Consumers report a growing interest in pursuing a healthy lifestyle, but even before the full impact of COVID-19 has been felt, their actual behaviors are decidedly more mixed. Interpreting these conflicting messages is a challenge for consumer products companies in nearly every segment.
Earlier this year (at the early stages of the pandemic), AlixPartners surveyed 6,000 consumers in six countries about their health and wellness preferences, updating research we conducted in 2018. Our study looks at how these attitudes and behaviors are changing, as well as recommending ways in which companies can break down some of the barriers to healthier purchases and tap into unrealized potential.
At a glance:
- The importance of a healthy lifestyle increased globally, with 59% saying it had become more important in the previous 12 months.
- However, consumers indicate that barriers to purchasing healthy have increased with time and remain powerful.
- Among these barriers, price was cited by fewer consumers than in 2018, but it remains the single-highest factor, even as all other barriers increased in significance.
"99% of consumers say that living a healthy lifestyle will remain as much if not more important in the coming year."
