Consumers have been much more mindful about their health and wellness. Considering health and wellness, many consumers now value personalisation more than they did just a few years ago. The demand for natural and clean products is steadily growing. Digital and social channels are becoming more influential. And consumers are also increasingly looking for wellness-related services, not just products. They also have more choice in the types of products and services they buy and the way they buy them.
At the same time, the wellness market is getting increasingly crowded, creating the need to be strategic about where and how companies compete.
This article will describe changing consumer attitudes and behaviour toward wellness and how brands can meet consumer needs and preferences in this strong and growing market.
How consumers view wellness
Source : McKinsey & Company
Changing consumer trends and what it means to brands
There is a change in consumer behaviour around wellness and it’s a shift that appears to go far beyond the more immediate effects of the pandemic, with potentially a long-term and far-reaching impact on the products and brands we buy.
There are changes that have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic – the subtle yet profound shifts in consumer thinking – and there have been attempts to encapsulate the better future that consumers, globally, aspire to, and toward which brands can build their own strategic visions. An awareness of wellbeing is at the forefront of consumers’ minds, but a playbook doesn’t exist. Brands have a responsibility and opportunity to set new rules. Although, many brands started helping consumers find wellness resources.
Trends
Prioritization
The COVID-19 pandemic provided ample time for consumers to focus on aspects of life within their control, as well as prioritize activities and interactions deemed essential. While many consumers mentioned privacy is still a concern, so they are increasingly willing for a personalized solution to their health and wellness along with privacy standards. Some consumers can truly be a testing ground for new products, new consumer-engagement models, and even new business models. Brands need to introduce personalized or semi personalized offerings to your product road map.
Using clean & natural products
Tackling several health goals at once can be daunting and overwhelming, but brands can lend a hand by helping consumers find comfort in routines. In the years ahead, consumers will expect products to seamlessly integrate into their homes, offering safety, comfort and security. Consumers are looking for natural & clean products in various segments, such as skincare, cosmetics, multivitamins, subscription food services, and sleep enhancers. They mentioned natural was one of the major drivers of purchase when it came to health and wellness-related products. In beauty, there aren’t only more natural cosmetics, natural skin care, but also a greater focus on where things come from: What are the ingredients? Are they produced ethically? Clean as well as natural? And this will only continue.
Fitness goals & Wellness services
It might have been easy to hide a lack of fitness during 2020, with video calls replacing meetings and many in person events getting cancelled. But, home fitness was reinvented during the pandemic and consumers were willing to experiment with a variety of options. From online training sessions to watches and health trackers, almost every consumer is using home fitness equipment.
Services have been a growing part of the wellness market: experiences are increasingly available as offerings. Consumers are shifting toward services that address physical- and mental-health needs. Health services/platforms can help consumers feel in control of their wellness aspirations by providing individualized health insights.
Brand Strategies
There is a sustained interest in wellness over 2020 and into 2021, growing 21% year on year (according to Think with Google). The uptick in health and fitness search interest means that retailers and brands need to be smart about how they approach related categories. Many consumers may have already made their first steps into new habits and are now in the market for additional, or more advanced, products to support their new behaviours.
- Brands have the opportunity to position rituals and home routines as core components of self-care.
- They can benefit in the wellness market from the chance to connect with consumers throughout the full lifecycle of their products, encouraging repeat purchases and building long-term brand value.
- Brands need to reexamine their growth road map to consider whether they have more opportunities to introduce natural/wellness oriented products or to acquire natural/clean product lines. This strategy could look different by segment: in apparel, products designed with organic/natural materials and sustainability in mind; in consumer health, natural/clean beauty products; in retail, merchandising with an eye to products that resonate as authentically natural.
- With the majority of veganism searches still being generic, there’s an opportunity for brands to align themselves with growing areas of interest in the category.
- Develop personalized marketing capabilities to target the precise consumer segments that may be most interested in your products.
- Fitness companies could consider offerings such as connected devices and virtual communities—products and services beyond gyms and exercise equipment.
Brands to watch:
1. Jour is a daily journaling app designed to check-in on consumers’ emotional wellbeing. Consumers are asked to track how they are feeling each day, as well as log reasons for upticks in stress or anxiety. The app provides writing prompts to simplify the journaling process, as well as tailored questions to guide self-improvement efforts.
