What’s Trending: Anti-anxiety gadgets like fidget spinners, coloring books, and Pop It pads hit the mainstream a while ago. Then came wearables like weighted blankets, robes, and even these calming mittens for social anxiety. 

Looks like next in line is a range of anxiety-reducing furniture. 

In 2020 there was a boom in anti-anxiety dog beds resulting in some pretty serious online searches each month:  

•         Dog calming bed: 22.2k searches/month
•         Calming bed for dogs: 6.6k searches/month
•         Anti-anxiety dog bed: 2.4k searches/month
•         Calming cat bed: 1.6k searches/month

Now companies like Mood Pod, Yogibo, Lovesac, Cordaroys are creating the same for humans. 

The company, which attracts ~200k monthly website visits, claims that their zero-gravity beanbag chair made with responsive high-density beads mimics the calming sensations of flotation therapy.  

The OTO Chair, created by Alexia Audrain specifically for people with autism, is designed to simulate a hug. 

The Opportunity: The market for therapy furniture is wide open and it is growing. 

In addition to beanbag chairs and support pillows, therapy furniture for the children’s market is on an upward trend. Office pods are being repurposed by some mental health care facilities to create “quiet pods” — a place for clients to relax before their therapy sessions. Pods are also being targeted at corporates looking to provide a calming space for their employees since mental wellbeing is increasingly on the minds of all employers. 

Next Steps: If you need a remedy for more new business in an upswing sector, you may want to analyze therapy furniture as an area to explore further.  Prospect smAARt, pitch with purpose, and most importantly, with passion.