What behaviors are transforming the health and wellness sector?

Frankly speaking: you also thought it was nice to spend nights working, didn’t you? But after decades of valuing behaviors that would make our grandmothers scared, people are finally understanding that taking care of their health, physically and mentally, is very important. What has changed since then? The pandemic’s ear tug, capable of turning any sneeze into an alert and accelerating trends in behavior that were gradually transforming the health and well-being sector.

If, before, people were already looking for self-improvement experiences – which aim to improve their physical, emotional and mental performance, such as vitamins and therapy – now they needed to bring this routine home, equip themselves with the technology to monitor and take care of the body and redouble the care with food. To better understand these behaviors and their impacts on the health and wellness industry, follow the insights gathered by our team in this article!

How has the pandemic affected the health and wellness sector?

The Englishes use the expression “to cocoon” for the gesture of snuggling up in a protective and comforting way. And that was the expression chosen by the market research agency Euromonitor to describe an intensified behavior during social isolation around the world: whoever was able to stay at home had to think in solutions to make their space more cozy and safe.

The new habits involved adhering to digital medical services, redoubled care with hygiene practices and the purchase of devices and products that people only found in studios and pharmacies. In Brazil, this was manifested in the “home pharmacies” of Brazilians, which were better equipped. The “Consumer Thermometer” survey, published by Kantar, in April this year, pointed out that, at the beginning of the pandemic, 224 thousand homes reinforced their anti-flu measures.

The consumption of supplements and products to improve immunity has also increased, bringing new perspectives for the pharmaceutical industry. A survey released by the Brazilian Association of the Food Industry for Special Purposes and the like (Abiad) pointed out that 48% of respondents started to ingest more multivitamins and the like – most of them, 63%, sought to improve immunity .

The consumption of supplements and products to improve immunity has also increased, bringing new perspectives for the pharmaceutical industry. A survey released by the Brazilian Association of the Food Industry for Special Purposes and the like (Abiad) pointed out that 48% of respondents started to ingest more multivitamins and the like – most of them, 63%, sought to improve immunity .

And how have brands responded to new consumer demands?

With strong support in science and focus on its responsibility to consumers, brands in the health and wellness segment have been proposing innovative sales and communication approaches, in line with the current needs of the public. Check it out!

1. Strengthening e-commerce strategies

At home, more people bet on e-commerce to meet basic needs. The supermarkets did well in this, but a survey by the Brazilian Association of Electronic Commerce (ABComm), released on the Meio & Mensagem portal, in April this year, showed that the manufacturers of medicines too. Between the end of February and the second week of March, that is, the beginning of the pandemic in Brazil, online shopping in the “Health” category had an increase of 111% in relation to the same period last year.

Thinking about it, Vitafor, which manufactures nutritional supplements, quickly implemented an e-commerce and started to talk directly with its consumers. With this, the brand needed to segment its discourse, according to the different audiences, making it more accessible and transparent. In order to extend its online presence and its influence in the national territory, the brand also started to carry out actions with digital influencers and entered into a partnership with the pharmacy chain RaiaDrogasil.

2. Promoting responsible and engaging communication

Closer contact with the public meant that brands in the health and wellness segment had to strengthen their communication strategies, approaching the consumer universe and adopting a more welcoming tone. Although this seems obvious, in the pharmaceutical sector, until then, it was not common for companies to invest so much in advertising strategies. And, especially in this pandemic moment, it is essential to go beyond sales, looking for strategies to humanize their speeches.

Following this trend, Addera D3, Hypera Pharma’s vitamin D brand, which also owns Doril and Biotônico Fontoura, made its debut on open TV and digital media. The company recorded a record of direct sales in March and, motivated by this, created a film to encourage people to stay at home and take care of their health.

Outra marca da Hypera Pharma que reforçou suas estratégias de comunicação foi a Benegrip. Apostando no carisma do tenista Gustavo Kuerten (o Guga, nosso querido “labrador humano”!), a empresa manteve o tom bem-humorado de suas campanhas para divulgar o Benegrip Multi Dia e Noite. Entre o primeiro trimestre de 2020 e o mesmo período do ano passado, os investimentos da marca em marketing cresceram 14,4%.

In the ranking of the Croma Insights Research & Data Analytics Institute (May 2020), no pharmacy chain or pharmaceutical company appeared on the list of the 10 most remembered brands during the pandemic. Curious, right?

Now, with an increasing number of people more attentive to health care and well-being, the brands of this segment have the opportunity to grow not only in revenues, but also in the perception of their customers, with the adoption of innovative and responsible strategies . And for that, we remind you of an advice that these companies already have on the tip of the tongue: always count on the help of trained professionals!

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