A Close Look at How Today's Consumers Are Approaching Their Health
And the growth opportunities this brings to your practice and career.
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Today I bring you a state of UK health and wellness space, specifically how consumers’ needs and behaviours are changing and how you can tap into this for practice growth. And that’s for various reasons. I know it can be isolating working on your own as a practitioner, and in that case getting a bird’s eye view on your industry and an in-depth look at market research can act as an energy boost as it highlights the massive potential and opportunities around you in the growing health and wellness space today.
It might inspire new business ideas, shape your future marketing and positioning, or serve as a comfort blanket if you’re worried about stagnant client numbers or delayed clinic growth. Whatever the stage of your career, whatever your set-up, whatever the state of your mindset, I hope these insights into trends and demographics inspire you to keep going! There’s plenty of food for thought in these market research pieces to serve up some productive ideas to refresh your social media content, blog posts, SEO or find new audiences you could reach. Enjoy!
McKinsey just published a new article on the future of wellness, which provides a snapshot of how consumers worldwide, across all geographies and generations, are approaching their health and wellness and the types of interventions they are prioritising.
Interestingly, they shared that ‘73 percent of people in the UK reported wellness as a top or very important priority in their lives. And what we find even more striking is that the focus keeps increasing. More than half of consumers say they prioritise wellness more than they did a year ago.’ A positive trend for all of you looking to expand your reach and help more clients on their health journey. More and more people are looking to invest in their wellbeing. Consider how you can make it as easy as possible for them to find your services! Hint: it’s the online spaces where most people are looking for healthcare solutions, and it’s also worth staying engaged with past and current clients to nurture word of mouth referrals.
An interesting point they made about how the different behaviour of generations is that their ‘research consistently shows that millennials are the most enthusiastic generation in terms of spending and participation across various products and services. However, this year, we've noticed Gen Z emerging prominently, making them a group to watch moving forward.’ If you’re looking to tap into this younger but growing Gen Z audience (born between 1997 and 2012), think about adjusting your marketing, your website copy and the places you advertise your services to match their behaviour.
This is a golden nugget they shared which could help you shape your messaging to these different generations: ‘Particularly when targeting an older consumer, what we’ve found to be the essential thing to keep in mind is to focus on the need state or the aspiration of what is being accomplished through the offering versus the process itself. Whereas for a younger consumer, a focus on prevention tends to be a more effective angle to help consumers feel like their needs are being met.’
Healthy aging is a really big priority for consumers, the team at McKinsey share that ‘over 60 percent of people have said it’s extremely or very important to purchase longevity products, and 70 percent are planning to buy more products in the future.’ Whether you sell longevity products in your practice or not, it’s absolutely worth tapping into this focus on longevity when it comes to communicating your offerings - how do your treatments or services help clients who are looking to invest in healthy aging and their longevity?
And GWI, the Global Wellness Institute just launched their UK market research which showed how different areas in health and wellness are evolving. What stood out to me was that the market for personalised and preventative medicine is growing exponentially, complementary treatments continue to gain popularity over the past years, but workspace wellness is down in terms of the size of the market.
Some specific examples of how you can apply these market insights to adjust your positioning, marketing, and offerings:
Focused Marketing: A massage therapist might create targeted marketing messages promoting the stress-reducing benefits of their services, addressing the needs of UK consumers looking for improved mental health.
Leverage digital health solutions: The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telehealth and digital tools. You can use technology to offer remote consultations, online courses, or digital monitoring to engage clients conveniently and effectively.
Service Expansion: A nutritionist could introduce personalised meal plans and cooking workshops to cater to the diverse dietary needs and preferences of clients, and align with the growing interest in personalised medicine.
Emphasise holistic approaches: There’s growing interest in wellness across various categories, including nutrition, fitness, and mental health. You can incorporate a holistic approach, addressing multiple aspects of wellbeing in your practice.
Competitive Edge: A mindfulness coach might stay informed about the latest research on meditation and mental health, incorporating cutting-edge techniques into their practice to offer unique and innovative services.
Address mental wellbeing: Mental wellness has become a top priority for consumers. You can incorporate stress management, mindfulness, and integrative mental health services into your offerings to meet this demand.
Growth Opportunities: A yoga instructor might expand their offerings by introducing specialised classes targeting specific demographics, such as seniors or pregnant women, to capitalise on the growing demand.
Prioritise clinically effective products: Consumers increasingly prefer products with proven effectiveness over those that are simply "natural" or "clean." You can recommend evidence-based products and services to cater to this preference.
Get 1:1 support
If you’re looking for expert help with your branding, website design or setting up a blog of newsletter - we offer a variety of support services at Circe Studio. For hands-on support, you can book your online presence review to receive advice on any online business topics, or email me to find out more about website design services.