Early trend indicators heading into 2026 point to shifts in consumer behaviour across fashion, food, sports and wellness, with Google search data showing rising interest in quality apparel, niche food ingredients and specialised coaching services.
Search interest in natural fibres increased by more than 55% over the past year with cotton emerging as the most searched natural material.
The most popular material-related apparel search was “100% cotton clothing”, and queries on synthetic textiles also experienced a significant increase.
According to data, “is polyester bad” hit a record high while “is polyester high quality” emerged as the most often searched term in questions concerning clothing quality.
Overall, searches for “quality” clothing reached an all-time high, narrowing the gap with “cheap” apparel searches.
Meanwhile, food-related trends showed a notable rise in interest around black sesame.
In 2025, the volume of searches for “black sesame” reached its highest level to date, rising by almost 30%.
Hair loss was the most often searched topic along with “black sesame for hair” ranking as the top related query.
Additionally, searches for “black sesame latte”, “black sesame recipes” and “black sesame benefits” reached an all-time high. Chinese black sesame soup, paste, rolls, cakes and black sesame aioli were among the most popular black sesame foods.
In sports, data suggests a decline in pickleball’s momentum for the first time since 2020. Search interest in pickleball dropped nearly 10% over the past year while padel reached an all-time high in 2025.
Searches for pickleball and tennis courts declined whereas searches for padel courts increased by approximately 30%. Interest in pickleball-related terms also fell, including “pickleball rules”, “pickleball set” and “pickleball lessons”.
Search trends further indicated growth in demand for specialised coaching services. Queries such as “ADHD coach” reached an all-time high, while “autism coach” recorded its highest level in more than 15 years.
Several niche coaching categories emerged as breakout searches, including “backflip coach”, “energy coach” and “screen time coach.” Searches for “birth coach”, “grief coach”, “learning coach” and “reading coach” also reached record or multi-year highs.