Empty nesters are seen as having a hard time once their children leave, having to splash out on luxury items and pets to compensate for their absent kids. Yet, in reality, they’re online, optimistic and looking for meaningful experiences. So, how can brands reach this group more effectively?

Young dads in the US are a far cry from the old stereotype of an emotionally-restricted disciplinarian and bread-winner. Instead, they’re striving to be present, supportive and caring figures in their children’s lives. So, what exactly does the Gen Y approach to fatherhood look like?

With Amazon Key, which includes a security camera and smart lock, the retailer is asking shoppers to let couriers open their front door to drop off parcels when they’re not around. While it may streamline delivery and prevent package theft, do people want strangers entering their homes?

The anxiety that comes with leaving one’s property alone has many people installing web-connected cameras for a sense of security. With the Amazon Cloud Cam, the online retail giant is strengthening its position in the smart home market, establishing Alexa as more than just a personal assistant.

From being saddled with student debt, to sky-high housing prices, the dream of owning a home has never seemed more distant to most Gen Yers. Claiming to be “the missing step,” Unmortgage is helping people put down roots with a scheme that partially finances their homes.

How do people make design decisions? Where do they get inspiration for interiors? And how do they decorate their homes to feel like places of escape? In this chapter of the 2018 Expert Outlook series, we speak to three experts about the ways in which we’ll mould our households next year.

The UK’s NCT has long provided new parents with expert info and a route to a new set of pals. But the pricey classes and ideological zealotry mean that many mums are after an alternative. Enter Peanut, which applies a Tinder-like model to friendship, easing anxieties at this stressful life stage.

Adding a new coat of paint is an easy way to update one’s home, with 15% of Britons doing so annually. But as people gain more confidence in interior design, paint brands are going the extra mile to stand out. How is ColourCourage using the power of storytelling to sell its pots of pigment?