Following the beginning of Covid-19 the wellness industry has transformed in ways that it may never return to.

We’ll be going over various trends, topics, and insights to help provide you with an idea of where the wellness industry is headed and what steps you can take to prepare your business.

 

The Concept of Wellness

The idea of wellness has always been popular. Humans have been producing and utilizing products for their health, wellbeing, and beauty for millennia.

This growing trend will only rise in popularity as science evolves and people become more interested in prioritizing their health and wellbeing.

According to the 2020 Mckinsey Future of Wellness Survey, consumers in every country spend the most on products dedicated to health, wellness, and beauty. Specifically, the personal care, beauty, and anti-aging sector are what make up the largest part of the wellness industry.

With these statistics, it’s understandable that:

“The wellness industry made up 39.99% of the entire global market in 2017.”

In the last four years, that number has only risen. Additionally, the idea of putting health and well-being first is becoming more popular all over the world. This is great news for the health and wellness industry.

Even though things are changing in a way that is good for businesses, there are also changes that can make or break your business.

How has the pandemic changed the wellness industry, and what you can do to change with it?

 

A Shift in Interest

During the pandemic in 2020, it didn’t take long for people to realize how fragile their health is and what it takes to damage it.  We saw a sharp spike in consumers panic buying things like hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, vitamins, and more because they thought they were going to get sick or product would run out.

People around the world started to think about how important it was for them and their families to be healthy. This motivated them to want to put their health first. In fact, more than ⅓ of consumers stated that their views on health and wellness have significantly changed over the last year and they were more concerned for their health, their family, and even the health of their pets.

“80% of Americans intend to regularly practice self-care because of Covid-19”.

Now that the waves of the pandemic are slowly calming, it’s clear to see how the pandemic has changed the wellness industry.

 

At Home Wellness

As quarantine swept the world, people stayed inside their houses at all costs. Jobs transitioned to remote positions, online shopping grew, and our smartphones were the only thing that kept us connected to each other and the outside world.

In the beginning, at-home activities became more popular as time frames extended and people grew restless. Many people started making their own food and learning new skills. They also started reading books and paying more attention to their health.

As public buildings became increasingly inaccessible, people turned to cellphones, which ultimately digitized our everyday activities. This meant that individuals all across the world could accomplish practically everything they used to do all from home.

This included contactless grocery delivery, home-cooked meals, college lectures from your computer screen, and even a digital personal trainer right in your living room.

“Telehealth soared 11% in 2019 to 46% in 2020”.

The limits of what you could achieve with your smartphone were quickly becoming endless. As Covid-19 continued on a rampant path, people grew more passionate about remaining inside, while still prioritizing their health.

This introduced the popularity of pill and supplement delivery services, online gym memberships, zoom-hosted health appointments, and much more.

With this rise in the use of telehealth, it’s clear that this trend is here to stay. In fact, it’s estimated that up to $250 billion dollars of the current U.S healthcare spending could be shifted to telemedicine.

 

What can you do?

      • Consider what ways you’re able to offer a digital experience to your customers.
      • Focus on which aspect of your business can be digitally accentuated the most.
      • Offer classes covering subjects your brand can teach your buyers about.
      • Start a blog covering the focus of your brand.

 

Personalization

As telehealth grows, so does the expectation of personalization from consumers. With the rise of digital platforms adhering to all of our wants and needs, buyers are slowly coming to the conclusion that one size does not fit all.

There is a new trend of personalizing things so that everyone can get what they want, need, and like.

Now, buyers want their purchases tailored more towards them. They no longer want generic hair care for the masses. Consumers want hair care crafted specifically for the hair type and goals. The same goes for all wellness products and purchasing experiences.

As our digital world continues to grow, it’s safe to expect a high rate of individual personalization through telehealth and wellness products.

 

What can you do?

      • Allow customers to personalize their online experiences.
      • Include easy to find website preferences that customers can choose from (dark mode, bigger text, text to speech options, etc.)
      • Create a poll to learn what your customers are looking for in terms of customization.
      • Add the ability to create an account with saved preferences.

 

Digital Storefronts

People and businesses knew that as more and more things became digital in 2020, going digital might be the only way to move forward.

With the pandemic slowing the success of physical storefronts, business owners everywhere began thinking of ways they could offer a contactless and completely digital buying experience.  Eventually, as demands from consumers rose,

“20-30% of all businesses transitioned their main presence to an online storefront”.

This initial switch wasn’t expected to happen for another few years during the growth of e-commerce, and even so, the change was expected to be gradual.

 

What can you do?

      • Transition your store to a digital platform A.S.A.P
      • Hire a web designer to make the process faster and easier
      • Research your competitors and see what they are doing online.

 

Increased Delivery Expectations

Once the trend of online shopping reached the corners of the world, new expectations came along with it.  In a rush to be the first to make an impact in the e-commerce industry, companies everywhere began offering different promotions, guarantees, and promises.

Advertisements like “Covid-19 Safe”, “Contactless 2-Day Delivery”, and even “24-hour delivery” flooded the internet and email inboxes. As people began to transition, they enjoyed the aspect of what shopping was quickly turning into.

Not only was it safer in times of a global health crisis but it was more convenient than traditional shopping. Consumers quickly took a liking to the new and easy ways to order products, groceries, items, and almost anything else.  Eventually, demand grew a little too much.

Many companies struggled to keep up as businesses flocked to supply their customers with the many products they bought at the click of a button. This was due to many reasons, some including lack of staff to complete the abundance of orders and lack of products due to international shipping delays.

Now, businesses everywhere are playing catch up, trying to stay at pace with consumer delivery demands.

As the holiday season grows near, it’s important to backstock your inventory, prepare for a higher spike in orders, and find the staff needed to comfortably fulfill orders.

 

What can you do?

      • Prepare your inventory with extra shipping supplies.
      • Make sure your items, as well as back-stocked items, are stored inside your facility or have safely arrived at your 3PL’s warehouses.
      • Pre-assemble custom packaging to save time and avoid delay.
      • Hire extra workers to help fulfill orders and support your main staff.

 

Sustainability

E-commerce is going to have a lot more changes in the near future. First, there will be more shipping demands, more digital shopping experiences, and more personalization. Second, increased consumerism is making the demand for greener practices all the more important.

Buyers are now growing more passionate about greener shopping.  This includes cleaner, safer, and more environmentally friendly products and packaging.

“41% of consumers said they would choose a healthier option vs a more effective one”.

Additionally, buyers now look for minimal packaging materials, reusable, recyclable, or biodegradable packaging included in their orders, and are even transitioning to companies with greener practices and healthier mission statements.

> Click here to learn more about the rise of eco-friendly packaging and how to transition to a greener fulfillment process.

 

What can you do?

      • Begin transitioning to eco-friendly packaging.
      • Research what your competitors are doing.
      • Determine what materials would best suit your brand and impact your customers most.

 

Guided by Falcon

After an overview of how the pandemic has changed the wellness industry, it’s safe to say that these changes are here to stay.  As time continues, new trends will emerge and current ones will develop significantly.

That’s why it’s important to remain updated on the news of not just the wellness industry, but on e-commerce as a whole.

At Falcon Fulfillment, we’re looking out for business around the world. The ones that may not know how to battle some of these new challenges.

The ones who need a little extra insight on what’s happening in the industry, and the ones who are looking to perfect their game. We are the official guide to any and all e-commerce brands looking to extend their reach and grow their success.

We hope you found this article useful and it helps you steer your business successfully through an everchanging sea of e-commerce uncertainty.

 

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