One such product was the Aaah Toilet Paper Foam. The HIPsters who are mothers of young children really liked the product because it would replace disposable diaper wipes.

Another product was the Liv Fit & Fresh filtration water bottle. There were a number of water bottles introduced at this year’s show but the Liv Fit & Fresh filtration water bottle stood out because not only is it reusable but it also has a built-in water filter.

The HIPsters also liked the Aladdin Recycled and Recyclable tumbler because it is made from 100% food-grade safe recycled plastic and is 100% recyclable.

When asked what they are doing to go “green”, many HIPsters say that they are trying to reduce the amount of chemical-based cleaning and laundry products that they use. As a result, they are constantly on the lookout for products that are both eco-friendly and effective. They were intrigued by the new vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, and wands that use UV light technology to clean and sterilize but are a bit skeptical about whether these products really kill all the bad stuff the manufacturers claim they kill.

They were also intrigued by Ecoballs, a product being shown by UK-based Ecozone, Ltd. that has not yet hit the U.S. market. According to the Ecozone brochure, Ecoballs “replace regular laundry detergents”. The HIPsters liked the idea of not needing to buy laundry detergent anymore (not just for the benefit to the environment but because they would save money, too) but were somewhat skeptical about whether technology really works.

A new HomeTrend Brief on Consumers and the Environmental Movement will go on sale in April. This report will shed light on HIPster attitudes towards the environmental movement; the environmental practices that HomeTrend Influentials are doing now and those that they are planning to start doing; and on the environmental products that HIPsters are using now and those that they will be using in the future. Because HIPsters are the bellwether for the mainstream population, a look at the attitudes, habits and practices of HIPsters serves as a predictor of what the environmental habits and practices of the mainstream population will be in a year or two. Call me at (602)840-4948 or e-mail me for more information about this report and the pre-publication discount.

A Company that Involves Real Consumers in the Product Design and Development Process

While walking the North Hall at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago, I ran across an intriguing company called Zibra. The company was featuring a cool new product called the Open It, a multi-tool that opens clamshells, toy packaging, boxes, CDs, DVDs, battery compartments and more. The product caught my eye because it is one of those “ah hah” types of products – a product that solves a universally frustrating problem that no existing product has been able to solve. Who hasn’t struggled trying to get a clamshell package open without getting cut by the sharp edge of the package?