By type, organic pigments accounted for the largest proportion of the market with around 22% in 2015. The segment will post the highest growth rate among other types of pigments and sustain its market share over 2016-2020.By end use, the paints and coatings segment was the largest segment for specialty pigments, accounting for a share of 32% in 2015. The plastics segment will post the highest growth rate among other end-user segments over the forecast period.By region, APAC was the largest market for specialty coatings, accounting for a share of over 40% in 2015. The region will sustain its market position and grow considerably over the forecast period. The growth in infrastructure development and automotive industries are fostering the market growth in the region.The need for product differentiation in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry will drive the consumption of specialty pigments in the packaging segment.Regulations regarding the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from solvents are a noteworthy challenge. However, the eco-friendly alternatives are expected to be introduced over the forecast period.

R&D for new product development requires substantial capital and workforce.Established global agrochemical companies spend as much as 9%-11% of their revenue in the agrochemicals area.In 2015, specialty chemicals accounted for more than 30% of total chemicals sales in the EU. In 2015, Germany was the largest specialty chemical producer in Europe, followed by France, the Netherlands, and Italy.In total, these countries accounted for more than 65% of the specialty chemicals sales in the EU. The supportive industrial policies, such as secure energy supply for large projects by the government has helped Germany maintain a sustainable growth and competitiveness in the region.The Middle East and Africa is also expected to display strong growth, owing to the growing manufacturing sector in this region. The efforts on industrial diversification followed by the local governments and expansions in the regional manufacturing sector will drive the market for specialty chemicals during the forecast period.

The popularity of sparkling water in Asian economies and the availability of product and flavor variants have contributed to market growth. Sparkling water has garnered attention because it is thought to have numerous health benefits and has no artificial sugar content.Soft drinks, carbonated drinks, ready-to-drink (RTD) tea, and coffee are substitutes in the global sparkling water market. Furthermore, fruit juices are other alternatives.Although not of a similar category, they do pose some threat to the global sparkling water market.Sparkling water in 250-ml and tin formats will be key to the growth of the market during the forecast period as they are small, easy to carry, and the most convenient form of consumption.Hypermarkets and supermarkets will continue to be the most preferred destinations globally for the purchase of sparkling water. This is because these retail formats are large in size and can allocate more shelf space to house more products of different brands than other retail formats. Attractive offers and discounts provided by these stores will continue to attract more consumers during the forecast period.

Various government authorities worldwide have released the targets for lightemitting diode (LED) adoption. For example, in 2016, India launched its National Programme for LED-based Home and Street Lighting that aims at installing 35 million street lights by 2019. One of the major avenues for ensuring the future growth of the global solar street lighting market is the regular introduction of innovations in lighting such as smart solar street lights and solar-wind hybrid LED street lights that are capable of operating off-grid; such innovations help in reducing daily running costs.In this report, Technavio covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global solar street lighting market for 2016-2020. The report also presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the major vendors operating in the market.

The growing need for skill development is driving the global soft skills training market. As companies worldwide are expanding their businesses, they are facing global and regional competition. The surge in the competition levels has led educational institutions and companies to adopt training programs for students and employees. As learning models evolve and learners' diversity increase, a growing number of educational institutions are allotting more time and resources toward enhancing the soft skills of students.In the corporate segment, soft skills are an integral part of non-technical training expenditure. However, one of the challenges that the companies face while providing soft skills training is the need for simultaneous teaching to a large learner base. Soft skills training requires face-to-face interaction; therefore, these trainings were restricted to selective employees within the middle and senior management of

an organization. However, the evolution of technology solutions such as virtual learning platforms and learning management systems (LMS) has enabled companies to overcome this challenge and train a larger section of the workforce with the available limited time and resources.

