The global probiotics market is expected to rise at a CAGR of 7.30% between 2017 and 2025, according to a recent report by Inkwood Research. The market is forecast to grow to $71948 million by 2025.

Probiotics are thought to increase the amount of beneficial bacteria in the body and improve immunity and digestive health. Probiotics appear in a wide variety of products — including food and beverages, supplements, and animal feed.

Stay on top of new research and market insights with our blog round-up. This week, we highlight a variety of interesting topics:

• Pharmaceutical packaging innovation
• Hot-button issues in the HVAC industry 
• The evolving U.S. chocolate market
• New teaching methods and educational resources
• Pet ownership trends

It’s no secret that chocolate holds widespread appeal. Chocolate is a popular impulse buy, and you can find tempting displays of chocolate nearly everywhere — from the candy aisle in supermarkets to the checkout lane of department stores.

Chocolate is often a favorite flavor of American consumers, and ongoing research continues to demonstrate the health benefits of chocolate, further boosting its appeal.

Keep up with the latest market insights, and discover new research on the following:

• Acquisitions in water treatment chemicals
• Window manufacturing design trends
• Metal stamping and auto production
• Truck and van sales
• Marketing strategies to promote dairy products
• Apparel industry trends
• Global spa industry forecasts
• Analysis of the IVD market in Brazil

Powerful forces are turning the retail apparel industry upside down.

“The retail apparel business has always been tough,” said Jack W. Plunkett, CEO of Plunkett Research Ltd, in a video on the topic. “But it’s become much worse, frankly, in recent years.”

Get up to speed on the latest market insights with MarketResearch.com's weekly digest. 

With Whole Foods, Amazon Goes for the Grocery Gold

With Amazon suddenly in possession of the nation's foremost natural and organic foods retailer, Walmart must now play catch-up in the promising grocery retailing industry segment.

Kalorama Information, a leading healthcare market research firm, just released a new e-book titled 15 Biotech Companies to Watch. This free resource covers a variety of innovative biotechnology companies and provides detailed information on novel products, emerging technologies, and M&A activity.

I caught up with Bruce Carlson, the Publisher of Kalorama Information, to hear more about the e-book and the biotechnology industry as a whole. Read the Q&A below for his unique insights into this rapidly evolving sector.

Have you visited MarketResearch.com’s YouTube page lately? We’ve released a steady stream of new videos that highlight current market forecasts and consumer research.

Here are a few featured videos. They are quick to watch — under one minute in length.

Discover the latest trends shaping the home and garden sector, with expert insights from Euromonitor International, a global market research firm that has produced hundreds of authoritative reports on the topic.

Erika Sirimanne, Head of Home and Garden Research at Euromonitor International, identified three notable home trends in a recent video featured below. 

The beverage industry is evolving rapidly, with a variety of hot growth sectors shaking up the status quo. There are more small and independent craft brewers and distillers operating in the U.S. than ever before, offering creative and unique flavor combinations to locavore-minded tourists and customers.

In addition, the markets for bottled water, coffee, tea, and energy and sports drinks continue to rise, as consumers seek out healthier beverages to consume on the go.