🧘 Quieting the senses is a million-dollar business

Happy Trends Tuesday!

After moving to Philadelphia, I’ve been fielding the “Why Philly?” question so much that I started a list. 

One thing I added this week: Philadelphia is the first sensory-inclusive city in the US. Over 16k city employees received special training to help those with sensory disorders. 

Even the Eagles team mascot, Swoop, wears noise-canceling headphones. How cool is that? 

Inspired by this, I dug into the business of building a more sensory-friendly world – not just for neurodivergent folks, but for everyone who feels a little overstimulated these days. 

In today's email…

• How to cash in on the overstimulated market
• Money flows in as South Korea reaps its worldwide cultural influence
• What we’re surfin’, from the Stanley Cup craze to cool gears at CES

Let’s dive in!

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🚀 WHERE TO BUILD NEXT

Overstimulation is up, opportunities are in

I dug out an old pair of Sony noise-canceling headphones over the holidays, and started wearing them every time I write. They’re a game changer for my overstimulated brain. 

Source: Google Trends, six months rolling average

Overstimulation is a common discussion topic in subreddits like r/ADHD and r/neurodiversity, but its grip has extended to neurotypical folks in recent years: 

• 82% of Americans have experienced overstimulation
• Over 90% of Gen Zers and Millennials have felt overstimulated in social settings
• Videos with the #overstimulation tag get 470m+ views on TikTok 

This isn’t surprising. The average person spends ~7 hours per day looking at screens, which fill us with external stimuli. 

Here are two ways you can help the overstimulated population (pretty much all of us), and make money doing it. 

1. Sensory-friendly products 

Overstimulation is linked with sensory overload, so gadgets that modify our sensory experience tend to be a hit. 

Loop Earplugs, a much-raved-about noise-canceling earwear, has sold 2m+ pairs and made $44m+ in revenue in 2022.

Source: Google Trends, six months rolling average

But noise isn’t the only trigger. Consider building products that tackle harsh lights, itchy fabrics, or stuffy air. You can also market existing products with a “reduce overstimulation” angle: 

• Essential oils or candles with ingredients that calm your senses, like ashwagandha, lavender, or chamomile
• Cotton or silk underwear that reduces itchiness and maximizes comfort
• Tinted glasses that help with light sensitivity

Or you could niche down and build sensory art subscription boxes that help children with sensory processing difficulties (that’s one in six of them). Deliver a box to parents’ doors monthly with everything they need for the next art project. 

Sensory art is a slew of crafts designed to engage multiple senses at the same time, and is believed to help children develop keener emotional regulation, creativity, and problem-solving skills. 

2. Design consulting

Retailers (Walmart, Target) and entertainment venues (AMC Theaters) have started to offer sensory-friendly experiences by reducing harsh lights and loud sounds. 

You can take this idea to a whole lotta other spaces, and offer design consulting for anyone who wants to create a more sensory-inclusive environment:

• Coffee shops or restaurants that wish to provide a calming experience
• Bustling co-working spaces that need more sensory-friendly features
• Work-from-home parents who feel overstimulated in their home offices

Consider biophilic design, a holistic approach that connects people with nature through decor and architecture. It has amazing benefits like reducing anxiety, reducing noise, and improving air quality. 

By incorporating elements like indoor plant walls and “living tables,” you can help overstimulated folks wind down. Add sensory-friendly lighting into the mix for even better results. 

🔎 OUR LATEST OBSESSION

The fascinating business of K-everything 🇰🇷

Similarweb just released a list of the fastest growing digital companies in 2024, based on YoY traffic growth. Two names jumped out at me right off the bat:

💧Elorea: Ahigh-end fragrance company with roots in South Korea that aims to challenge the Eurocentric perfume industry. 

👜 Musinsa: An online marketplace that caters to Korean fashion lovers, with curated selections of 1k+ brands and its own private label. It raised $190m last year.

Their rankings are from different categories, beauty and apparel. Source: Similarweb

Their substantial growths show South Korea’s outsized influence on direct-to-consumer fashion and beauty. But the healthy Korean obsession goes beyond looking good or smelling nice. 

From the breakout success of Squid Games, the mainstream-ification of K-pop, to the widespread popularity of Korean food, K-culture has taken the world by storm. 

Here are two more areas where we’ll see Korean influence trend up, and bring about opportunities to build some cool shit. 

1. Tourism

While its neighbor, Japan, remains top of the bucket list for many travelers, South Korea is enjoying its own tourism buzz as well. 

In 2023, the country saw 6.5m+ foreign visitors — the government aims to triple that number and attract $24.5B in tourism revenue this year. 

Hefty goal? Maybe. But it’s on the right track: The number of visitors to Jeju Island, a popular beach destination, 9x’d year over year. 

Other drivers for Korean tourism in 2024:

🎫 For culture fans: Cheer your idols on at K-pop concerts, visit your favorite Korean drama locations, or attend packaged K-culture tours that do it all.

🛍️ For shoppers: A major event, Korea Grand Sale, offers promotions galore from mid-January to the end of February.

💼 For remote workers: South Korea announced its digital nomad visa, inviting those making $65k+/yr to stay there for up to two years (they can even bring a spouse or dependents). 

2. Tech startups 

Korea’s impressive record of lifestyle and cultural export doesn’t outshine its budding startup scene. 

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (the world’s biggest consumer electronics expo), 116 Korean ventures took home the CES Innovation Awards, setting a record. 

Stars are aligned for Korean business builders all over the world: 

• The government is pouring in $10.7B by 2027 to nurture more Korean-founded global unicorns, not just local ventures
• Over 66% of South Korea VCs plan to invest more this year, focusing on areas like robotics, AI chips, and health tech
• Korean tech is attracting more foreign funds, with $18.8B injected in 2023 

There’s no denying that South Korea is becoming a global powerhouse full of opportunities. Entrepreneurs in the e-commerce, hospitality, and startup space should especially keep their fingers on the pulse. 

OPEN TABS

📊 Data: 1.4k+ marketers weigh in on trends and opps for brands in 2024

👾 Geek out: Don’t miss all the cool new gears from this year’s CES floor

💰 From X: 7 business lessons from a YouTuber making $5m+ per year

🥤 Watch this: So you can explain the Stanley Cup craze at your next party

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