| BRITISH GARDENS SET TO BE TRANSFORMED INTO OPEN-AIR CINEMAS – COMPLETE WITH OUTDOOR FAIRY-LIGHTS AND FIREPIT AQUAPONIC STARTER KITS AND BEES WAX WRAPS WILL BE A FAMILIAR SIGHT IN KITCHENS This summer is expected to be another scorcher, with Britons everywhere set to bask in the glorious sunshine and make the most of the good weather. And as the temperature starts to soar – experts predict our summer pastimes will undergo something of a radical revolution. The #SmileItsSummer Trend Report commissioned by Amazon and developed by The Future Laboratory predicts the experiences that will make Britons smile this summer and the products that will be on everyone’s wish list; outdoor cinema screens, aquaponic starter kits, mud masks for your pets and all things coral pink. No-one is set to smile more this summer than our four-legged friends as owners go to new lengths to spoil their pets. The role of a pet has changed from furry companion to ‘starter child’ as two-fifths (44%) of millennials see their pets as practice for having a baby, and it shows in our purchases. HOT ON THE PAWS OF PAMPERED PETS Our pets can expect a summer of pet-icures (dog nail polish up (188% year-on-year), turmeric vitamins for dogs, veggie dog food, doggy GPS trackers, paw-secco anddog friendly rosé (The Future Laboratory product to watch) and memory foam pet beds (up 107% year on year) and can even indulge in human guilty pleasures by watching Doggy and Cat reality TV on Prime Video. FRESH IS BEST Summer 2019 will see the kitchen become the heart of the home once more. ‘Raw foods’, ‘plant-based cuisine’ and ‘hyper-local veganism’ come into their own – seeing us choosing more radical routes to grow our own food. Produce will be increasingly harvested in the home; aquaponic kits in the living room, grow your own kits for everything from mushrooms (up 206% year-on-year) to kombucha are on the rise as are sales of bees wax wraps (up 554% year-on-year) to ensure your food stays fresh. AL FRESCO SUMMER FUN Entertainment experiences will be taken outside this summer as British gardens are transformed into open-air cinemas, complete with foldable outdoor screens and projectors, Bluetooth speakers (up 497% year-on -year), fairy lights (up 527% year-on-year) and outdoor fire pits. |