The global snorkeling equipment market will post a moderate growth rate, with a CAGR of 1.57% in terms of revenue, during the forecast period. Over the past few years, the market has been witnessing government support in many countries in an attempt to increase the revenue generated from the tourism industry across the world. This step is anticipated to aid in the expansion of the market over the next five years.In recent years, snorkels have experienced a transformation from traditional snorkels to dry top technology snorkels. This technology helps prevent water from entering in the tube and allows snorkelers to enjoy more time underwater without putting in much effort.Modern technology has helped vendors to make more complex and technical snorkeling equipment. Moreover, it has helped to make improvements in many product features. The raw materials used to make snorkeling equipment can withstand the corrosive ocean atmosphere, which allows snorkelers to better observe the underwater world. For instance, innovations in rubber and plastic have

helped the development of snug-fitting masks and goggles, and enhancements in treated glass have improved snorkelers' safety. More efficient and easy-to-use snorkeling fins are developed to allow snorkelers of all types—beginners and professionals—to navigate the underwater world. These technological improvements in equipment have made it much easier to explore the ocean through snorkeling.

The sales of set-top boxes (STBs) in the global STB market will decrease during the forecast period as the market has almost reached the maturity stage. The decline in sales can also be attributed to market saturation and the increasing popularity of on-demand streaming services such as Hulu and Netflix.With digitization of TV being the priority for governments, an increasing number of countries are mandating the adoption of STBs, which is supporting the market growth.In this report, Technavio covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global STB market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the unit sales of STBs. It presents the vendor landscape of the top six vendors in the market and lists other prominent vendors in the market. It discusses the major drivers that are influencing market growth, current challenges faced by vendors and the market as a whole, and key emerging trends affecting the current and future market scenarios.

The global sensor-based gun systems market will post a CAGR of 4.99% during 2016-2020. The increasing spending on border and maritime security systems in countries like India, Israel, Australia, South Korea, and the US, coupled with the growing demand for securing strategic infrastructures in war-torn areas in Iraq and Afghanistan, is expected to propel the demand for sensor-based turret guns.The establishment of collaborations among different countries on sharing military defense technologies, as well as the growing preference for establishing a joint venture (JV) among foreign companies, will increase the opportunity for both existing and new vendors to exercise technologically advanced manufacturing process and materials. This will enhance the quality and reliability of sensors, in terms of tracking and detection capabilities.During the forecast period, the growth of the market in EMEA and APAC will be predominantly driven by both development and procurement of sensor-based turret guns, while the major countries in the Americas are expected to invest in smart arm technologies (sensor-based handheld guns) to control the growing misuse of guns.In this report, Technavio covers the present scenario (with the base year being 2015) and the growth prospects of the global sensor-based gun systems market for 2016-2020.

The global selfie stick market will grow at a CAGR of 26.05% during the forecast period due to decline in the prices of selfie sticks.In terms of revenue, Bluetooth selfie sticks constituted the largest product segment in 2015, accounting for a 47% market share.In terms of revenue, Asia-Pacific (APAC) dominated the global selfie stick market,with a share of 54% in 2015.The increasing number of selfie-related deaths is the biggest roadblock for the adoption of selfie sticks across the world.In this report, Technavio covers the current scenario and growth prospects of the global selfie stick market for 2016-2020.

The continuous demand placed on emission performance by governments of different countries by means of strict emission standards would require commercial cars to adopt advanced technologies such as EGR, DPF, and SCR to regulate NOx emission levels.The predominance of diesel engines in medium and heavy duty commercial engines is a major driving factor for the SCR market since SCR is primarily installed in diesel engines for controlling NOx emissions.Light commercial vehicles have the highest volume of SCR globally since they outnumber the medium and heavy commercial vehicles by a heavy margin.The increase in the transportation of freight and renewal of aging fleets in the US,China, and India will drive the market for SCR in heavy commercial vehicles.Promotion of alternative fuels and hybrid commercial vehicles by local government bodies in a bid to support green transportation will act as an impediment to the growth of SCR market.This report covers the present scenario and the future prospects of the global selective catalytic reduction (SCR) market for diesel commercial vehicles for 2016-2020.