Market Update: The Latest Insight into Consumer Trends

December 14, 2022

At HTC Health, we’re genuinely interested in what your customers are up to. Delve into our recent findings and find out the latest trends in the industry!

Global Gains

Popular interest in health supplements has seen a steady rise over the past year, indicating that our worldwide fascination with keeping fit is showing no signs of waning. According to Google, the UK is the fourth most supplement-savvy country, with only the US, Canada and Australia searching for supplements online more frequently. With that in mind, we’ve explored some of the most popular health supplement topics of the recent months, providing you with an insight into your customers’ likes and interests.

Bestselling lines

Bestselling lines overall, remain in the multivitamin segment (43% of the whole supplement market) with a broad category of Adult Multivitamins valued at £120.7m and increase of 4.4%, enabling them to take prime position. Second spot belongs to Children’s multivitamins, which sales are valued at £55.6m with 8.8% rise comparing to last year. The cod liver oil, despite a slight decline in sales over the last year (-9.2%), still holds the last position in the top three bestsellers ranking, with sales valued at £37.5m.

selection of health supplements

Nowhere has the growth been more staggering than in the over-50s multivitamins sub-category, which has shot up 42.4% in value to be worth over £15m. This generation is also thought to be a driving force behind the significant rise of other supplements such as vitamin D (24.3%) and Herbal Supplements (19.6%). The sunshine vitamin, which sales have rocketed due to increased government guidelines and ubiquitous media coverage, is a supplement particularly relevant to over-65’s, with their age-related bone abnormalities such as osteomalacia or osteoporisis.

The right audience

The total healthcare and supplements market has risen 4.4% in value to nearly £495m Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 29 January 2018. By 2024 the global dietary supplements market is expected to reach $278 billion, at a CAGR of 9.6% from 2016 to 2024, according to Grand View Research’s report. With total VMS category noting further increases every year, UK supplement market is already quite mature. Nevertheless, there are still few niches and segments, which are especially attractive and offer immense potential.

Senior customers

senior consumers of health supplements

With the over 50’s segment contributing the most to the overall growth of the category, it’s important to understand what drives them to reach for even more health supplements. The baby-boomers generation, are seeing their children becoming fitter and want to participate in that same culture. With more and more consumers seeing benefits of a more consistent approach to maintaining healthy lifestyle in their middle ages, which consequently will enable them to stay active at later stages of life. Taking responsibility for their own health, they are determined to keep healthy and often decide to take more supplements to do so.

Women’s supplements for various life stages

According to the Council for Responsible Nutrition 2017 Survey on Dietary Supplements, 50 percent of women reported taking dietary supplements. Depending on their age women’s needs vary significantly and with such a wide range of changing health concerns across their lifespan, female supplement users often opt in for single-ingredient supplements to create their own personalised ‘wellness formulas’.

female consumer checking label

Staying active well into later years is a priority for many ageing women and maintaining good health into later years leads them to consider natural products and dietary supplements. As consumer education increases, women are taking note of the need to prevent later-life conditions including osteoporosis and skin-ageing and are turning to dietary supplements them throughout their lives, looking for support during pregnancy or menopause.

Data suggests women influence 70-80% of all household spending, with mothers being the most careful buyers, thoroughly evaluating product labels. Today’s female supplement user is proactive in seeking information and is increasingly educated on an ingredient’s health benefits.

Major trends

Analyzing customer’s demand for specific categories, actual sales and topics discussed at major trade events it’s possible to identify major factors influencing the health industry. Here are some of the major trends that we feel will have the biggest impact on the sales of health products in the upcoming months.

Vegan Boom

natural health supplements

Sources suggest that an increasing number of people are now adopting a vegan diet due to consideration for the environment and animal welfare, as well as a desire to improve their own health. Of course, as more and more people turn to a veggie lifestyle, the demand for vegan and vegetarian health supplements will also go up.

Now, more than ever, it is important to stay in tune with the needs of those consumers looking for vegetarian options and vegan alternatives. HTC Health has responded to this lifestyle trend by extending our existing range by adding new vegetarian products to almost all product categories: soft shells, gummies, empty capsules as well as sports nutrition.

Herbal products

There is a growing appetite for all things herbal on the market – and not just among over-50’s.According to Kantar data, sales of herbal supplements shot up to 19.6% in value over the past year to top £28m, as consumers look for ‘natural’ remedies, which reflects the overall tendencies visible in the whole food and drink or even personal care market. The focus on ‘natural’ aspect means the consumers are turning to remedies, which once might have been perceived as ‘old-fashioned’. The raising popularity of simple herbal supplements such as Peppermint Oil, Turmeric or even Valerian confirms the demand for natural, plant-based products from within the VMS category.

Gut Instinct

One of the more exciting recent health trends is the rising interest in ‘gut health’. Consumers are now increasingly focused on keeping their bowels happy, confident that a healthy, lean body will follow – and they’re not wrong!

Recent studies have found evidence of the role the human microbiome plays in the body, and therefore, the necessity for a healthy gut. Along with the rise of ‘clean eating’, many consumers will likely adopt gut health as their guide to a slimmer waist and a bloat-free stomach.

This will no doubt lead to a rise in the use of health supplements which support the digestive system, like Peppermint Oil from herbal remedies or natural plant-based alternatives to traditional gym supplements, such as Vegan Protein powders.