Weight management concerns are top of the mind for a substantial portion of today's grocery-aisle cart-pushers -- consumers, that is. Weight control, weight loss, and obesity are topics that rank among the most urgent health-related drivers: as reported in Packaged Facts’ report, "Weight Management Trends in the U.S.", two out of five adults, representing 88 million consumers, are currently watching their diet to either lose or avoid gaining weight.

If you are involved in the healthcare IT market, you might be familiar with the term eHealth, meaning digital medical records and systems. Are you and your company ready for mHealth?  In brief, mHealth refers to mobile health, the practice of medical health aided by mobile devices.  It is part of the expanding universe of the healthcare IT market and eHealth systems and applications, and is gaining traction in developing nations and in Western countries including the United States.  By one estimate, the market for mobile healthcare applications will be worth $26 billion by 2017.

ABC News reported on this phenomenon, dubbing it "Puppy Love Healing" in reference to a group of specially trained-golden retrievers provided to people in the communities of Boston, Massachusetts following the April 15 bombings during the Boston Marathon, to offer "cuddle comfort" for those in need (see the video here). The popularity of the "Puppy Love Healing" campaign is so great that some of the dogs associated with it even have their own Twitter accounts.

It looks like gelato will be one of summer 2013’s hottest frozen dessert trends. Why? It possesses so many of the attributes that today’s consumers are seeking from foods and beverages. With years of trend tracking, along with reviews of lots of consumer research, I do believe the time is finally right for gelato in the United States.

 These days, the family pet isn't just the family pet. Rather our pets are as essential to our family unit as any member of the human variety. A recent series of posts on this topic elicited a high volume of positive responses from our readers here and across social media platforms. For example, this note from Lynda Fernandez, a pet owner in the United Kingdom: 

"...Yes, of course my dogs are family. The vet appears to see them in the same light because he calls [them] in by their...family names; so my dogs are Mits Fernandez and Monty Fernandez."

A few years ago, upon entering a hospital emergency room, you would likely be asked about your symptoms by a triage nurse holding a clipboard.  Today, it's just as common for the nurse to wield an iPad and add notes from your conversation that can later be accessed by several members of the hospital staff. This upgrade in healthcare technology saves the emergency room physician from undertaking a second detailed work-up on your condition. 

According to market research, the downturn in the American economy that began in 2008 has led consumers to alter spending and saving habits nationwide. Nowhere is this more evident than in the credit sector. Recent data from the Federal government and analysis by the business intelligence and consumer insights firm Packaged Facts indicate that Americans across the income spectrum are more cognizant of the pitfalls of carrying too much credit and of having poor credit ratings.

Take a look at how each group uses technology and it is evident that Baby Boomers and Millennials operate differently. From using iPads for notetaking during meetings rather than legal pads (Millennials), to preferring BlackBerry smartphones over iPhones (Boomers), it is clear that a generation gap exists. When you get into personal interactions....well.  I don't have enough fingers (or toes for that matter) to count how many times my parents have prefaced a personal anecdote with "Back in my day...."

Where the  workplace and consumer markets are concerned, generational translations define how we interact.  I've held numerous training workshops for my parents to show them how to competently operate their smartphones. Conversely, they taught me the intrinsic value of face-to-face communication over social communication via mobile apps.  For Millennials (those born in the period 1981-2000), this symbiosis is essential to the evolution of the global society and workforce.

In recent years, growing numbers of Americans have expressed a desire to practice healthy eating habits,  according to news and market research reports. Yet somewhat paradoxically, more households are also turning over at least some of the food purchase decisions to a population demographic not known historically for exercising great judgement: Children and teenagers.

One of the more peculiar casualties of the Internet age has been the changing role of veterinarians when it comes to the sale of certain pet medication.  For instance, during much of the 20th Century, veterinarians did very well selling “ethical” (exclusive to the veterinary channel, though not prescription) brands of flea/tick spot-ons such as Frontline and Advantage.

However, during the past decade, a large chunk of those sales have shifted online with the rise of websites like PetMed Express (1800PetMeds). Despite the commitments of manufacturers, sales of key ethical brands have also migrated inexorably into brick-and-mortar or wholesale pet business channels. In some cases, this has left a bad taste in the mouths of veterinarians, who feel betrayed when brands they helped put on the map “defect”  to pet specialty and mass market retailers.