2. Smartwatches like iwatch and Fitbit, Fitbit Sense– collect and analyze skin temperature, blood oxygen, heart rate, electrodermal activity and REMs cycles to optimize consumer health. The connected app allows consumers to track their daily health levels to better manage stress, sleep, heart health and exercise. The given bewgle word cloud represents some influential topics mentioned by the customers and Fitbit is keeping up well with the Fitness & Wellness trend.
Sample Snippets :
‘My health was starting to deteriorate due to age, Covid restrictions, and a poor lifestyle. I bought the Fitbit Sense to help me keep track of biometrics and I now use those baselines to get myself up and moving. My Blood Sugars are now acceptable, I’m moving more than before, and thinking twice about food choices. Well worth the investment!’
‘The first impression is that The Fitbit Sense sports a gorgeous screen. It’s a bright, high contrast 1.6 inch AMOLED screen that has very vibrant, deep colours that rival even the Apple Watch. I really love the long-lasting battery on this Fitbit. In my testing, I went through an entire week before needing another charge. I also like that the watch is water-resistant up to 50 metres, so getting it wet in the rain, when washing hands, or even when swimming, should not be a concern.’
3. Ever wondered how you could stay healthy and fit without resorting to artificial means? Kapiva believes that adopting a healthy lifestyle does not have to be a difficult process. They are blessed with a rich Indian legacy that covers all aspects of wellness. And they’ve combined these valuable traditions with the latest that technology has to offer. The result is a range of pure and authentic products that help consumers improve their lifestyle naturally. For ex – KAPIVA ALOE + AMLA JUICE is made from freshly extracted pulp to help you obtain maximized health and wellness benefits. The below word cloud represents some influential topics mentioned by the customers.
Sample Snippets :
‘It has become a routine to have this drink first thing in the morning. And the consistency is so good, like there is actual pulp in it. I have stopped eating vitamin C supplements a few weeks after I started drinking this, because I feel it fulfils my vit C requirements pretty well. Also it tastes exactly like how eating an amla feels. And tbh I love amla for its sourness, so I’m liking the taste of this.’
‘Really recommend it. Love the value for money. Tastes alright. Pulpy because of amla but I like it. And I see a change in my skin and overall health.’
4. The brands like Wakefit are delivering comfort & wellness to the consumers. Wakefit assures that the products brought by customers are -made from genuine & pure foams that last a long time, are of appropriate density that adapt to your body contour for greater comfort and cost efficient by up to 50% in comparison with any other ‘renowned’ brand. According to Bewgle, Wakefit’s Memory Foam mattress made from high quality memory foam with the latest technological innovations provide excellent back support while engulfing you in its cocoon and letting you enjoy restful, deep sleep. It has been delivering the deep comfort that consumers are looking for in a wellness product.
Sample Snippets:
‘I purchased it in December 2020, very comfortable for sleep, no pains. Their service is very good, periodically follow up from wakefit. Nice experience’
‘Amazing!!! The quality provided at this price is amazing. The type of material and every-time looks very good, so I have now ordered another wakefit mattress based on this being received with such a quality. Great work!!! Kudos! :)’
5. Self-care brands like MCaffeine offer a range of personal care products. The brand’s social channels encourage consumers to celebrate self-care and ways to care for skin health and more. Bewgle analysed MCaffeine product – MCaffeine Body Polishing Kit to understand how the brand is helping consumers. According to the analysis, the product & the brand is doing well ever since the launch, they have received numerous no.of positive reviews since launch.
Sample Snippets:
‘My second purchase since Lockdown and must say works very well on all skin types. It not only removes dead skin but exfoliates too. I can see changes in my skin ,specifically when my body is clean and waxed. Body butter makes skin plus point we don’t need to apply moisturizer at night it works 24hrs.’
‘Just awesome. Total skin refresher. The moisturizer is just out of the world non-greasy leaves your skin soft with a touch of freshness and evaporates immediately.’
In topics such as exercise, self-care, and veganism, etc, search data indicates consumers are moving away from the learning phase to one of action. Marketers should consider how they can add value in the wellness market by adapting their content strategy to meet changing consumer needs and even rethinking the role their products might play in people’s lives. Brands must find opportunities to help consumers feel supported and engaged.
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