Key takeaways

• Help consumers adopt a long-term approach to health maintenance: Whilst concern about health and wellbeing has been impacted in the short-term by COVID-19, consumers are now questioning the longterm risks to health posed as a result of current diets and lifestyles. Indeed, consumers are questioning their current lifestyles and whether that is making them more vulnerable to illness. As such, they are adopting a long-term approach to health maintenance in order to stay fit and active until as late in life as possible. This will drive demand for products that help facilitate this.

• Offer consumers maximum transparency: The lingering threat posed by COVID-19 means that consumers are being governed by risk avoidance and are questioning aspects of their life that they once took for granted. Consumers want maximum reassurance over the safety and quality of the products that they purchase, and want to know the story behind the brand. Brands need to offer maximum transparency over practices and policies, and also need to be seen to be responsive and understanding of evolving consumer need states.

• Encourage consumers to address all areas of wellbeing: Consumers are taking a more proactive approach to health maintenance. This is because health goals are no longer aspirational but driven by a genuine concern over fear of illness. This is resulting in consumers wanting to address all areas of their health, physical and mental. Brands need to ensure that consumers are fully aware of the link between areas such as digestive health and cognitive health and overall health. New product development focused around addressing areas such as immunity, digestive health, and cognitive health will appeal to consumers, especially if products can address all areas simultaneously.

• Ensure plant-alternatives are deemed compromise-free: Although meat and dairy consumption per capita in India tends to be lower than many countries in the world, consumers are looking to reduce their intake of such produce. This is being driven by health and sustainability concerns. Consumers are seeking out plant alternatives. When launching such products, it is crucial that these products are not only deemed affordable but are also seen to replicate the consumption experience of eating animal produce. This is because consumers are not willing to compromise on taste and texture of products.

• Launch guilt-free products to help facilitate moments of escapism: Irrespective of the health goals that they have, consumers like to enjoy moments of escapism daily. This is especially true given the continued uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. When enjoying these occasions, consumers do not want to feel guilty because they believe them to conflict with wider health goals. As such, consumers want indulgent products that they deem to be guilt-free and conveniently nutritious. This will drive demand for products high in functional ingredients and low in ‘bad’ ingredients.

• Streamline ingredients: Consumers want more transparency over the ingredients in products than ever before. This is because consumers want ingredients that they deem to be real and authentic, and to offer nutritional value. Moreover, they also want to avoid chemicals that they believe are detrimental to their health and the wider environment. At the same time, consumers are skeptical about natural claims made by brands, believing them to be misleading. Brands need to respond by streamlining ingredient lists, ensuring products are free-from a variety of ingredients, and making nutritional information as easy to understand as possible.

• Offer affordable indulgence: A growing middle class in India likes to enjoy moments of indulgence on a regular basis, driven by the need for reward and escapism. Whilst it is important not to over-estimate the spending power of many consumers in the region, there will be demand for products that offer genuine sensory appeal and experiences. Brands should look to push the boundaries of premium and reinvigorate product categories by challenging consumers expectations.

• Position sustainable products as win-win for consumer and the environment: Consumers are concerned about the state of the environment and are making changes to their diets in order to lead a healthier lifestyle. At the same time, consumers admit that many challenges exist when trying to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. Ultimately this is because whilst consumers are concerned about the environment, they will prioritize their own and immediate needs when choosing products. To counter this, brands need to position sustainable products as win-win for the consumer and the environment, referring how sustainable products are better value for money, are healthier, and are of superior quality because of the ingredients and processes used.

• Develop personalized nutritional portfolios: As consumers become more health conscious and levels of disposable income continue to grow in the region, they will become more interested in products that are customized to their specific health goals, associating such products with offering maximum efficacy.

This will drive demand the opportunity for new innovations in the health and wellness market, such as nutrition genetic testing, where consumers exchange DNA in order for a health analysis and personalized diet plan/health products. When launching such innovations, it is crucial that they are seen as reliable, affordable, and ethical.

• Enable consumers to replicate out-of-home consumption occasions at home: Consumers are becoming more quality orientated. At the same time, some consumers can be conscious about visiting foodservice channels and mass gatherings because of the risk posed by the pandemic. As such, this will drive demand for products that offer the quality of foodservice consumption occasions, at-home. It will also drive demand for products that help families socialize together, as more emphasis is placed on maximizing personal relationships.

Surveys used in this report

• India, Meat and Plant-based survey, Q3 2020 (1,000 respondents) • India Country Profile survey, Q1 2020 (2,000 respondents) • India Clean Label and Naturalness survey, Q1 2020 (2,000 respondents) • India Packaging survey, Q4 2019 (2,000 respondents)

FMCG Gurus: Top Trends in India

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FMCG Gurus provides market research and insight into consumer attitudes and behaviours across the food, beverage and supplement markets around the world.