Here’s this week’s list of rapidly trending topics, insights and analysis.
Tofu Cat Litter
Tofu cat litter is kitty litter made from food-grade soy pulp.
The product doesn’t contain harmful toxins or synthetic compounds. However, the primary reason behind its surging demand is convenience.
Tofu cat litter easily disintegrates in water, which means that pet owners can simply flush it down the toilet when needed.
One popular pack of tofu cat litter generates approximately $16K/month on Amazon.
What’s Next
Tofu cat litter is part of the Alternative Cat Litter meta trend.
Environmentally and health-conscious cat owners are looking to replace their traditional clay cat litter with better options for three main reasons:
First, the manufacture of traditional clay cat litter requires large amounts of mining. Which has a significant environmental impact.
Second, clay is non-biodegradable, meaning that it ends up in landfills.
Third, most clay cat litter contains toxins like silica dust. Studies have shown that breathing in silica dust can lead to respiratory issues for cats and humans.
Wood cat litter and grass cat litter are trending alternatives to traditional cat litter.
Magnetic Power Bank
Magnetic power banks are external batteries designed to magnetically attach to smartphones.
(Specifically, these power banks are designed for iPhones because of their MagSafe capability.)
In fact, another name for this product is: “MagSafe power bank”.
Interest in these power banks initially gained traction when Apple launched their MagSafe battery pack nearly two years ago.
Since then, several startups have rushed to launch similar power banks (either designed with more features or at lower prices).
One highly-rated magnetic power bank generates approximately $55K/month on Amazon.
What’s Next
Magnetic power banks are part of the Feature-Plus Power Banks meta trend.
Power banks are getting redesigned with a number of new features to improve their usability.
For example, Solar power banks have external batteries with embedded small solar panels that are used to charge the power banks. And durable power banks are in-demand because they’re built with a hard casing that resists damage when dropped.
YouTube Automation
YouTube automation is the practice of outsourcing the creation of YouTube video content.
Basically, a YouTuber hires a scriptwriter, voice-over artist and video editor to create a video about a specific topic.
The practice has become popular among members of Gen Z looking for “drop servicing” side hustles.
In fact, videos mentioning “youtube automation” have over 527 million views on TikTok.
What’s Next
YouTube automation is part of the TikTok Side Hustles meta trend.
TikTok is becoming home to a large side hustle community.
Videos about side hustles have over 9 billion views on TikTok.
And the #passiveincome hashtag has over 3.6 billion views on the platform.
Many of these side hustles focus on TikTok’s marketing potential.
66% of users are likely to buy something while on the platform. Whereas 50% have bought something after watching a live video.
TikTok video editing, TikTok courses and TikTok dropshipping are some popular TikTok side hustles.
Silicone Scar Tape
Silicone scar tapes are chemical-free tapes for treating scar tissue.
They keep the skin tight and covered, which helps speed up recovery.
Notably, unlike traditional medical tape, silicone scar tape doesn’t pull or peel off skin when removed, making it pain-free.
Silicone scar tapes have also become popular on social media. Videos mentioning the product have over 3.9 billion views on TikTok.
What’s Next
Silicone scar tapes are part of the MedicalTok meta trend.
TikTok has become home to a massive online community dedicated to at-home medical care tips and advice.
In fact, according to Forbes, 20% of Americans consult TikTok before they talk to their doctor for health advice. And the hashtag #medicaltiktok has over 5.7 billion views on TikTok to date.
Early bird companies: Quazel (language learning platform), Infracost (cloud cost estimator), Understance (DTC underwear startup), Cohesive AI (AI-powered writing assistant).
Tomorrow’s products today: Semantic layer, biotin spray, pumpkin seed protein, inkless printer.
Early Bird Companies
Quazel
Quazel is a language learning platform.
At a high level, the app is similar to the extremely popular Duolingo.
But unlike Duolingo, Quazel uses AI to simulate conversations.
This way, instead of simply learning phrases and words, people can practice a language via an AI-based conversation.
Their app has over 5,000 downloads on the Google Play store.
The startup has raised $500K in funding to date.
What’s next:
Quazel is part of the Niche AI Tools meta trend.
Many new startups are launching generative AI for specific use cases.
Here are a few examples of trending AI generators for niche purposes:
AI content detectors refer to systems that can detect if a piece of text has been generated by large language models (LLMs).
AI code generators can develop complex code based on a description of the problem.
AI game generators create game assets, characters and backgrounds.
AI interior design tools can generate interior design ideas based on uploaded pictures of their rooms or offices.
AI tutors help people learn and study various subjects.
Infracost
Infracost is an open-source cloud cost estimator.
Businesses typically don’t receive an upfront estimate of how much they’ll be charged for using cloud computing resources. Or how changes to a cloud infrastructure will impact costs.
Infracost shows how much planned infrastructure changes will impact cloud costs before they’re implemented.
Which is why the company brands their platform as “the cloud’s checkout screen.”
The project has over 9,200 stars on GitHub.
The startup has raised $3.2M in funding.
What’s next:
Infracost is part of the Cloud Cost Optimization meta trend.
Approximately 85% of organizations say that implementing cloud systems turned out to be more expensive than initially thought.
A large chunk of this cost comes from inefficiencies and mismanagement of cloud infrastructure.
For example, a third of all cloud spending goes to waste.
This is why a growing number of companies are actively looking for ways to mitigate these costs.
In fact, cloud cost optimization and monitoring was the #1 cloud priority for 2023 for 82% of organizations.
Understance
Understance is a DTC underwear startup.
They offer several SKUs, but are best known for their bras.
