1. 무알코올 맥주의 부상과 글로벌 주류 시장의 재편 가속화유일한 성장 동력으로 자리 잡은 무알코올 맥주: 글로벌 주류 맥주 시장이 침체기를 겪는 가운데 무알코올 맥주 부문이 지난 5년간 연평균 6~17%의 성장률을 기록하며 독보적인 성장 동력으로 부상.건강 인식 강화와 가계 예산 긴축의 결합: 소비자의 건강 인식 강화와 가계 예산 긴축에 따라 칼로리 부담이 적고 알코올이 없는 성인용 대체 음료에 대한 수요가 폭발적으로 증가.글로벌 맥주 대국의 침체와 신흥국의 선방: 중국, 미국, 독일 등 전통적 맥주 대국의 생산량이 고령화 및 소비 패턴 변화로 감소하는 반면 젊은 인구...

As the global brewing industry is struggling to grow, alcohol-free beer has become one of the bright spots in a troubled sector. And while buzz-free beer still accounts for just over 6 percent of global beer revenues, it has outgrown the alcoholic beer segment by a wide margin for the better part of the past decade, delivering growth of between 6 and 17 percent annually over the course of the past five years.Having long been neglected by the industry, non-alcoholic beer is now viewed as an opportunity by brewers, which are continuously exten...

As shoppers seek newer, better solutions for hair shedding and thinning, brands are racing to offer products that go beyond the scalp.High stress levels, GLP-1 usage, and frank conversations about hormonal changes have brought hair loss, shedding and “longevity” to the forefront of consumers’ minds.As innovation of medical treatments targeting those concerns has slowed, beauty brands are increasingly launching products designed to strengthen the hair, and treat the scalp.To target the problem holistically, more companies are establishing...

BCG’s inaugural Intelligent Cities Index shows how AI, digital capabilities, and robust governance combine to improve outcomes for residents in 61 of the world’s biggest cities.AI adoption drives better resident outcomes. Cities in the top third of AI adoption deliver higher quality of life, and striving for more AI use cases is a key piece to lifting overall maturity.A virtuous circle forms. More technology usage drives greater resident satisfaction, which drives more use cases, more satisfaction, and more maturity.Technology alone is not...

Sandbar, a startup by former Meta employees Mina Fahmi and Kirak Hong, attracted much attention last year when it showed off its note-taking wearable, the Stream ring. The company has now raised $23 million in a Series A funding round led by Adjacent and Kindred Ventures.The company’s smart ring is focused on note-taking, similar to products by Plaud or Omi, and not health-tracking like Oura’s products. The ring has a microphone that’s off by default, but can be activated using a flat, touch-sensitive panel at the top. You can hold this t...

AI, according to Kevin Warsh, could be one of the most significant changes in the US economy in his lifetime. He argues that AI will increase productivity, strengthen competitiveness and eventually raise real wages.But after roughly $725 billion in AI infrastructure investment, there is still little evidence of a transformative economic return.US structural productivity has recently reached the high-2 per cent range, which Warsh views as encouraging. However, Barclays economists argue that the improvement is more likely related to post-pande...

EPFL researchers have discovered that a soft material originally optimized for 3D printing may solve a longstanding challenge in materials science: make 3D printable elastomers both tough and durable.In 2024, researchers from the Soft Materials Laboratory (SMaL) in EPFL’s School of Engineering introduced double network granular elastomers (DNGEs): rubber-like materials made of microscopic elastomer particles connected by a softer elastomer network. DNGEs were designed as 3D printing ‘inks’ for structures with finely tuned mechanical prope...

Marketers have spent the past year trying to understand how to get their brands mentioned in AI search results. Now, they’re putting dollars and organizing teams around their AI visibility efforts.Key Takeaways82% of consumers say AI-generated content makes it harder to tell what is genuine online, and over half (51%) have already replaced traditional research with AI tools at least once.Nearly two-thirds (65%) of consumers agree that brands overuse the word "authentic" without backing it up, and 76% say marketing today feels more performat...

Ketchup people are serious people. Not in an uptight way, but in the way that they know exactly what they want: a precise drizzle over scrambled eggs, a controlled zigzag down a hot dog, or the kind of generous pour that basically constitutes a second course. Ketchup rituals are personal, and Heinz, after 157 years of watching people argue silently over the bottle, has finally decided to do something about it.The Heinz Love Lid is a customizable ketchup lid, and yes, that is exactly as delightful as it sounds. It replaces the standard cap on...