Healthy living has been a growing trend for years. And now there are even more industries seeing the effects of people’s interest in health food and other health related products. According to a recent report from NPR, about three quarters of Americans say that they eat healthy, though the evidence doesn’t indicate that those numbers are really accurate. And there’s even more that goes into healthy living than diet. Fitness purchases, memberships and even tech gadgets can help consumers stay healthy. But how many consumers really take advantage of all the options out there? We asked 1,000 respondents about their health habits and purchasing behaviors.
Healthy Living
In Ask Your Target Market’s latest online survey, 65% of respondents said that they consider their lifestyle to be at least somewhat healthy. Additionally, 25% of respondents said that they’ve bought many different health or fitness related items within the past year. And 43% said they’ve made at least one health related purchase in the past year.
Consumer Profile
Looking forward, 68% of respondents said that they’re at least somewhat likely to make health or fitness related purchases within the next year. According to Personality Radar, those potential buyers are likely to be established professionals who are tech savvy, but still take in traditional media from outlets like newspapers and magazines.
Health Purchases
However, there are plenty of different types of health purchases that consumers can make. And there can be different motivating factors for each type of consumer. For example, 79% are likely to purchase health foods in the next year. Those consumers are interested in popular trends and product upgrades. 45% are likely to purchase fitness gear or memberships in the next year. Those buyers are likely to be social, so they could be influenced by their friends or influencers they follow online. And 41% are likely to purchase health related tech gadgets or apps in the next year. Those consumers are more likely to be driven by convenience or time-saving features.
Key Takeaways
Health can certainly be a big driving factor for consumers making purchases in a variety of different niches. But there are other driving factors that businesses in the health and fitness industry should be aware of. For example, the companies that sell health food items could do well to stay on top of growing trends, perhaps targeting online ads to consumers who search “gluten free foods” online. But companies that sell fitness equipment could potentially make a bigger impact through referral programs or influencer marketing. And health tech companies could benefit from placing marketing materials in publications that target busy professionals.
Photo Credit: Henley jogs. by @markheybo under CC BY 2.0