Looking ahead to 2015, it’s clear that the changes in consumer preferences will influence new trends in food retailing. The types of trends consumers will be seeking in restaurants will change as well as the way consumers buy their groceries. We viewed two research reports from Packaged Facts, leading food and beverage industry experts, Future of Foodservice: Food and Beverage Menu Trends & Opportunities and Online Food Shopping and Grocery Delivery in the U.S.: Future of Food Retailing, to determine what the biggest trends of the new year will be.

By the close of 2014 in the next couple weeks, sales of coffee in retail and foodservice are expected to hit $48 billion. To capture some of those sales, coffee shops and brands are going to have to be innovative, embrace change, and get creative with their business decisions. One company that has truly grasped these concepts is none other than K-cup creator, Keurig.

Even with all the different traditions and customs, one thing remains consistent during the holiday season: consumers shop. For almost all retailers, the end of the year holiday shopping brings in the biggest profits all year long. Presents, decorations, food, and many more items are purchased in abundance to prep for days spent with families and gifts for loved ones.

While CAPEX and OPEX are the key business components of Small Cell deployments to build a HetNet, it is also important for Mobile Network Operators (MNO) to identify new business opportunities from Small Cells to generate additional revenue that would offset the TCO. Generating these new revenue streams from Small Cells and creating a positive ROI is probably the most challenging business problem to solve from a strategic planning point of view.

Unity Marketing's look at the five most important trends for marketers targeting the U.S. affluent customer in 2015

The United States affluent consumer has never been more important to luxury brands worldwide. While the BRIC developing country markets for luxury (i.e. Brazil, Russia, India, China) grab all the headlines, the United States is by every measure the market that counts the most. The U.S. has eleven times more millionaires than China -- 11.53 million in 2013 according to the Federal Reserve Board vs. 1 million in China, as reported by Shanghai-based Hurun Research Institute.  

Recently released, the “Complete 2015-16 Global Cord Blood Banking Industry Report” reveals key benchmarks to track and why you should care. Benchmarks are critical to assess, because the global cord blood market has matured substantially over the past few years, creating both serious threats and novel opportunities. 

Therefore, judging individual company performance relative to the broader cord blood marketplace has become substantially more complex.

Computer technology has advanced from mainframes to desktops, then laptops and palmtops and is now moving onto, and into, the human body by way of wearable computers. This type of gadget provides the ultimate in-network access, which is hands-free, heads-up operation with complete mobility. With voice activation and head-mounted or touchscreen display options, users anywhere can communicate with computers through the internet. Wearable computers bring forth a whole new concept in mobile computing, computer portability and computer miniaturization.  

Is light the next monochrome wall to fall?

From movies to television sets and from computer monitors to cell phones, black-and-white interfaces are so last century. But, traditionally the light bulbs we use are still primarily on or off, a very binary state that looks like it could be about to break. Light is moving from on-off and some shades of grey to all the colors of the rainbow.

This season has seen the introduction of many new marketing trends for Black Friday. The news has covered the rumors of many stores’ plans for products, hours, and deals. Because of the hype and increased competition surround this single shopping day, it’s important for retailers to create great marketing strategies for Black Friday weekend. It is a mark for the kickoff of holiday shopping, and for many companies, it’s the biggest sales day of the year. Researching what consumers are looking for can make or break a company’s Black Friday success.

Market research, while critical to the overall success of an organization, is viewed by many as a big-ticket item when it comes to budget. But, although quality research doesn't always come cheap, its importance, not just for your marketing department, but for your entire organization is paramount. The benefits far outweigh the cost. You have to look at it from the mindset of an "investment" versus simply money spent. Most organizations understand that a complete lack of market research, or even just an inadequate amount, can put your organization at risk, yet some still struggle to jump the hurdle in allocating the resources necessary to their market research efforts. If we look at it from this perspective, perhaps it is most effective to consider the value market research holds across multiple departments within an organization. In doing so, you can more easily understand the value you are getting for your dollar.