Understance’s bras are made with flexible wire, which makes it easier to bend them to the wearer’s shape.
Understance has also invested in a massive influencer marketing campaign, which is helping the startup gain rapid traction.
Videos reviewing Understance products have over 90 billion views on TikTok.
What’s next:
Understance is part of the Comfort-Focused Bras meta trend.
Around 68% of women find their bras uncomfortable.
And only 20% of women wear the right bra size, illustrating how difficult it is to find the right bra fit.
This has created a demand for comfortable, stylish bras.
And several startups have emerged trying to capitalize on this opportunity.
Harper Wilde, Pour Moi, Knix and Freya are examples of brands operating in this space.
Cohesive AI
Cohesive is an AI-powered writing assistant.
The platform is essentially a combination of ChatGPT and Google Docs.
Users can generate a blog post with AI and edit it on the platform (add more content, change fonts, create headings, etc.)
Additionally, Cohesive allows team editing and collaboration.
According to the startup, the platform currently has around 1,000 subscribers.
What’s next:
Cohesive AI is part of the ChatGPT Alternative meta trend.
Search volume for “ChatGPT alternative” has grown 7,200% over the past 24 months.
Here are some trending ChatGPT alternatives:
HuggingChat is an open-source AI chatbot.
Jasper Chat is a ChatGPT-like chatbot designed specifically for businesses. The chatbot helps businesses write marketing copy, blog posts and social media posts.
Chatsonic is powered by GPT-4. Chatsonic has 16 personas that users can send prompts to.
Tomorrow’s Products Today
Semantic Layer
Semantic layers are business intelligence systems components that help organize and make sense of big data.
Specifically, the system makes it easier for non-technical users to access and analyze data.
For example, a retail company might have a large amount of data stored in various databases and systems (information about customers, products, sales transactions, and inventory.)
Users would typically need to understand the underlying database structures, query languages, and data relationships in order to retrieve the desired information.
With a semantic layer, business users can easily navigate the organized data, select relevant dimensions and measures, apply filters, and generate reports or perform analyses without deep technical knowledge.
What’s next:
Semantic layers are part of the Self-Service BI meta trend.
Self-service business intelligence (BI) refers to the ability of business users to access and analyze data to make informed decisions without relying on IT or data specialists.
(Search volume for “self-service BI” has grown by 53% over the past 12 months.)
The volume of enterprise data has more than doubled since 2020.
The number of jobs requiring data science skills will grow by 36% by 2031.
Which is why businesses have started looking for ways to utilize their data without heavily relying on data scientists.
And self-service BI is emerging as a possible solution to this problem.
Biotin Spray
Biotin spray is a cosmetic product containing biotin, a water-soluble vitamin important for maintaining healthy skin, hair, and nails.
Biotin sprays are typically applied to the top of the scalp daily.
When used regularly, the product may promote hair growth and improve the overall strength and health of the hair.
Biotin sprays have generated plenty of interest on social media.
Videos about this product have over 375 million views on TikTok.
This popular biotin spray generates approximately $28K/month on Amazon.
What’s next:
Biotin sprays are part of the HairTok meta trend.
The #hairtok hashtag has over 68 billion views on the platform.
And having a presence in this community has become a go-to marketing strategy for many DTC hair care companies.
Here are a few examples of trending HairTok products:
Heatless curlers are rods that can curl straight hair without needing to use heat. Specifically, the hair is wrapped around the rod and fixed in place using clips and scrunchies, resulting in wavy hair once the rod is removed.
Rosemary oil is a liquid oil extracted from the rosemary plant. Thanks largely to TikTok (videos mentioning the product have over 200 million views on the platform), rosemary oil is becoming an increasingly popular method of preventing hair loss.
Hair peptide serums are typically applied directly to the scalp and hair and can be used on a daily basis to help improve the look and feel of the hair.
Pumpkin Seed Protein
Pumpkin seed protein is a plant-based protein that contains all 9 essential amino acids (similar to hemp protein).
Interest in this product category is growing primarily because of the DTC supplement brand, Sprout Living.
Sprout Living is a TikTok-famous supplement brand (videos about Sprout Living have over 500 million views on the platform).
Sprout Living’s pack of pumpkin seed protein powder generates approximately $25K/month on Amazon.
What’s next:
Pumpkin seed protein is part of the Legume-based Protein meta trend.
Legume protein is growing in popularity among vegans, vegetarians, and consumers looking to replace whey with plant-based protein sources.
In addition to protein, legumes are also rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
Sesame protein, peanut protein and chickpea protein are examples of trending legume-based protein powders.
Inkless Printer
Inkless printers, also known as thermal printers, are a type of printer that uses heat to create an image on specially coated thermal paper.
They are commonly used for receipt printing, barcode labels, shipping labels, and other situations where simple monochromatic printing is sufficient.
However, recent interest in this product category can be attributed to students.
Specifically, small, portable inkless printers are emerging as popular gadgets for students that want to print their digital notes.
(Searches for “mini inkless printer” have grown by 749% over the past five years.)
Whereas videos about mini inkless printers have over 4.9 billion views on TikTok.
This popular inkless printer generates approximately $40K/month on Amazon.
What’s next:
Inkless printers are part of the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt meta trend.
55% of TikTok users say they have bought something they saw on the platform.
The hashtag #tiktokmademebuyit has over 57 billion views on TikTok.
Here are a few TikTok-trending products:
Smart feeders, also known as automatic pet feeders, are devices that automatically disperse pet food.
Bissell SteamShot is a handheld steam cleaner.
MagSafe power banks are external batteries designed to magnetically attach to smartphones.