Hey,

The trend of taping one’s mouth shut at night in order to gain a better sleep and reduce dry mouth, snoring, and throat soreness is gradually making its way to the mainstream, and manufacturers are beginning to cash in with “sleep strips,” which are essentially just branded strips of tape priced at enormous markups.

While American consumers are increasingly looking for DIY healthcare solutions, many will also likely have safety concerns about using conventional tape on their mouths at night, fearing they may stop breathing. Companies offering peace of mind can charge a premium — so much so that “sleep strips” are priced at 20-100x more than paper tape on Amazon, despite the two products being functionally the same.

The trend echoes several other popular healthcare products that originated as DIY tools, including the Theragun and Hypervolt, whose brand-name products can sell for $400 or more, mitigating consumers’ fears of being harmed by a (much cheaper) homemade device.

Most consumers want to help the environment — but Stojo understands that until convenience outweighs guilt and desire to do good, many consumers won’t change their habits.

The company’s collapsible cups eliminate the friction of carrying around a full-size mug. Not unlike bringing one’s own bags to Whole Foods, drinking from reusable cups is an eco-friendly choice that’s also highly visible, making it a status symbol and giving others a reason to follow suit.

As discussion grows around more radical green lifestyle changes such as giving up air travel and going zero waste, relatively low-lift actions like swapping out paper or plastic cups for collapsible silicone will likely seem like a no-brainer to many consumers. On their website, Stojo emphasizes the convenience of its product, from the straw for “splash-proof sipping” to its dishwasher-friendly material (cleanliness being another friction point dissuading some from switching to reusable bottles and straws).

Plus, here the product is tied to a daily routine — namely, one’s morning coffee — so users are more likely to build a habit out of it over time.

As consumers’ desire to share health progress (like tracked steps) conflicts with feeling like there’s less time to exercise, the under-the-desk elliptical has risen in popularity. A leading brand in the category - Cubii - is, in fact, delivering on this so well that they’ve found a staggering 89% of customers report using the product at least three times per week.

As the boundaries between work and leisure time blur and staying active is increasingly seen as aspirational, products and activities that would once have been seen only at the gym are now more and more acceptable in the office.

Cubii makes it easy to work out while sitting in front of a laptop or watching TV — and at a far more affordable price than buying a full-size elliptical. Its convenience also means people are actually using it: The company has sold 250,000 units to date. Its compact size, meanwhile, means that even city dwellers can store it in their apartments (a barrier for other popular fitness equipment such as Peloton bikes).

The growth of fitness trackers like Fitbit and the Apple Watch also means more people are counting steps, and Cubii allows users to track strides, helping them reach their goals even when they don’t have time to walk around all day.