Supplementing Health
Increasing health care costs, coupled with rising consumer health awareness, are buoying the supplement category. While retail shelves are packed with supplements aimed at general health and single-vitamin products, there has been a trend toward more targeted formulations positioned to offer the benefits of particular health concerns. Supplements positioned as products that aid digestion; eye, joint or heart health; and the immune system have gained share, according to research from London-based Euromonitor.
Retailers are responding with sections of the vitamin/supplement aisle targeted to specific conditions. “Most retailers are no longer brand-blocking,” affirms Guy Burgstahler, VP of marketing at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based Garden of Life. “Instead, they are merchandising by product category, then product type or condition.”
Grouping products by category is an optimal way to help consumers shop selections, says Marci van der Meulen, national sales manager for the retail division of Watsonville, Calif.-based Nordic Naturals. “Most of the time, consumers enter the supplement aisles looking for a key condition, such as heart health, brain health/cognition, mood, immunity, digestion, etc.,” she notes. “By merchandising products in a condition-specific way, it enables customers to more quickly and easily find products to meet their needs.”
Easier to Digest
Fiber, probiotic supplements and protein supplements continued to register strong double-digit current-value growth in 2015, according to Euromonitor. Demand for probiotics has been on an upswing: One recent study showed that 19 percent of U.S. respondents with digestive concerns said they used probiotics in one form or another. Significantly, 7 percent of the consumers without digestive problems also reported taking probiotics.
Manufacturers continue to introduce new products, and retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Wegmans Food Markets and Fairway are giving a significant amount of shelf space to digestive-health products, as well as featuring them in refrigerated end caps.
Garden of Life, maker of certified organic and non-GMO Project Verified nutrition products, recently introduced Dr. Formulated Probiotics, Enzymes and Fiber in collaboration with medical doctor, author and human-microbiome expert David Perlmutter. Whole Foods carries Garden of Life probiotics for adults and children.
Euromonitor analysts note that while “claims for probiotics have been closely regulated, the enthusiastic media has helped to spread the word, and consumer awareness and interest in probiotics is booming,” with probiotic supplements linked not only to improved digestive health, but also to heart health, mood improvements and upper-respiratory health.
Joint Action
Joint health remains a key segment of the supplement category. A recent study by joint health supplement manufacturer Osteo Bi-Flex found that nearly seven in 10 Americans older than 34 experience occasional joint stiffness or other concerns. The survey also found that 62 percent of Gen Xers, who are now in their late 30s and 40s, are concerned about their joints.
New York-based Osteo Bi-Flex recently introduced Osteo Bi-Flex Ease, a daily minitab for joint comfort. “What sets Osteo Bi-Flex Ease apart from other Osteo Bi-Flex products is the small capsule size,” explains Brand Manager Albert So. “Ease capsules are 80 percent smaller than Osteo Bi-Flex One Per Day tablets, and they contain a unique ingredient, UC-II collagen, to help support joint health.”
Emerging ingredients, such as eggshell membrane, frankincense and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), should play a bigger part in the category over the next few years.
In a crowded category, Osteo Bi-Flex Ease’s package was designed to draw attention to key benefits and features through a die-cut window that allows the consumer to see the product’s smaller tablet size. “As the market leader, we are looking to break through the clutter and connect with consumers in different, authentic ways,” adds So. “We believe our new Made to Move ad campaign will help demonstrate what Osteo Bi-Flex can do for consumers to add to their day-to-day quality of life.”
Do One’s Heart Good
Since cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death in the United States, heart-health supplements represent a significant portion of category sales. Omega-3 has been a key ingredient in these supplements, although vitamin K2 and others are now showing up in such products. This past summer, Doctor’s Best, a Coromega brand, added two new heart-health supplements, Artery Prime with MenaQ7 and Heart Prime with KD-PUR EPA, to its dietary supplement line.
Omega-3 is increasingly being used by other consumers. “In the last two years, we’ve seen a lot of growth in fish oil use among athletes for treating muscle recovery and children on the autism spectrum,” says Andrew Aussie, EVP of Carlsbad, Calif.-based Coromega. The company recently updated the packaging of its Tiger Fish Oil to include information on its partnership with Generation Rescue, a Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based organization that provides information and treatment assistance to families affected by autism spectrum disorders.
“The sports category has exploded in the last few years,” adds Nordic Naturals’ van der Meulen. “Athletes want to buy quality supplements to address endurance, injury, weight, stamina and recovery.” Nordic Naturals recently launched a line of products formulated with the company’s new ultra-concentrated omega-3 oil.
Healthy Trends
According to Coromega’s Aussie, there’s been a spike in consumers using omega-3 supplements to treat eye health, a growing category. While the segment is dominated by Bausch & Lomb’s Occuvite and Alcon’s ICaps, smaller brands are also making inroads in the segment, where ingredients such as lutein and zeaxanthin are important.
Barlean’s recently introduced an Eye Remedy liquid swirl in Tangerine Smoothie flavor. “There’s growing awareness of the damage that blue light can do to the retina, and an ongoing interest in preventative eye health among aging consumers concerned about macular degeneration is boosting the category,” says Alene Johnson, director of education at the Ferndale, Wash.-based company.
Supplements for cognitive brain health are also a fast-growing segment. Despite limited research to support supplements for cognitive health, products aimed at fighting a gamut of ills, from memory loss to depression, have been gaining ground in the segment.
Aging consumers aren’t the only ones being targeted by vitamin and supplement manufacturers. Euromonitor’s report shows that young Millennials, raised by health-conscious Baby Boomers, are also open to nutritional supplements and alternative health. Accordingly, San Francisco-based Olly Public Benefit Corp. has launched gummy vitamins and dietary supplements marketed specifically to Millennials. Employing attractive packaging designs and simple labeling, the products come in fruity flavors meant to appeal to younger consumers.
Since price is important in the category, couponing and promotions are a big part of most retailers’ strategies, as in the case of Redwood City, Calif.-based Biocodex, which recently rolled out shelf couponing in supermarkets for its Floristor probiotic supplement. For his part, Burgstahler notes that that Garden of Life offers couponing, BOGOs and gift-with-purchase as incentives for consumers.
“Couponing is a factor, especially with new customers,” agrees van der Meulen. “Coupons at shelf work well to bring attention to a brand or to prompt an immediate sale in the store.”
“Merchandising products in a condition-specific way enables customers to more quickly and easily find products to meet their needs.”
—Marci van der Meulen, Nordic Naturals
“We are looking to break through the clutter and connect with consumers in different, authentic ways.”
—Albert So, Osteo Bi-Flex