symantec, the top things we will hear about in the cyber security world are: Attacks on the internet of things (IoT) will focus on smart home automation; mobile devices will become even more attractive targets; machine learning will be a game changer in the fight against cybercrime; and the front lines of cybersecurity will be strengthened by closer industry partnerships and collaborations. For more click here.
• Booz Allen: Booz Allen has released their top 10 financial services cyber security trends for 2015 predicting cyber attacks are now the “new normal” in the finance industry. Among the trends are:Third-party risk moves to the top of the list; the rise of the “fusion center;” cyber crime analysis evolves away from brute force to big data; “Western” cyber problems are coming to a developing nation near you; everything firms know about privacy has changed. For more trendsclick here.
• Trend Micro: Trend Micro, a global leader in internet content security software and cloud computing security, has released eight security predications for 2015 in the report “The invisible becomes visible”. These include: More cybercriminals will turn to darknets and exclusive-access forums to share and sell crimeware; targeted attacks will become as prevalent as cybercrime; and new mobile payment methods will introduce new threats. For more trends visit here.

Social Media Trends

• Hootsuite: The hype around social media continues. The “death of Facebook” was widely touted in social media predictions but Facebook is still king. So what changes are ahead for social media in 2015? From Hootsuite, five trends that will change how you use social media in 2015: Your social network wants your wallet; new networks proliferate but will they last?; shopping finally comes to social media; smart devices get more social; the illusion of social media privacy gives way to the real thing. Click here for more.
• FalconSocial: Looking ahead to 2015, FalconSocial believes that the social media trends are: Pay to play; anonymity has its appeal; we’re all content marketers; employee advocacy is going strong; micro-format communication – know the why. Visit here to read more.
• Dominion Homes Media: Erica Campell Byrum, Director of Social Media at Dominion Homes Media, has made a slideshow about what she thinks are the 2015 social media trends. These include: Creating Youtility; social platform diversity; contest is king; go mobile or go home. To see the slideshow click here.
• Mavsocial: Social media has come a long way but big shifts are happening constantly. What’s in the crystal ball for 2015 for Mavsocial includes: We will be telling more visual stories; great content will be paramount; and a greater emphasis on ad targeting. To find out of more visit here.
• Momentology: 19 expert social media experts reveal their insights and predictions for social media marketing in 2015. Read here to see what they think we should expect.
• ClickZ: Suggests five social marketing trends for 2015: 1. It’s increasingly a mobile-first world; 2. It’s now a pay-to-play social world; 3. Social content continues as the rising marketing star; 4. Video isn’t just about YouTube anymore; 5. The social splinternet will continue. For details visit here.

Retail Trends

• InterbrandDesignForum/Chain Store Age’s State of the Industry Report: Today, traditional business patterns are being disrupted by new technologies. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected through social and digital platforms, experience is everything and businesses are increasingly feeling the pressure to be where their customers are. Read more about the rapid changes underway here.
• PRSM: In a 31-page report, PRSM offers details about how the retail industry is driving results through five key trends: Technology, waste management, vendor management, sustainability, and brick and mortar innovations. Click here to see the report.
• What’s Next: From What’s Next, their take on the top trends in retail, shopping and leisure: Self serve; cost polarization; blurring of sectors; high speed retail; brand experience; RFID; brand politics; generational crossover; women; and mass customization. Visit here for more.
• Vend: Suggests 12 retail trends and predictions that will shape 2015: Omnichannel retailing will be the norm; the mobile wallet will continue to rise; technology will be even more integrated in brick and mortar stores; and the number of mobile businesses will increase. Click here for more.
•  PSFK: In its fifth volume of the Future of Retail report PSFK explores the dynamic social, technological, and physical forces influencing consumer behavior and driving next-generation shopping experiences. Click here to download the report (note: not free, price of US$695).
• PwC and TNS: The report, Retailing 2015: New Frontiers, offers an overview of the retail industry through 2015. Click here to download the report (this one is free!).  

