Interest in vitamins, minerals and supplements has never been greater

Whether it’s baby boomers looking to boost their health profiles heading into their golden years or millennials attempting to fortify themselves against the rising cost of health care, interest in dietary supplements, sports nutrition, diet aids, meal-replacement solutions and even energy shots has never been higher, according to a Kline consumer survey released last year.

(Click here to view the full VMS Report.)

The company’s “Natural OTCs” study this past summer found that consumer interest in the market of non-allopathic solutions through 2015 was up by 11.4%, Kline noted, compared with an increased predisposition for the overall over-the-counter market of 4.2%. More than half of the consumers surveyed by Kline indicated they use natural OTCs more now than one year ago and nearly two-thirds of consumers said they use them now more than five years ago, an indication that there is a growing interest in natural OTCs.

That attraction toward supplements to support a healthier lifestyle or aid in the prevention of disease is particularly prevalent among seniors.

For example, there’s more and more growth across adult gummy multivitamins, Laura Mahecha, healthcare industry manager for Kline Market Research, told Drug Store News. Other pockets of growth include omega-3 supplements, co-Q10 and vitamin D. “Anything that’s aimed at the aging population,” she said.

This rise in consumer interest, particularly among baby boomers, also translates directly into sales growth. DSN estimates the supplement, diet aid and intrinsic health category as a whole was up 5.5%, reaching $13.3 billion in sales for the 52 weeks ended Oct. 30, according to a review of IRI data across total U.S. multi-outlet channels.

Kline projects supplement growth to continue along a 2% or 3% annual trajectory. Increased supplement sales will be tempered by a similar increase in healthier eating, however, Mahecha added.

Pharmavite’s Nature Made brand within its letter vitamin offerings tops the top 10 bestselling brand list with $367.4 million in sales over the 52-week period, according to IRI, with Abbott Nutrition’s Ensure adult nutrition shakes ($359.8 million) and Clif Bar’s nutritional bars ($335.4 million), rounding out the top three. Beyond shakes, bars and supplements, Living Essential’s 5-hour Energy shots ($323.3 million) also continue to crack that top-10 product list.

Across the following pages, DSN presents the latest consumer usage study from the Council for Responsible Nutrition and a TABS Analytics breakdown around online sales of vitamins, supplements and nutritional offerings. On the regulatory front, CRN CEO Steve Mister provided DSN with a breakdown on what a new Trump Administration and 60 freshmen Congress leaders means for the supplement industry. Following that are products retailers should be keeping their eyes on and a breakdown of five merchandising opportunities expected to drive sales in 2017, including a format trend away from pills, a new category that passes the “sniff” test, an opportunity to capture mom’s interest at the point of conception, a muscle-bound category that reaches beyond “gym rat nation” and a holistic approach to nutrition that ditches dieting in favor of nutrition management.