Well-being driving the consumer

Looking good and feeling good are the two major preoccupations for the consumer, state market analysts Datamonitor in a recent report. In 2000 vanity drove a market worth £4.6 billion in the UK alone, now this has been joined by health as a key consumer worry. Vanity and health concerns have combined to create what is now the biggest driver of the personal care market - total well being. The concern for personal well-being has developed from a growing trend towards self-diagnosis and selfcare. Many individuals now eat specific health foods and take vitamins routinely as a preventative measure against common ailments. The media, in particular the growing use of the Internet, plays a considerable role in communciating information about health. Datamonitor estimates that there are 15-20,000 health-care "content" sites in existence, health is the fastest growing information area on the Internet. "People have always been prepared to pay to look good but consumers are now increasingly willing to spend money on feeling good both physically and mentally,"​ Datamonitor analyst Rhod Jones said. "For consumers, much of the appeal of products promoting well-being, whether in food, nutritional supplements or in beauty is for products to be "natural","​ he continued. The report added that VMS's (vitamins, minerals, supplements) are witnessing very different levels of success across Europe with only the French and UK markets displaying continued strong growth. Given that per head consumption levels of VMS's are far lower in Europe than in the US, considerable scope remains for increased sales in this sector. Source: Datamonitor​