Brand Trends

• The Luxury Institute: Based on recent experiences in New York, Milan, Paris, and London, the Luxury Institute has predicted seven trends that smart luxury brands need to address in 2015, including: There are too many luxury brands for a slow-growth environment; transforming store managers into entrepreneurs; think less Facebook, more Pinterest. Visit here for more.
• Brand Keys: In an article in CX JourneyBrand Keys shares its 15 brand trends for 2015,covering a mix ofexperience, marketing, data, digital, and more. Among them you will find: Magnified human technology; real-time becomes real important; it’s still a brand, stupid; category is king; non-fiction storytelling; much more multiculturalism. Visit here for more trends. 
• Landor: Landor, the global strategic brand consulting and design firm, has selected their top 6 brand trends for 2015 among which you will find: The individual, not the masses, becomes the brand target; 3-D goes beyond movies; the name game, short and simple. Click here for the remaining trends.
•  Forbes: Personal branding is getting increasingly popular and necessary in an online world. William Arrud, a contributor to Forbes, shares the hottest personal branding trends that will impact your success in 2015, including: The social organization: employees build their brand in bits and bytes; viva la video: everyone’s ready for their close up; coaching for all: it’s not just for the C-suite. Find out of more here.  

Marketing Trends

• Inc.: Inc. magazine has identified their 3 massive ad trends for 2015 as: Direct guaranteed programmatic; mobile video ads; and advertising that works with UX. Read morehere.
• Social Media Today:Presents six disruptive marketing trends for 2015: Video becomes experiential; sharable experience; narrative science; invective marketing; transmedia storytelling; and personalized (human) marketing. For more click here.
• Altitude Marketing: Technology is changing constantly leaving the world of marketing and advertising no choice but to follow suit. From Altitude Marketing five marketing trends you can’t afford to ignore in 2015: 1. Always-on advertising; 2. The rise of wearables; 3. Mobile web browsing; 4. Increased consumer skepticism; 5. Smarter resource allocation. Visit here for more.
• Chief Marketer: Content marketing is a top priority among many companies. Nine out of ten B2B marketers are using it, regardless of their size or industry. Here are four trends that will lead the way for content marketing in 2015: 1. More engaging content; 2. Enhanced levels of personalization; 3. Reusable content; 4. Utilization at in-person events. For more click here.
• B2C Community: Marketing strategies and tactics change constantly. B2C community has developed a list of 7 B2B marketing trends that could have the biggest impact on marketing plans in 2015, including: Mobile first marketing; micro-targeting and personalization; pay for play amplification; Smarketing/sales and marketing alignment. Find out of more here.
• TopRank Blog Online Marketing: TopRank Blog Online Marketing has reached out to brands and industry thought leaders – 21 in total – to capture the what’s most important for digital marketing in 2015. Read the article here to see what they think.
• Russells Group: The internet has drastically altered the world of marketing and technology and keeps pushing it in new directions. Russells Group has gathered top 5 online marketing trends they believe will dominate 2015: 1. Content marketing will be bigger than ever; 2. Social media marketing will required more diversity; 3. Mobile-friendly content will be necessary; 4. Ad retargeting will grow in effectiveness; 5. SEO and social signals will become even more intertwined. Visit here for more.
• Inbound now: Digital marketing is increasingly important in creating an online experience. Among the trends from Inbound now you will find: Marketing analytics will bloom; augmented reality & wearable technology; more videos than ever; visual storytelling will go wild; hyper-segmentation & micro targeting. Click here to find out what other trends they think are important for 2015.
• The Guardian: The Guardian looks at seven shifts that will change marketing in 2015 and beyond: Privacy trading; anticipatory computing; total retail; the pervasive web; FSTR; disintermediation; and digital disappointment. Visit here for more.

