Study Says 67% of Households Use Dietary Supplements
Published: Wednesday, November 01, 2000
The 130-page report, “Wellness Lifestyle Shopper Study,” reveals the channels in which wellness consumers shop, what they buy and the reasoning behind their purchases. For example, 92 percent of the study’s more than 2,600 respondents said the No. 1 reason they became interested in wellness products, such as vitamins, organic foods and personal care items, is to “stay healthy.”
To calculate its results, the study segmented its respondents into three categories—core, midlevel and periphery—based on how often they purchase and use dietary supplements and organic and natural foods and how proactive they are about health. Of the three groups, midlevel is the largest, consisting of 55 percent of U.S. households. Periphery made up 30 percent of the respondents, while core—the most zealous natural products consumers—made up 14 percent of the respondents. Age, household size and income also played a role in the categorization of respondents.
According to the study, 67 percent of all households use multivitamins—an increase of 6 percent in 1999—making them the most commonly used product by wellness consumers.
Research found that a wide range of consumers occasionally try organic produce, dairy products and packaged goods but are not dedicated buyers. In fact, only 14 percent of consumers agreed with the statement “I eat organic foods,” the study says. However, The Hartman Group counters, “33 percent … neither agree nor disagree with the statement,” indicating that some shoppers don’t identify themselves as organic eaters because of their occasional usage.
Sixty-two percent of the study’s respondents purchase all of their organic and natural products in mainstream grocery stores, whereas only 11 percent buy them in natural foods stores. Similarly, only 4 percent buy dietary supplements in natural foods stores, whereas 22 percent buy them at grocery stores, and 34 percent get them at discount stores, such as Wal-Mart.
According to the study, women are the ones doing the shopping. At 83 and 79 percent, respectively, women drive the purchase and usage of wellness products in the core and midlevel groups. Subsequently, the study says, they also drive those around them to purchase and use healthy products and services.
The study also offers interesting insight into organic and natural personal care products, which The Hartman Group says tend to be purchased “exclusively” by midlevel and core consumers.
Packaging plays a major role in personal care products, the study says. For example, midlevel and periphery shoppers are more apt to purchase them based on appearance, narrative and convenience of the packaging, whereas core consumers value packaging that lists detailed information about the products’ health benefits.
The “Wellness Lifestyle Shopper Study” is
available from The Hartman Group for $25,000.
Contact 415.452.0818, www.hartman-group.com.