Hey,

 

Here’s this week’s list of rapidly trending topics, insights and analysis.

 

Posture correctors are wearable devices that help prevent slouching, rounded shoulders, and “nerd neck”.

 

Over 70% of people in developed countries experience lower back pain at some point in their lives. Often, this pain is attributable to bad posture.

 

Products in this category range from belts and harnesses to connected wearables, buzzing cushions, and dedicated posture-correcting exercise equipment. Like many niche products, most of the most popular posture corrector brands are 100% DTC.

What's next:
Posture correctors are part of the “self-care technology products” meta trend.

 

Examples of products driving this trend include red light therapy devices, blue light glasses, smart scales, and near infrared saunas.

 

ShipBob is an eCommerce fulfillment service that handles product warehousing, packing, and shipping.

 

(With a focus on DTC brands.)

 

The company reports that its revenue more than doubled in 2020. And that they now have 3,600+ eCommerce clients.

 

Which explains why ShipBob raised a $68M Series D in September (bringing their total funding to $130.5M).

What's next:
ShipBob is part of the Supply Chain as a Service (SCaaS) meta trend.

 

Amazon FBA kicked off the trend. US eCommerce sales are estimated to have risen by 44.5% in Q2 last year. And during that time, the number of Shopify stores increased by 62%. Which has led to exploding demand for fulfillment and SCaaS services.

 

Besides ShipBob, other growing players in this space include Shippo, Shipstation, and ShipHero.

 

Ghost Lifestyle is a sports supplements brand that specializes in protein powder.

 

Ghost sets itself apart from other supplement brands largely due to its unique branding and positioning. Most supplement brands focus on tangible benefits, like increased muscle mass. Instead, Ghost positions itself as a lifestyle brand for skateboarders and gamers.

 

A line of gear and apparel further the idea of being a proud user of the supplements, while a prominent “fam” tab on the site showcases a gallery of influencers who have endorsed Ghost.

What's next:
Ghost is part of the DTC supplement meta trend. The dietary supplements market was estimated to be worth $123.3 billion in 2019. One study forecasts that this will rise as high as $230.7 billion by 2027.

 

A good chunk of this growth is due to the hundreds of new DTC supplement products and brands hitting the market.

 

Other examples of growing DTC supplement brands include Truvani, Goli, and Ancestral Supplements.

 

In this week’s Exploding Topics Pro report we shared a skyrocketing SaaS startup that has doubled MRR 3 years in a row.

 

In this week’s report we also shared a:

 

1. Fintech startup that’s getting 5-10K new users per day.

 

2. Fast-growing fitness brand with 2 historically successful Kickstarter campaigns in a row.

 

3. Workplace SaaS platform that just raised a $3M seed round.

 

4. New consumer product category with +581% search demand.

 

5. Community software platform that grew by 200% over the last year.

 

Lots more.

 

We hope you enjoyed this week's Exploding Topics Tuesday. See you next week.

 

Talk Soon,
Brian, Josh and Kyle

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