Valentine's Day, The Big Game and More: 4 Consumer News Trends to Kick Off 2023

A look at consumer and retail news from PR Newswire in January & February that you might have missed.

 

Consumer News Trends, January-February 2023

 

By Carli Claar, Caitlyn Wojnarowski | Published March 3, 2023

 

2023 is in full swing and the Cision team is back with a play-by-play of emerging industry trends in the retail and consumer arena! Every month, we analyze thousands of wire releases and identify key topics that influence the way retail brands reach their audiences. Part of our expertise is helping the brands we regularly work with generate interaction beyond the press release, so they can deliver for their customers on a new level.

Throughout January and February, we noticed many releases geared toward how consumers enjoy two upcoming and annual events—The Big Game and Valentine’s Day. 

These are two big days in the retail and consumer sphere, and our wire certainly shows it. That Big Game ad you loved? Well, we saw it here first. 

Additionally, we’re seeing a renewed focus on retail tech. How brands facilitate easier e-commerce transactions for their customers is a point of focus, as well as some more behind-the-scenes implementations of new tech, like AI, helping to solve problems. Speaking of tech, we’ve also noticed an uptick in copy about smart homes and home improvement.

Let’s take a closer look at the noteworthy trends we’ve seen across the consumer wire in January and February.

 

Some of the Most Popular Consumer and Retail Releases:

Over the last two months, these consumer and retail releases stood out from the crowd regarding overall views, engagement, and uniqueness:

 

 

Consumer and Retail News Trends

Throughout January and February, we distributed nearly 5,000 consumer and retail press releases, and we took notice of a couple popular topics and events:

 

Valentine’s Day

The second Christmas is over, we all know what time it is. Take a trip around any brick-and-mortar shop decorated in pink hearts or peruse a retail website in the first week of January and you’ll certainly feel…something. Love? Perhaps!

Valentine’s Day has evolved into one of the most popular holidays for consumer brands, but we especially loved those who took a unique approach, flipping the script on V-Day and delivering a more creative message this year.

Here are some good examples from January and February:

 

The Big Game

The Super Bowl is a lot of Americans’ favorite event of the year, with more than 110 million fans watching this year's game. That’s the second-most-watched game EVER!

The Super Bowl is a time for friends, fans, and family to get together, cheer on their team, watch hilarious commercials, and eat delicious food. It’s also a big day for brands to get creative with their ads, targeting specific consumers.

Here are some examples from January and February:

 

Smart Homes and Home Improvement

Spring is just around the corner, and many consumers are literally “gearing up” for home improvement projects this time of year, with some looking to digitize that approach. From kitchen gadgets to bathtubs to HVAC and lighting, more consumers want to simplify their lives with technology while also beautifying their home environments. And who can blame them? With the changing landscapes of work and home life after the pandemic, we spend more time at home than ever.

Over the last two months, we’ve seen plenty of copy offering new, creative, and high-tech solutions for the home of the 21st century:

 

Retail Tech

Retailers can benefit from higher sales by continuing to improve customer satisfaction and to get there, they follow the latest technology trends. 

Retail tech also helps consumers shop more sustainably. As we move further into 2023, retailers are using different social media platforms for advertising and social selling, making their offerings more accessible and appealing to new generations of consumers.

 

Conclusion

New year, new slate! Consumers are looking forward to a clean start this year, centering on how they can save and better spend their money. Retailers and homeowners alike are working to stay on top of technology as new trends evolve and for the most effective brands, keeping up customer satisfaction is always key.

We continue to see some overlapping trends across the industries, with a sustained emphasis on greener products and services, and rightfully so. January and February brought us two of America’s favorite consumer-focused events with the Big Game and Valentine’s Day, and we loved seeing the fun, creative ways our favorite brands celebrate them. 

 

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About the Authors

Carli Claar headshotCarli is a Senior Content Specialist at Cision PR Newswire. Since 2015, she has worked with a wide array of PR, IR, and communications professionals, helping organizations and brands of all kinds deliver their messages more effectively. When she's off the clock, she can be found (or not found) hiking in the woods, singing and learning to play guitar, or listening to true crime and history podcasts on the couch with her partner Matt and their three fur babies, Troy, Marceline and Butters.

 

 

Caitlyn Wojnarowski headshotCaitlyn Wojnarowski is a Content Specialist at Cision PR Newswire and has a degree in Public Relations and Marketing from the University of Akron. Since working at Cision, she has joined the CLEmpower and Industry Ambassadors groups, as she enjoys being involved inside the workplace. Recently, she has taken on a new adventure and moved to Long Island, NY, with her boyfriend Jeff. Outside of work, Caitlyn can be found exploring the nearest hiking trail, trying her hand at new recipes in the kitchen, starting the day at the yoga studio, or listening to Crime Junkies podcasts.