SEO Trends

• Ignitionmedia: Search Engine Optimization is the process of giving the website the best chance of ranking well on a search engine result page. And if you want to sell, rank is important, and requires keeping up with constantly evolving search algorithms. Ignitionmedia predicts SEO 6 trends that are important to stay ahead: Content remains the king; strive to offer better user experience; get rid of bad links and on-site web spam; get social media to talk about your website; target conversational key phrases; and mobile optimization. Read more here.
• Search Engine Land: In this article, 11 industry SEO experts give their insights on the future of SEO and how SEO will be different in 2015. Click here to read about their views.
• Search Engine Journal (SEJ): Visit SEJ to watch the videos and read the take-aways from an interview with two leading experts discussing what SEO trends they are seeing for 2015 and beyond.
• OutsourcemyIT: From OutsourcemyIT, four SEO trends that help you stay ahead of the ever-changing algorithms: Social media; going mobile; quality content; and back-linking is still all-important. Visit here to read more.
• Webmarketing: Digital marketers must constantly try to figure out what the future will bring in terms of SEO. According to Webmarketing you can stay ahead with these 5 SEO trends: Content still reigns supreme; social media for everyone; mobile optimization; loading speed and easy navigation; and crackdown on negative SEO. Click here for more information.
• VentureBeat: Suggests three important trends to look forward to in 2015: Adding social layers to a website; visual content will replace plain text; Pre-secure yourself from negative SEO. Read more here.
• INC: Taken from the 2015 Enterprise Buyer’s Guide to SEO, here are the top 8 organic search trends that CMOs and marketing organizations need to plan for in 2015: 1. Increasing value of truly earned links; 2. Increasing importance of mobile; 3. Fragmentation of search across platforms, devices, and channels; 4. Merging of thought leadership and social engagement; 5. Increasing importance of long-tail search traffic; 6. Changing display of search results; 7. Diminishing focus on keywords and rankings; 8. Increasing need for personalization. Read here for more.

Web Design Trends

• WDL: WDL asked members of Webydo, a professional website design platform, to share their top 7 web design trends for 2015: Among these you will find: Typography will be flexible, flat design will conquer every pixel, bigger=better for images, and the dawn of webgraphics. See more here.
• Toky: Well-designed websites catch your attention. Among the web design trends Toky predicts you will find in 2015 are: Responsive sites; scroll; simplify, simplify; sensory experience; and storytelling. Click here for more.
• Elegant Themes: For next year five tends are on Elegant Themes web design trend list: Responsive design; ghost buttons; bigger emphasis on typography; large, beautiful background images and video; and scrolling over clicking. See more here.
• Graphic Design Junction: Suggests three important web design feature trends for 2015: A picture is worth a thousand words; about responsive design; and the background of the web-pages. Visit here for more information.
• Gridgum: The six trends from Gridgum include: Ghost buttons; card design; background video will continue; interactive storytelling; personal UX; and responsive design. Read more here.
• 8 Ways in 8 Days: As time goes by our design preferences change, so updating your website might be a good idea. From 8 ways in 8 Days, 8 modern web design trends for 2015: Sliders; parallax scrolling; slide-out menus; fonts with personality; flat design; video instead of text; hand drawn illustrations; and cards. Click here for more
• Redirect: When it comes to web design usability, user engagement is the ultimate goal. Among the 8 trends from Redirect you will find: Mobile is king; responsiveness is our knight in shining armor; flat design is here to stay, sort of; “UI cards” will continue to be an ace in the deck; why read when you can watch. For more trends visit here.

