Shannan Sterne is an award-nominated journalist, copywriter, mentor, and consultant published globally. She has experience at world-renowned retail organisations, national consumer glossies, creative content agencies and industry trade magazines. Sterne is a copy consultant for global skincare brand StriVectin, a reporter for Canvas8, and a social media strategist for Invito Design. She has also guest lectured at Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design and Falmouth University. Sterne has previously written for titles including Harrods, Superdrug, Red, 

Diverse representation is an expectation, but as individuals no longer allow themselves to be defined in singular terms, there's mounting pressure on brands to understand and sensitively reflect how the intersections between race, gender, class, and ability impact people's everyday lives.

Collective Equity

When author Kyle Chayka explored 2010s minimalism in Longing for Less, a very different world existed. Today, a polycrisis-ridden and digitally saturated society finds people yearning for more. Whether you chalk it up to post-pandemic release or a general sense of impending doom, people are now looking for a new maximalism of feelings, dimensions, and possibilities to reinvigorate them and make their lives feel full.

While people are craving memorable, visceral, and immersive experiences, there's no longer a singular definition of what this might look like. Some are embracing maximalist hedonism through clubbing, extreme tourism, and different kinds of sensory overload, while others are tapping into more gentle, inward-looking, and contemplative experiences like listening bars and communal spas. It signals the emergence of the' Introvert Economy' of cosy, home-adjacent spaces and activities or seeking soothing and quasi-spiritual encounters through hobbies like birdwatching and forest bathing.

The desire for deeply captivating and emotionally engaging experiences extends beyond the physical world – social media, VR, AR, and even image-based interactions must now resonate to the same degree, creating truly memorable moments and environments.

In this consumer and cultural universe driven by exploration and immersion, the boundary between experiences and material goods continues to blur. We're less likely to see them as a dichotomy, as people are increasingly interested in experiential qualities of things and consuming commodified 'thing-like experiences'. This discovery-oriented mindset is opening up new avenues for fulfilment, gratification, and transformation.

Experience Hunters

Natalie Ticehurst is a beauty brand consultant, creative lead, and freelance editor with over 12 years of experience in creating multi-channel brand-marketing campaigns. She has written for a roster of brands and titles, including Harrods, Unilever, Burberry, The Body Shop, 

, and Selfridges, and has held titles such as head of brand, content, and creative at 111Skin and head of content at Look Fantastic.

United States

Beauty

Fragrance

Health and Fitness

Byrdie

National Association of Realtors

Grand View Research

Zippia

Beauty Independent

Interview with Natalie Ticehurst conducted by the author

Yahoo! News

Vogue Business

McKinsey & Company

New York Post

PR Newswire

Founded by ex-beauty editor Brianna Arps, Moodeaux is a Black-owned fragrance brand aiming to disrupt the industry. It has responded to demands for scents that also work as a skincare product, enhancing the wearer's mood through fragrance while bolstering self-care practices.