Doing the right thing and being healthy will be big drivers of consumer behaviour in 2011, and if they can be done together, all the better. Look out for zero-alcohol beers going mainstream, soft drinks with

ingredients such as lithium and turmeric, technology based on renewable energy and personal care products withexotic natural ingredients. For a sign of what’s to come, look to Japan, where there’s even an aloe vera Kit Kat.

ELLIPTIGO
the new treadmill

Not a bike and not quite a running machine, this US invention allows fitness enthusiasts to pound pavements without pounding their joints. A kind of mobile version of gym-bound elliptical training machines, the ElliptiGO is the brainchild of a former triathlete who wanted to stay fit but whose hips and knees weren’t up to road running any more. Priced at just over $2,000 (₣1,440), it’s not going to put bike shops out of business, but it’s one for the energetic greenie witheverything. In 2010, distribution has gone national in the US and moved into Canada. The European launch is due in Britain in December, and talks with Australian retailers are expected to lead to sales there from February.

QQ
the new Skype

This is the instant messaging service born in China to cash-rich online gaming giant Tencent. The company bid for AOL’s instant messaging service ICQ but narrowly lost out to Russian social networking company Digital Sky Technologies (though it didn’t lose out entirely – it has a 10% stake in Digital Sky). Tencent did get hold of Google-backed Chinese social networking site Comsenz for a reported $60m. In China, QQ’s basic messaging service is free, but there’s a tiered payment system linked with games, ringtones, music and other online services. More than 100 million Chinese subscribers can’t be wrong.

PLENISH SOYBEANS
the new daily bread

Health-conscious consumers and governments are spurning products that contain trans fats, known to be a risk to coronary health. A division of DuPont, Pioneer Hi-Bred, has developed Plenish soybeans, which produce oils that are trans-fat-free and don’t have to undergo hydrogenation to remain stable at room temperature. The market’s a big one, as soybeans go into everything from biscuits to salad dressing. After crops have been tested, commercialisation is expected from 2012. Regulatory approval has been granted in Canada and Mexico and is being considered in the EU, China and Japan.

AMOREPACIFIC
the new skincare sensation

Billing itself as the company that recreates Asian beauty, AmorePacific’s skincare and cosmetics offerings account for about a third of all sales in the sector in Korea, where it’s been operating for more than 60 years. Using ingredients such as green tea, bamboo and ginseng, it fuses oriental culture with Western technology. The business had a Japanese launch in 2006, runs a spa in New York and sells through upscale retailers such as Nieman Marcus. Its European business has been limited to France, where it sells Lolita Lempicka perfume, though the CEO plans to boost the proportion of revenue from overseas from 10% to 30% by 2015.

TOWN@HOUSESTREET
the new hotel concept

This takes everything you might not like about hotels out of a hotel stay. There’s no reception, no room service, no porter, no business centre or spa. No actual hotel, in fact, but an opportunity for retailers with underused space above their shops to give paying guests an alternative overnight experience. The concept has launched in Milan, where designer mini-apartments, called permanent hospitality spaces, have private access from the street and are fully automated using a passcode. The project is being led by an Italian architect who plans to take it to other major cities.

LITHIUM ETF
the new gold bars

Here’s an investment you might not have thought of – an exchange tracker fund following producers and manufacturers of lithium batteries. Global X Lithium is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is the brainchild of Bolivia’s richest man, Marcelo Claure – the name behind mobile handset distributor Brightstar – who launched it with a $1bn investment. Why lithium? It could well be the mineral of the future, given its application in electric cars. Other rare earth metal ETFs, for selenium and gallium, are thought to be on the way.

RED MANGO
the new sweet treat

Its food is fruity, fat-free, probiotic, organic, Fairtrade, socially responsible and tastes good. What’s not to like about Red Mango, the frozen yogurt café chain that plans to conquer the world with desserts that are good for people and the planet? A phenomenon in Korea, launching 200 stores in four years plus a sideline of non-frozen products, Red Mango has also launched in the US and has capitalised on the popularity of Korean film and music to expand across southeast Asia. The dynamic marketing and lightning-fast R&D team that has fuelled success in the fiercely fickle consumer market at home will serve it well when it launches in Europe.

BRAINJUICER
the new market research

In an industry that’s facing slow growth as it adjusts to new technology and clients’ demands for insights rather than just data, BrainJuicer stands out, and not just because its profits doubled last year. This 10-year-old British firm leads the way in harnessing consumers’ emotional as well as rational responses to research stimuli. Brands like Philips, Chivas Brothers and Nike are on the client list, and the company aims to be one of the 10 biggest market- research providers in the next decade. After expanding gradually into the US, Germany and the Netherlands, BrainJuicer has recently launched in Brazil and China.

THANN
the new soap

Until recently this personal care brand was little known outside its home market in Thailand but is expanding apace, having grown rapidly across Asia, and supplying amenities to hotels worldwide. The brand has a range of hair, face and body products, among them rice grain soap and ‘aromatic wood’ hair conditioner. Thann uses plenty of vitamin E-rich rice bran oil, without artificial colours or fragrances and packed using recycled materials. As well as products for home use, the brand is behind a growing number of spa outlets.