In a world where consumers are presented with an ever-expanding number of choices about the products and services they make use of, quality matters like never before. Products that fail to work as promised are quickly discarded and, even if these problems are fixed at a later date, a legacy of bad reviews can prevent even the best products from gaining a foothold on the market. Continue reading Why we simply must reduce software errors →

Flooring for high traffic areas obviously needs to be tough. If it is not resilient enough, it will quickly start to look scruffy and you will end up replacing it more often, which will end up costing you more than installing a quality solution in the first place. Continue reading High traffic flooring options: durable doesn’t mean ugly →

The austerity following the global financial crisis of 2008 wasn’t limited to the heady spheres of politics and macro-economics. It also affected our approach to fashion, art and decor, with simple functionality replacing the bling and conspicuous luxury of the boom years. The slow return to relative prosperity has not occasioned a rush back to the grand and ornate; rather, we have developed an enduring appreciation for the uncluttered, skilfully crafted designs of the war years and their immediate aftermath. Continue reading Wartime interiors: carefully crafted austerity →

Recent figures suggest that the hospitality industry in East Cheshire is enjoying especially buoyant times, with a positive multiplier effect for the local economy. Continue reading Cheshire hospitality sector bolsters local economy →

It is important for dental practitioners to follow clinical guidelines laid down to protect the standards of practice. For orthodontic retention there are methods of practice which ensure that teeth are treated in the right way to align them appropriately and then maintain their new position. There are various issues that can affect retention protocol, such as lower incisor alignment, rotations of interior teeth, over-bites, open-bites, cross-bites and more. Continue reading Understanding Orthodontic Clinical Guidelines →

Enhanced Waters

Manufacturers and brands specialising in forms of enhanced water – such as those with vitamins or reputed health benefits – have been able to capitalise on the decline in the popularity of conventional carbonated sugary drinks. Energy drinks have performed well, especially with younger consumers, and they remain a rapidly growing sector of the soft drink market. Sports and performance drinks continued to grow in 2015 alongside healthier ready-to-drink tea and coffee options.

Classic bottled water increased by 6 per cent in volumes compared to last year and remains a strong performer. As a result of competition, consumer awareness, and economic factors, 2015 saw the slowest volume growth rate for global carbonates in the last 15 years. Markets as varied as North America, Latin America, and East and Western Europe were all affected.

Image Credit

Emerging markets including India, Russia, and China were the hardest hit by the declines, with Russia experiencing a fall in retail volume of 7 per cent in the soft drinks category.

Health-Conscious Consumers

Recent research indicates that consumers are more health- and fitness-conscious than ever before, and this has had a corresponding impact on their choices of beverages. Sports drinks and bottled water were particularly strong performers for 2015, which supports the notion that consumers wish to make healthier choices. The range of choices is set to increase due to a combination of public health campaigns, retailer efforts to meet consumers’ new demands, and the ongoing government effort to investigate excise tax options.

Health-conscious consumers are often influenced by news stories such as the BBC’s recent article. Any changes to policy are expected to affect the entire line of soft drinks production, from the start of manufacturing and ingredient selection,to equipment providers like established draught soft drink supplier Empire UK right through to small and supermarket retailers.

Full Sugar and Fruit Juice

Interestingly, however, full-sugar and calorie carbonates outperformed their reduced-sugar counterparts in the Asian Pacific and North American markets. Added ingredients and artificial sweeteners are still met with suspicion by consumers even if the overall calorie count is low. While fruit juices have been under pressure due to pricing and have seen a corresponding decline by 4 per cent in the North American market and 2 per cent in Western Europe, there is also increasing scrutiny on their high calorie and sugar content.

Carrying out a website audit is imperative when trying to achieve a successful optimisation campaign and will identify the quality of your SEO service provider. Continue reading Local SEO: So Where Are You? →