Kantar Media takes a look at VMS market

8/31/2018
New data from Kantar Media is showing that roughly 65% of U.S. adults took a vitamin or supplement in the past year, and there is potential to reach connected consumers within that demographic. According to the consultancy’s 2018 MARS Consumer Health study, among those that took a supplement, 82% have a diagnosed condition, and one-third turn to the VMS aisle to treat a health condition.

Besides treating a specific condition, 53% said they took supplements for overall health-and-wellness benefits, 40% said they do so for additional nutrients and 28% want to immune health. Overall, 61% of U.S. adults said they believe that vitamins and supplements make a difference in long-term health — a 9% increase over the number of people who said so in 2015.

The survey results also highlight a big opportunity for VMS suppliers. Roughly 53% said they turn to branded products over store brands when it comes to their vitamin and supplement needs, and 84% of supplement users indicated that they use the Internet for health-and-wellness purposes, with 21% of those who own a smartphone or tablet saying they’ve used a health app in the last six months.

As a result, when it comes to ad spend — which came close to $900 million in the past year — digital and TV advertising are on the rise as magazine and newspaper advertising spend declines. The report notes that among millennials, digital could be an especially important channel, with 71% of VMS users saying they use the Internet heavily on a mobile device and 35% saying they have health-related apps on the mobile device.

“There are digital media channels that would be effective in reaching the various groups of dietary supplement users or non-users,” the report says.
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