Wellness Lifestyle Shopper: Mapping the Journeys of Wellness Consumers

Consumers and their wellness journeys are complex, especially when we observe them learning about and using products and services that can seriously alter their physical and mental health. Add to this the fact that many health and wellness products and services are entirely "new " to all but the innermost core consumers, and you have a highly immature market ripe for both opportunity and failure. The consumer segments described in this report, the core, mid-level and periphery purchasers of your products and services, are only now learning about how they can live, shop and buy in what they perceive to be healthier ways. With over $66 billion a year spent on health and wellness products - excluding prescription and OTC drugs - there is significant opportunity to effectively market and sell to these consumers.

These findings come as a part of the Wellness Lifestyle Shopper Syndicated Study, fielded in Summer 2000 and includes all study findings, excluding any sponsors' proprietary information. This study explores the intersection between consumers and wellness drivers, product categories, brands, purchase channels and information sources. Findings support manufacturers and retailers in their development of strategic wellness platforms. The study is based upon three months of research utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, in the areas of socio-cultural analysis, brand and product analysis, and shopping behavior analysis.

The Wellness Consumer - Core to Periphery

• The Hartman Model: Understanding the World of Wellness
• Wellness consumer segmentation from core to periphery
• The evolution of wellness behavior from periphery to mid-level and mid-level to core

Wellness Channels and Channel Switching

• Core to periphery breakdown of wellness purchasing in grocery stores, drugstores, mass discounters, vitamin stores, natural food stores, direct mail, direct from manufacturer and Internet.
• Motivators of channel selection
• Channel switching analysis
• Channels as wellness information sources

Wellness Product Worlds

• Category usage of dietary supplements, organic and natural foods, natural personal care products, sports nutrition products, diet and weight loss products, complementary/alternative medicine and natural household products
• Lifestyle integration of wellness products and brands
• Motivators of and barriers to usage by category

Wellness Information and Behavior

• Breakdown of 15 sources of information for health and wellness products
• Motivators of channel selection
• Core to periphery segmentation of information sources
• The role of trust