11 trends set to shape business in 2023, including sci-fi, self-care, and side hustles

In Pinterest's 2023 trend report, the social platform predicted fashion would embrace styles seen in movies from the '90s and early aughts, such as slip dresses, tube tops, cargo pants, and claw clips. Popular fabrics will include lace, tulle, and ruffles.

There is also expected be a surge in sci-fi-inspired accessories like "Matrix"-style glasses and futuristic streetwear. Burnt orange looks like it will be the color of the year for weddings, featured in flower arrangements, bridesmaid dresses, and guest attire.

In beauty, everything from hair to nails will be chopped short, the report predicted. Bobs and bangs are in; long layers are out. Meanwhile, two-tone hair color is surging, and more people are searching for scalp-care techniques.

Trending fashion and beauty searches on Pinterest include:

• Shimmery dress.
• Lace-top long sleeve.
• Burnt-orange wedding theme.
• Terracotta bridesmaid dresses.
• 2000s girl.
• Summer outfits vintage '90s.
• Avant-garde outfit.
• Gamer-girl look.
• Micro French nails.
• Chopped-bob haircut.
• Pink and lavender hair.
• Brown to pink balayage.
• Treatment for dry scalp.
• Natural hair mask for growth.

Read more: 4 Gen Z fashion trends revived on TikTok in response to the pandemic

Read more: This 27-year-old turned her fashion blog into a clothing line that sold $2.7 million worth of products last year. Here's how she built her business.

Pinterest also expects home trends to tap into more eclectic looks, with antique and vintage furniture popular. Additionally, new pieces are expected to be inspired by the old. For example, mushrooms are becoming an increasingly popular motif in art and textiles, harkening back to the '70s.

Trending home-decor searches on Pinterest include:

• Eclectic interior design vintage.
• Mixing modern and antique furniture.
• Maximalist decor vintage.
• Fantasy mushroom art.
• Vintage mushroom decor.
• Funky house decor.

Read more: Vintage-home-decor sellers have quietly taken over Instagram during the pandemic: 'It's like doing a huge yard sale with all of your friends all the time online'

Pinterest predicted trains would make a big comeback in 2023 as more people searched for sustainable alternatives to car and airplane travel. When it comes to in-town attractions, more people will opt for experiential dates like going to bookstores, aquariums, picnics, and museums, the company predicted.

Trending travel searches on Pinterest include:

• Train-trip aesthetic.
• Indian-railway-station photography.
• Bookstore date.
• Date-picnic ideas.
• Creative date-night ideas.
• Aquarium date.

Read more: It took me 96 hours to ride an Amtrak train from coast to coast. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Each year, LinkedIn asks the top voices and creators on the platform to share the big ideas they predict for the year ahead. In its 2023 big-ideas report, LinkedIn predicted technologies like artificial intelligence and Web3 would prosper.

• Everything from data collection to hospital machinery will continue to employ AI.

The prediction is already coming to fruition as AI portraits are going viral on social media and Web3 continues to show up in industries like fashion and finance.

Read more: That company's 'about us' page may be full of fake pictures of 'people' who don't actually exist

LinkedIn also predicted sustainability would remain a hot topic in business, life, and consumer habits.

• Shoppers are turning to vintage, secondhand, and resale outlets for clothing.
• Eco-friendly materials like mushrooms and other plants will continue to be used across industries and garner interest from investors.

Insider spoke with the founders of two hair-extension companies that used plant-based materials in their products:

Read more: How the cofounder of Rebundle, a plant-based-hair-extension business, structures her day for success

Read more: Hair-extension brand Nourie closed a $2.5 million seed round, a difficult feat for Black female founders

Despite a digital focus throughout the past two years, LinkedIn predicted digital and brick-and-mortar retail would meet in the middle in 2023.

• "Retailers opened more than 4,200 stores in the US in the first five months of the year, putting 2022 on track to be the first year with more store openings than closings since 2016," LinkedIn's report said. There may not be a boom in new retail construction, but "rather a rise in developers renovating and reimagining existing, outdated properties."

Insider spoke with entrepreneurs who said in-person retail helped save and grow their brands over the past two years:

Read more: Entrepreneurs say investing in brick-and-mortar locations is a crucial part of business. Here's how much 3 founders spend each month and why they believe it's worth it.

