The vitamin, mineral and supplement market is one that, despite the cost of living crisis and rising inflation, continues to grow.
Written by Emer King, Pharmacist, Inish Pharmacy Buncrana
The covid-19 pandemic has changed a lot of things in life both for good and bad, and this category is no different. The pandemic has resulted in a lot more people taking an interest in a healthier lifestyle, particularly immune system support. Online shopping for these products is expected to continue to grow as the pandemic cause a shift in consumer habits to more online retailers, however, this has also been a double-edged sword to business’ as consumers are now searching for more bargains/deals causing decreasing profit margins.
The increasing sophistication of digital devices and tools is driving demand for products that integrate health data and provide personalised data points to the user. Various apps including MyFitnessPal are now able to keep a track of certain macro and micronutrients based on the dietary information the user inputs. This has made people more aware of what vitamins and minerals are potentially lacking in their diet and has allowed people to make more tailored decisions when it comes to what they want to supplement. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic as more and more consumers look to gather personal information on health indicators without the need to leave their house or interact with medical professionals.
In Ireland, there is widespread use of supplements. This has been found in multiple dietary surveys carried out throughout the years. In the National Adult Nutrition Survey (20122), 22% of men and 33% of women (aged between 18-64) reported using a food supplement. Within this survey, supplementation was at its highest in those aged over 65, with 37% of people in that category using food supplements. Although there has not been a published survey on this in more recent years, it can be predicted from sales that this number has increased significantly since then.
This food supplement use is not exclusively popular among Irish adults as about one fifth of preschool children and children aged between 5 -12 years old were also regular consumers of nutritional supplements. (National Preschool Nutrition Survey 2012, National Children’s Food Survey II 2019)
The different supplement groups found in multiple dietary surveys most commonly used by children can be seen in the graph.
The most popular category accounting for over 50% is unsurprisingly a multivitamin supplement. This is an area where a lot of parents fear that their children are not getting enough nutrition from the food they eat. This can be due to a variety of reasons, most notably from the NCFSII study was child’s likes/dislikes.
Pharmacists are in a unique position here as they encounter parents with children of all age groups who may be in the pharmacy for other reasons and may notice a well displayed supplement section and spark an interest in talking to staff about the best supplements for their children. It can be overwhelming to parents with the number of options available on the market and so all pharmacy staff Food should and be beverage aware of intake the benefits of certain supplements and ranges.
This should include but not be limited to; the importance of vitamin D supplementation, particularly in winter, the benefits of probiotics after sickness/antibiotic use, when to suggest a full multivitamin and the availability of different formulations, including sprays, chewable tablets and liquids.
There are only two official national food supplement policies in Ireland; folic acid is recommended for all women of child baring age who are sexually active and vitamin D supplementation in infants. This pharmacies are in a unique position to promote. In particular with folic acid supplementation, the pharmacist should advise when giving out prescriptions for the contraceptive pill, that these women should be taking folic acid supplements if they are sexually active, just in case they were to unexpectedly find themselves pregnant. Over a third of all pregnancies in Ireland are unplanned so this portion of the population are unlikely to be supplementing with folic acid before becoming pregnant. Pharmacies could have a major impact in the increased uptake of folic acid supplementation.
Despite responses the fact that there are only two supplement policies in Ireland, consumers are purchasing a lot more than just these two supplements. ‘General health’ is still the biggest driver of sales within this category, however, broader trends of an ageing population, rising levels of obesity and with increased children’s awareness eating of behaviour mental health are also causing a surge in sales within this category.
Buying habits within pharmacies are unplanned so this portion in the supplement section are very fluid. They can be reflective of a personal issue, current affairs or a temporary concern.
Pharmacies should try to adapt marketing strategies to current affairs as it is one of the only buying habits which we can be somewhat prepared for.
For example; back to school displays containing multivitamins and probiotics for children. This can be done both in store and online using banners across the front page of your website as a reminder to parents to encourage improving their child’s immune health and mental focus for going back to school.
Displays within the store should be rotated and updated regularly with new brands. This ensures that you maximise what you can offer the consumer.