Recruiting and Employment Trends

• HR Trend Institute: Among the 9 emerging HR trends from HR Trend Institute you will find: No more performance reviews; the sharing economy is also entering organizational life; real-time succession management; robots in the boardroom; and the end of powerpoint. For more trends visit here.
• Monster.com: Monster.com, one of the largest employment websites in the world, has taken the temperature of 2015 recruiting trends. According to Monster the power in the labor market continues to shift towards talent, and pushing forward with mobile recruiting trends will be a key recruiting strategy for 2015. Read more here.
• Linkedin:From a global survey, Linkedin highlights the key recruiting trends that recruiters and strategic resourcing professionals all over the world should know about in 2015: Recruiting leaders will have higher budgets and even higher hiring volumes; social networks are becoming the preferred channels for promoting talent brand; the top sources of quality hires have shifted in the past 4 years; companies aren’t capitalizing on the large passive talent pool. For more, click here.
• Forbes: The workplace is changing dramatically and according to Forbes these trends will affect you one way or another in 2015. Among the trends you’ll find: Companies hiring Generation Z for internships; more millennials are taking leadership roles; mobile hiring and the mobile job search explode; social media posts used to attract and retain talent; and women continue to seize power positions in the workplace. For more information on these trends visit here.
• Ere.net:The take-aways from the Ere Think Tank conference in the fall include the Top 10 best recruitment practices, among which are: Bring sales strategy into recruiting; ask hiring managers to participate in online virtual events to attract and engage passive talent; use social engagement tools to engage more with target candidates; have good market intelligence to change hiring manager behavior; and have marketing assist in rewriting job descriptions to better sell the opportunity. For more of these trends read here.
• Standby Talent: Digital is entering our lives everywhere and recruiting is no exception. The StandBy talent experts suggest that the 10 hottest digital recruiting trends to watch in 2015 include: Online communities are vital; emergence of the Chief Digital Officer (CDO); video recruitment practices; digital recruitment practices; and engagement on social media. For more click here.

Design & Fashion Trends

• IKEA: Each year many design trends find their way into the pages of the IKEA catalog. Among these you will find: Unique ideas rule; using space to the max; what’s normal anyway?; and colors to watch include green, yellow, blue, and natural. Click here and here to learn more about some of the design trends you should expect to see in 2015.
• Lushome.com: Design and décor ideas from around the world have inspired Lushome.com to predict 7 modern interior design trends for 2015, including: Fusion of styles, materials and decoration patterns; natural themes and organic design, reuse and recycle ideas; and versatile design. For more trends click here.
• Condé Nast Traveller: According to Condé Nast Traveller the catwalk has inspired interior design trends in 2015. Five trends suggest that catwalk fashion can easily be integrated into a room: Loose geometric lines; ochre yellows; blurred lines; cobalt and steep blues; and black and white graphic print. For more information read here.
• Global Color Research: What are the new color, design and material trends for 2015? This forecast looks at: Longevity; tactility; the future’s light; and sensorial overload. For more visit here.
• Pinterest: What is set to be in in 2015 in terms of color trends? Visit Pinterest (may require sign up) to see the must have colors for 2015. For more visit here.
• Europa Regina: And if you want to know even more about what will be trendy in the fashion, interior design, color and decorations arena visit here.

Health & Wellness Trends

• American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM): A worldwide survey among 28,426 certified health and fitness professionals shows, as last year and the year before, that more people are turning to experienced fitness pros and fitness programs. The survey predicts the top 20 worldwide fitness trends for 2015, of which the top three are: 1. Body weight training; 2. High-intensity interval training (HIIT); 3. Educated, certified and experienced fitness professionals. For more visit here.
• Huffington Post: FromHuffington Post, six fitness trends for 2015 are: 1. HIITS; 2.Recovery; 3.Telemetry; 4. Online workouts; 5. Short workouts; 6. Kids’ fitness. For more information, click here.

