How to stand out and win shelf space
The question now becomes: What lies ahead? Will the pandemic force a sea change in consumer behaviour, or will it be a spike ahead of a return to the usual ways? Industry experts are generally positive about the opportunity ahead.
“The key considerations are choosing preventive or curative positioning, opting for value-added ingredients to ensure differentiation, keeping in mind the type of product needs to fit your promotion channels and most importantly—launching to last,” Ambrožič says. “The immunity market is full of short-term hits that don’t end up securing a loyal consumer base because of their lack of efficacy. Marketing spends upon launch are massive and you want those to go a long way. The best way to ensure that your products keep selling and stay in the market is that they actually work. An effective product will give you the best marketing ROI.”
This means investing in research on the ingredients and formulation and being open to new ideas. “From the lay consumer to the highest-level expert, we all have been on a steep learning curve about the immune system, and there is still a lot to know,” Wolf observes. “The opportunity it brings is the possibility to reveal new solutions as we learn more about the immune system. With this, we foresee that immune health is a category that can expect a lot of innovation to emerge in the next years.”
What might that innovation look like? Dr Schehlmann sees the opportunity for microbiome health across multiple health outcomes beyond just immune and gut; personalised nutrition solutions for different age groups; and targeting other health issues that impact immunity, such as sleep or stress.
Similar thoughts were on Lin’s mind: “In the post-COVID world, product developers will need to ensure new products that support immune function are designed and marketed to address the consumer desire for solutions that will be part of lifestyle changes supporting holistic health for the long term. As consumers continue to take a more holistic approach to health and wellness, brands should develop products that complement this way of thinking. For example, when formulating immunity-related solutions, it’s important to consider how these might also be linked to other health and lifestyle areas too—such as sleep, digestion and mental health.”
There is also a need to understand trends outside of the supplement space, Büttinghaus adds, such as environmental awareness, social and fair production, supply chain transparency and ethics. Barracato goes further, stating: “Being memorable is the key, which is created through providing consumers with a unique experience and ensuring your brand does far more than just provide the product. Brands need to have a cause and a purpose. Ultimately, people want to feel good when they make a purchase.” The company is putting its money where its standards are, partnering with Fareshare to donate a minimum of 25p from every bottle purchased to support the cost of a redistributed, nutritious meal through the non-profit organisation.
Brands have an opportunity to make a difference by connecting with consumers. “In the era of health and wellness influencers, authenticity has become a key factor in purchasing decisions,” Lin says. “Convenience, taste, digestibility, and affordability are important too, as consumers seek out immune support products that can be easily incorporated into their day-to-day life and included as part of a healthy, balanced diet in a hassle-free manner. In this fast-paced, competitive marketplace, understanding consumer trends is key to success. Brands should consider investing more time in educating consumers about the new and different ingredients and how they may contribute to immune support, as well as partnering with formulation experts to share their science-backed results.”
Ultimately, the nutraceutical industry is in a prime position to support consumers’ desire for long-term, whole body health; developing efficacious products with well-researched ingredients and substantiated, understandable claims will expand the market far beyond just a pandemic peak.