Read more: We increased sales for our streetwear brand by 350% in 3 months after opening a store in a mall. Here's why we opted for a brick-and-mortar location.

Read more: How small-business owners can use New York Fashion Week to grow their brand, from pop-up shops to guerrilla marketing

Side hustles have been a valuable lifeline for many since the pandemic started, when workers were looking for ancillary income, were laid off from or quit their unfulfilling jobs, or finally had the time and flexibility to work on something they were passionate about, people told Insider.

LinkedIn predicted the side-hustle trend would continue to grow in 2023:

• "Some 25% of Gen Z have a side gig, according to a recent McKinsey survey, compared with 16% of all other ages," the report said, adding that young people were looking for additional money, identities, and hobbies outside a 9-to-5 job.

Read more: The ultimate guide to building a successful side hustle: How to turn a dream into a moneymaking reality

TikTok published its 2023 trend report this month.

The report said businesses should continue using content creators to build their brands. They should also keep an eye out for creators who are purchasing and sharing their products without brand deals because those can lead to more genuine, therefore more lucrative, partnerships, the report said.

Here are the top trending hashtags:

• #Musthaves had 5.7 billion views and 284% year-over-year growth in 2022.
• #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt had 31.8 billion views and 382% year-over-year growth in 2022.

What's more, user-generated content and creator sponsorships can help boost awareness and sales for small businesses.

Read more: I average $5,000 in revenue a month creating user generated content for small businesses. Here's how I got my start and scaled my business.

Self-care, in its many forms, such as mental-health improvement, fitness, public health, and work-life balance, will continue to dominate social media, TikTok's report predicted. This may show up in the form of humor, positive marketing, and video strategies, according to TikTok's report. Additionally, products and services in the space are expected to continue selling, suggesting that entrepreneurs would be wise to tap the space in 2023.

Top trending hashtags:

• #Hotgirlwalks had 552 million views and 521% year-over-year growth in 2022.
• #Innerchild had 1.5 billion views and 248% year-over-year growth in 2022.
• #UnwindWithMe had 102 million views and 2,644% year-over-year growth in 2022.
• #Treatyourself had 2 billion views and 409% year-over-year growth in 2022.

Insider spoke with founders who are making the most of the mental-health movement:

Read more: A virtual life coach who made $60,000 in less than a year shares how she built her business

Read more: A virtual therapist follows this daily routine to run her six-figure therapy practice and coaching business

Read more: How a virtual fitness trainer increased monthly sales by 90% after switching to Vimeo

Over the past three years, nearly every e-commerce business faced supply-chain issues, from shipping delays to manufacturing shutdowns. While some stressors have let up, regular shortages and setbacks have become expected.

According to Shopify's commerce-trends, companies realize the best way to fight these issues is to invest in their own pipelines by holding more inventory, diversifying their sources, discouraging returns, and implementing technology. Meanwhile, customers have higher standards than ever for fast and cheap shipping.

• In a Shopify survey of 900 small businesses across 14 countries, 66% said they expected supply-chain issues to get even worse in 2023.

Faster and more-adaptable logistics strategies could make supply chains stronger in the long run, the Shopify report found. What's more, brands will increasingly tap into livestream shopping and augmented reality to cater to online shoppers, and more companies will charge return fees to lower return rates.

Read more: Poshmark is the latest company to tap into the $25 billion livestream-shopping market. Here's how entrepreneurs are making thousands of dollars per stream.

Online shopping surged in 2020 and 2021, but that demand slightly cooled in 2022 because of inflation. Shopify's 2023 trend report predicted the online-shopping boom would steady. As the market has become more saturated, it's imperative for brands to build their presence on social media to stand out, while converting and retaining customers.

• In a Shopify survey of 900 small businesses across 14 countries, 75% said they expected interacting with customers in the metaverse to become commonplace.

According to Shopify's report, Gen Z now uses social media more than search engines to research brands. Plus, brands will increase their investments and presence in Web3 virtual worlds, the report said.

Read more: It's all about you: The founder who's the face of their brand is more likely to succeed in 2023

Read more: A 19-year-old college student who made $38,700 selling clothes on Poshmark explains how she finds inventory for $10 or less