In Europe, consumers are looking to educate themselves about probiotics and are prioritising both their digestive and immune health as a result of COVID-19. FMCG Gurus insights show that 52% of consumers have plans to address their digestive health and 64% have plans to address their immune health during the next 12 months.
This indicates that consumers have taken a holistic and proactive approach to their wellness in which they are trying to address and improve their overall well-being before any symptoms occur.
This holistic, prevention-over-cure approach from consumers shows that they are aware of how interlinked various aspects of healthcare are and the impact they have on overall health and wellness. Consumers are therefore seeking out products with multifunctional, convenient and health-boosting benefits to target multiple areas of their health.
The gut microbiome
FMCG Gurus findings have demonstrated that there is a knowledge gap around the gut microbiome and how probiotics can aid digestive health. Even though only 9% of consumers in Europe have heard of the gut microbiome/microbiota, 67% are aware of the beneficial bacteria in the gut.
This demonstrates that brands must do more to raise awareness about the microbiome in the gut and its vital role. Despite the knowledge gap, a large portion of consumers would like to learn more about the gut microbiome.
FMCG Gurus findings highlight that 73% of consumers would like to know more about the microbiome in the gut when given a description of it.
This highlights that many consumers have adopted a proactive approach by researching digestive health and a large number of consumers are eager to learn more.
Supplements and notions of the natural
Consumers are looking for food and drink products with more refined and natural ingredient lists. As a result, consumers prefer food and drink products over nutritional supplements as they are deemed to be tastier and more natural.
FMCG Gurus insights indicate that 82% of people who take probiotics do so as part of their everyday balanced diet. To increase the demand for nutritional supplements, brands must address consumer perceptions of supplements' naturalness to overcome this market barrier.
Another challenge in this market is scepticism around health benefits. To combat this, brands need to provide evidence-led benefits to offer reassurance to health-conscious consumers regarding probiotics.