HEALTH | SPORTS NUTRITION AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Healthy New Normal It’s clear that the pandemic has changed every facet of our lives, including what people eat and how they exercise By Carol Radice
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oday’s savvy consumers are the dynamic force behind changes across multiple health-andwellness categories. Add a pandemic into the mix and we begin to see several new trends emerge, particularly within the sports nutrition, weight loss and meal replacement segments. Many of these so-called savvy consumers are members of today’s visual culture, which some have dubbed the “Look at Me” generation. They are the driving influence behind changes we see today. Pandemic or not, these mainly younger consumers have made it their priority to stay in shape and always look their best regardless of — or despite — what’s going on in the world around them. When health clubs closed and in-person group training was not an option, people went old school. They dug out old treadmills from their basements; bought used equipment from Facebook Marketplace or purchased new gear if they could find it; signed up for online classes; and some even ventured outside to walk or bike around their neighborhood. During this period, we also saw the rise in popularity of digital community workouts, where people willingly shelled out big bucks each month for the motivation, support and connectivity interactive platforms, such as Peloton and Mirror, offered. Matt Wohl, president and CEO of CliffCartwright, based in Wellesley, Mass., noted that when competitions and races were shut down last year, sports and sports nutrition took on an entirely new look. “With no need for ‘race day’ training and a greater focus on at-home workouts, consumers shifted their attention to everyday functional solutions and that has carried through to today,” Wohl said. “These consumers are making buying decisions based on this expanded view of the category’s role and their changing
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workout and conditioning routines,” said Wohl, whose company is best known for its Hotshot line of sports shots.
Sports Nutrition Appeal Broadens At one point, only a very specific and narrow group of consumers were core users of sports nutrition products, namely weightlifters and endurance athletes. Today’s sports nutrition consumer is much more diverse and increasingly includes the growing group of active lifestyle consumers looking to sports nutrition products to improve their energy, protein intake and long-term health. Not surprisingly as the user group broadened, what they wanted from sports nutrition products changed. This group of savvy wellness athletes was not going to fall for quick-fix gimmicks or empty product
promises. They sought out products with science-backed ingredients, from companies that offer efficacy, transparency and evidence-based results. “The pandemic has caused a lot of consumers to be concerned with their overall health and wellness,” said Joe Herne, vice president of sales FDM at Boston-based Force Factor. “There are a lot of new shoppers in the space, but we also see purchase frequency increasing from consumers that had not previously been heavy buyers, suggesting that supplementation is simply becoming a more mainstream practice.” Beyond vitamins and minerals, Herne said consumers now have the ability to remedy a variety of concerns with products that target specific goals, and with specialized formulations that work to meet their individual needs.
September 2021 DRUGSTORENEWS.COM
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