With the world opening up, COVID’s impact will be felt for years to come. Here are three key shifts in health & wellness consumer behavior from COVID-19.

3 Health & Wellness Post-COVID Consumer Behavior Shifts

3 Major Post-COVID Shifts in Health & Wellness Consumer Behavior

COVID has left its mark on the market, causing mass disruption across every industry. The world may be opening back up, but the impact of COVID on <a href="https://cms.union.co/industries/health-wellness">Health and Wellness</a> (H&amp;W) consumer behavior will be felt for years to come. Consider these three consumer purchasing trends that have emerged out of the COVID-19 era and what they mean for your H&amp;W brand.

A survey published by <a href="https://www.adm.com/news/news-releases/emerging-consumer-behavior-shifts-six-ways-food-beverage-innovation-is-evolving-in-the-face-of-covid-19-2">Archer Daniels Midland</a> found that 51% of consumers indicated they were concerned about being less active and gaining weight during the pandemic. Now that vaccines are here, not to mention the warm summer months, many consumers are taking steps to remove these newfound pounds and embrace a healthier lifestyle. 
According to a <a href="https://www.numerator.com/resources/blog/health-and-wellness-time-covid">recent survey conducted by Numerator,</a> 74% of surveyed shoppers say they plan to embrace a wellness lifestyle in 2021. Of those, 71% say that they are currently dieting, with about half dieting to manage their well-being and weight. 
Millennials tend to make up the bulk of the dieting population, embracing classic diets like the Mediterranean and Atkins diets while also adopting <a href="https://www.cnet.com/health/nutrition/best-weight-loss-diets-whole30-paleo-keto-and-more/">newer dieting trends</a> like intermittent fasting, Whole30 and keto. 
<h2 dir="ltr">What does this mean for your H&amp;W brand?</h2>
As these new diets continue to grow in popularity, they present an opportunity for brands to engage with dieters on their preferred weight management strategy. If your H&amp;W brand creates products that align with keto or gluten-free preferences, be sure to call it out in your marketing. 
You can also foster consumer engagement by creating content that supports a diet that most resonates with your target audience. Survey your audience to see who is actively working to manage a healthy weight, then create content that that dieting segment will find valuable – recipe cards, workout regimens, etc.

(1) Dieting is in

H&amp;W consumers aren’t just investing in their physical appearance and well-being. COVID has taken its toll on the minds and mental health of even the most stalwart consumer. 
A <a href="https://www.adm.com/news/news-releases/emerging-consumer-behavior-shifts-six-ways-food-beverage-innovation-is-evolving-in-the-face-of-covid-19-2">study by ADM</a> found that 35% of consumers have mental health concerns. To help cope, more people are investing in their self-care. <a href="https://qz.com/1958593/covid-19-accelerated-the-worlds-embrace-of-meditation-apps/">Mental wellness apps</a> like Headspace and Calm grew by $300 million in 2020, finishing the year with around $1.1 billion in revenue.
<h2 dir="ltr">What does this mean for your H&amp;W brand?</h2>
Build customer loyalty by empathizing with your community. Recognize and address the fact that you understand that this past year has been a trying time for many of your customers. Provide them with the support and tools they need to embrace a healthier mindset. 
For brands with products in the mental health and self-care space, this is an opportunity for your brand to adapt its marketing strategy to the emerging trend. Show how your product can be part of the perfect self-care night, partner with mental health organizations and tie your message to the overall lift in consumer awareness that self-care is critical to cultivating a healthy mental state.

(2) Mental health and self-care are on consumers’ minds

<a href="https://union.co/white-papers/how-health-wellness-brands-can-grow-revenue-in-a-post-covid-world"></a>The COVID-19 pandemic saw a massive lift in supplement and vitamin sales as consumers did their best to take their immune systems to improved levels. 
Immunity products as a whole have experienced a <a href="https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/out-of-stocks-how-natural-product-and-supplement-retailers-are-preparing-for-2021">188% increase</a> in year-over-year sales during the pandemic. At the same time, multivitamin sales were also up by as much as <a href="https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/multivitamins-sales-skyrocketed-during-covid-19-what-about-in-2021-2021-ingredient-trends-to-watch-for-food-drinks-and-dietary-supplements">39%</a>. And while double-digit sales growth might not carry through all of 2021, we can anticipate that consumers will continue to consume more immunity-supporting products and vitamin supplements than they did before the pandemic.
<h2 dir="ltr">What does this mean for your H&amp;W brand?</h2>
Immune-health products currently account for <a href="https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/out-of-stocks-how-natural-product-and-supplement-retailers-are-preparing-for-2021">roughly 50% of all supplements sold</a>. Just because more consumers are being vaccinated doesn’t mean they’ll suddenly turn their back on the importance of a healthy immune system. 
If your H&amp;W product offers any proven immunity-boosting properties, be sure to tout those benefits in your marketing efforts. The keyword here is “proven.” Don’t make false claims, or you’ll risk alienating your customer and losing the market’s trust.

(3) Supplement and vitamin sales are up

Your customers may be ready to start venturing back out into the world. Still, the habits and adaptations they’ve made during COVID will continue to influence their purchasing behavior well into 2022. Take the time to understand the new mindset of your H&amp;W consumer, then be sure to improve your bottom-line performance by adapting your product and marketing strategy for the post-COVID market. 
Are you looking for even more insight into the new H&amp;W consumer? We have a new white paper specifically created to help H&amp;W brands to tap into this. Click <a href="https://union.co/white-papers/how-health-wellness-brands-can-grow-revenue-in-a-post-covid-world">here to download your copy of How Health &amp; Wellness Brands Can Grow Revenue in a Post-COVID World.</a>

Embrace the new post-COVID mindset

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