After a couple of challenging years, the Out of Home market flourished again in 2022. Last month, the Horecava, the largest Out of Home fair in the Netherlands, showcased the latest trends in the OOH market. Convenience, health, and sustainability were the main focuses of the solutions presented. These trends will have a significant impact on the development of OOH in 2023. Here are the top 3 biggest trends for the upcoming year as seen at the Horecava event, complemented with our own data.

1. Vegetarian and vegan

The vegan and vegetarian movement was once again evident at the fair. There was a noticeable presence of plant-based products, indicating that this trend is still going strong. Vegan sweets, snacks, and vegetable-based dairy options were very popular, with meat substitutes like jackfruit and seaweed becoming increasingly common. However, the most attention was drawn to the impressive Redefine Meat stand, with their 3D-printed meat made from soy proteins.

We asked 1400+ European Roamler app-users if they would order a 3D-printed steak in a restaurant; 42% answered in the affirmative.

2. Fast casual

The fast casual sector is responding to the consumer demand for healthy and tasty food with limited time. These concepts are positioned between fast food chains and regular restaurants, such as Wagamama, SLA, and Pokeperfect. Our database shows that the fast casual restaurant subsegment in The Netherlands is growing: currently, there are 3,688 locations, an increase of 544 restaurants from the previous year. Of these, 62 are part of a chain, and 482 are independent. Besides, we found out that around half of Europeans visit fast casual concepts up to five times annually, while 18% visit between five and ten times. 30% of consumers visit these concepts even more than ten times a year.

At the Horecava, several innovation awards were presented in various fast casual categories. The infrared deep fryer won in the equipment and services category. This deep fryer is healthier, faster, and requires less gas, making it a great asset for fast casual concepts.

3. Low and no alcohol

Our survey revealed that a slight majority of consumers prefer no- and low-alcohol options when visiting a catering establishment (53%). Heineken and Amstel are the biggest players in the alcohol-free and low-alcohol beer market, but smaller breweries such as Two Chefs Brewing and the Rotterdam City Brewery also showcased their new alcohol-free and low-alcohol options at the Horecava. In the Netherlands, our database reveals that 45% of beer-serving outlets offer an alcohol-free option, and this figure is on the rise. In bars, cafes, and clubs, the percentage is already at 79%.

No- and low-alcohol spirits were also prominent at the fair. Gin, in particular, had many alcohol-free and low-alcohol options. According to our survey, soda remains the most popular alcohol alternative (42%), followed by mocktails (26%) and alcohol-free or low-alcohol beer (23%). Alcohol-free wine and liquor, however, are not very popular alternatives (8% and 2%, respectively).

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1411 app users in the Netherlands, France, Spain and the UK filled in the questionnaire.