Individual temporary concerns and personal issues causing a rise in sales in certain areas are harder to plan for. However, pharmacists and staff should be aware of opportunities to give advice and recommendations based on discussions had with customers within the pharmacy. For example; customers buying skincare and discussing their upcoming wedding, may be interested in a supplement to help strengthen their hair, skin and nails. These can range from basic vitamin E supplementation, collagen or a multivitamin containing a range of ingredients e.g. Cleanmarine for Women, Perfectil Hair, Skin & Nails, Swedish Nutra Hair, Skin & Nails (liquid) and Revive Active Beauty Formula which is notably suitable for diabetics, coeliacs and those following a gluten-free diet. Hair thinning is also a common complaint from patients who have issues with their thyroid function. Pharmacists are in a unique position here to offer advice on helpful supplements when handing out prescriptions for levothyroxine and carbimazole.
There are other opportunities within the pharmacy to maximise on sales in the vitamin and mineral sector and use it to our advantage. The ability of staff to ‘link-sell’ items within this category with other products or services offered within the pharmacy is important. An example of which could be during the flu vaccination service, ensure staff are informed of products which can aid the immune system and help ward off infection. One product in particular which fits into this category is Alflorex Immune. Alflorex Immune is unique in that it has promising results against warding off influenza. The added vitamin D also aids the immune system. This is a product which could be recommended to patients who enquire about the flu vaccine service in pharmacies as it could add an extra layer of protection for them in addition to the vaccine, it also covers their need to supplement vitamin D in the winter months due to the lack of sunshine. This means the consumer only needs to purchase one product for the winter months, increasing the cost effectiveness for them.
The product is available in an orodispersible form which makes it suitable for all patients, including those with swallowing difficulties.
In pharmacy in Ireland, I think the consumer holds a lot of the power within this category. This is due largely to the fact that the majority of people (even those with full medical cards) have to pay privately for vitamin and mineral supplements. In store, I find a lot of customers will have done some of their own research and will be intrigued to hear what the best supplement within their area of interest is. They generally want a supplement which is of high quality but also holds value for their money. Customers also tend to stick with well-known or well-advertised brands unless staff are confident in their knowledge of other lesser known, more costeffective options.
Websites have hundreds of different options when it comes to supplements, therefore, it is imperative that pharmacists are available to discuss these options with customers to ensure they do get the right supplement and the right price.
The introduction of a 13.5% VAT rate across vitamin and mineral supplements in January 2020 did cause an unwelcome price increase. It did beg the question at the time, would this cause issues with lower income families being unable to supplement their diets? However, overall, it does not look to have affected the growth within the market at all. The pandemic may in part be responsible for this as people became more aware of their health and a lot of people had more disposable income as they could not go out, go on holidays etc.
While there are high barriers to entry onto the market, pockets of the industry remain underserved and some companies are innovating in these areas.
Menopause is an area which was often overlooked in terms of treatment; however, women suffer daily with the symptoms associated with it. The introduction of vitamins/ supplements to help reduce these symptoms has had a massive effect on women’s lives. Products like Cleanmarine MenoMin, Health & Her Menopause & PeriMenopause and Revive MenoActive are fast becoming best sellers within the vitamin category as they have listened to what customers want and need from their supplements. These products have the unique selling points that they contain a balance of vitamins, minerals, fish oils and plant extracts in a composition that is most likely to combat the common symptoms of menopause. This has become increasingly important this year due to the shortages and unreliable supply of HRT medication. I have found a lot of women are trying the more natural supplementation route first as they do not want to be started on prescription medication and not know whether they will be able to source it from month to month.
I think the biggest risk within this category is patient safety through misinformation. I know I have encountered multiple instances where patients have been to an unregulated healthcare provider (e.g. kinesiologist or homoeopath) and they have recommended products which are simply not safe. One instance of note was when they insisted on all individual liquid formulations for a very unstable diabetic patient who would simply not have handled the increased sugar content in the multiple liquid formulations. When questioned they could give no reasonable explanation as to why this patient had to have multiple liquids rather than a safer tablet or single formulation option. This patient was very lucky, he decided to ask in the pharmacy before purchasing any products.
The message of ‘natural does not mean safe’ is one that was always given to us at university and I think is something we must keep to the forefront of our minds during our day-to-day practice. I think the general public have an askew vision of vitamins and supplements not being able to cause harm, when in actual fact, they can cause massive damage, e.g. iron and vitamin c supplementation in a multi-vitamin for a patient with underlying haemochromatosis – a disease with high prominence in Ireland.
The importance of having customers turn to a healthcare professional for advice rather than health food shops/ unregulated healthcare providers, is something which we should be actively promoting. If we offer advice and good value for money, we can ensure patient loyalty, increasing revenue for us and increasing safety and benefit for consumers.