Food & Beverage Trends

• Technomics:Food Industry Facts Insight Consulting has brought out their own crystal ball to identify the 10 food trends that could be transformative in 2015. Among these are: Lights! Camera! Action!; small-minded; foodservice everywhere; and signature beverages. Visit here for more.
• Technomics:Technomics have also pinpointed 10 restaurant trends they anticipate will take off in a big way next year. These include: Go small or go home; traditional sit-down market shrinks; beverage boom; bitter is better; and forget millennials – it’s time for Generation Z. Click here to see the remaining trends.
• Baum+Whiteman International: The creators of high-profile restaurants for clients around the world have come up with the 11 hottest food & beverage trends in restaurants and hotels for 2015, along with 22 buzzwords, including: Pre-paying for your non-cancellable dinner; oysters are everywhere; seaweed beyond sushi; beyond sweetened yogurt; and beyond salsa: hummus without borders. For more click here.
• The Food Channel: As we head into the New Year the Food Channel has looked at what we will see in the world of food next year.Their top 10 food trends include: 1. The dinner party revival; 2. The loss of ethnic; 3. Hand touched over handmade; 4. The casualization of wine; 5. My kitchen. For the remaining trends visit here.
• Sterling-Rice Group (SRG): According to the Sterling-Rice Group (SRG) the top 10 culinary trends that will inspire the packaged food and foodservice industry in 2015 are: Regional grains; advanced Asian; cannabis cuisine; charcoal; hop-free beer; matcha madness; farm to table kosher; coconut sugar; restaurant incubators; and ugly fruit/vegetables. For more information on these trends click here.
• Forbes: From Forbes the flavors that manufactures hope with be a hit in 2015: Heat with kick; sweet ‘n healthy; big, bold and smokey; and more is better. Read here for more.
• Goodfood: The Age Good Food Guide 2015 has spoken. Here is how we will be eating in 2015: Snap, crackle and pop; watch out, meat; mambo Italiano; twice is nice and many more here.  
• ConAgra Foods:ConAgra Foods Reveals Phil Lempert’s Annual Food and Shopping Forecast for the coming year. In it he predicts that the top food trends for 2015 will include: Grazing golden-agers; same-day delivery not just for city clickers; grocery shopping goes 24/7; everything smoked; the rise of fermented food; and Gen Z: Chefs everyday. For more trends read here.

Travel Trends

• Cheapflight.com: What will be the travel trends for the year ahead? Cheapflight.com believes: Health and wellness will move up on the travel agenda; wearable tech and location-based services to go mainstream; and greater segmentation and personalization on flights. For more, click here.
• Skyscanner:Passenger flight, hotel and car hire search engine Skyscanner predicts the world’s top destinations for 2015 to be: 1. Brazil; 2. Nicaragua; 3. Seoul (South Korea); 4. Tapei (Taiwan); and Mykonos, Greece. Click here to see the list.
• Pursuitist: Pursuitist reveals their thought about exciting trends in luxury travel for 2015. The list predicts: Bucket list adventures; fleeting getaways; festive travel; photography tours; luxury yacht charters; and cultural charm. For more read here.
• WineEnthusiast: From WineEnthusiast you’ll find 10 crazy travel trends to watch in 2015: Astro-tourism; cool shuttles rides; waiters on water; agricultural adventure; alternative happy hours; hotel as music venue; next-level wake up call; lifestyle concierges; silent stays; and spa services…for your soul. To see the slideshow click here.
• Lonely Planet:So where do we want to spend our vacations in 2015? Lonely Planet suggests the top 10 cities, the top 10 countries, the top 10 regions and the top 10 best value destinations for 2015. Among the top 5 cities you will find: Washington, DC, El Chaltén, Milan, Zermatt, and Valetta. Among the top 5 countries are: Singapore, Namibia, Lithuania, Nicaragua, and Ireland. Among the top 5 regions are: Gallipoli, Rocky Mountain National Park, Toledo, Tasmania, and Arctic Norway and among the best value destinations are: Tunisia, South Africa, Shanghai, Samoa and Bali. For more, click here.
• Cox & Kings: The annual travel trends to watch in 2015 from Cox & Kings include the top experiences, travel styles and destination picks to look forward to, such as: Accessing the inaccessible; let your spirit be your guide; luxury = time; and the more exotic the better. For more click here.
• World Travel Market report: Posh hostels, home-cooked meals prepared by strangers, wearable technology, cycling, and Africa as surfing capital of the world are some of the trends that the World Travel Market report emphasises for 2015. For more information click here.

Look out for more on many of these trends in our 2015 GT briefings along with examples of how they are being – or could be – translated into action. Register to receive these free updates direct to your inbox at www.globaltrends.com.

In February: Look out for trends in action on The Water Challenge.

Happy New Year from the GT Team!