Disclaimer: This article was original published by Mother and Baby Industry Observations.
Sources: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/vIxWP7hSZtoJAxrYzA6X8Q
With great potential, a market in its infancy, and intensifying internal competition… Over the past year, the wellness industry has been in the spotlight. According to data, in 2024 China’s wellness industry is expected to reach a total revenue of 9 trillion yuan. It is evident that more and more platforms, brands, and channels are increasing their investment to seize new opportunities in this blue ocean market.
“The competition in the nutrition and wellness market is becoming increasingly fierce, but there are still growth opportunities in niche segments, first by meeting consumers’ unmet needs, and second by creating differentiated products in the market,” shared several practitioners with observers of the mother and baby industry. Entering 2025, the question is how to delve into segments to search for sustainable growth? Here are a few ideas for mutual inspiration.
Science First:
From concept hype to ingredient refinement and delivering effects
Innovating to push through the industry’s ceiling
The nutrition supplement industry has accelerated from an era of wild growth to a new stage of professional value creation. The focus of competition between brands has also been elevated to higher dimensions, such as nutritional research and technology development, scientific innovation, and empirical research, especially based on improving product quality. Brands can no longer rely on hyping concepts; they must have rigorous scientific thinking and a significant foundation in research.
Focusing on the mother and baby segment, one clear trend is consumer advancement. Using nutritional supplements as an example, what used to be elective consumption is becoming an essential need. Yet, at the same time, the new generation of consumers is becoming more rational, and visible results are a major demand for them when choosing nutritional products. Some offline mother and baby store practitioners report that value delivery in business segments such as allergy management and height management for infants is essential, which undoubtedly hinges on the concept of science leading the way.
Audience Expansion:
From infant nutrition to maternity supplements and overall family health
Redefining the boundaries of the wellness industry
Mother and Baby Industry Observations had previously thrown out the view that “every category in mother and baby is penetrating into broader demographics.” This is particularly evident in the nutrition industry. After deep conversations with many seasoned practitioners about the future of wellness, many mentioned “audience segmentation” as an opportunity—consumers of all ages are willing to pay for health.
Previously, we focused more on the nutritional supplement needs of 0-3-year-olds, but now, with the intensifying saturation of the market, more brands and companies are expanding their product lines forward and backward, such as targeting pregnant women as well as a broader demographic of women, men, and the elderly for daily nutritional and health care needs, moving towards a bigger and stronger family nutrition business.
Ultimately, this is due to the extreme prominence of diverse user needs. Whether pursuing a better physical condition, stronger physique, or wanting to address various mental health issues and emotional disorders caused by work or life, the demand for “preventive care” is rapidly rising. Data from Xiaohongshu shows that nearly 80% of the large health-conscious demographic have health care needs, with the core health-conscious demographics penetrating both post-00s and post-80s groups.
Effect Segmentation:
From basic nutritional products to professional customized supplementation plans
Continuously broadening the growth channels for brands
From mining gold in a vast blue ocean to fighting in a turning red sea, the current multi-player scenario won’t last long. When the environment becomes tough, a broad but unfocused business has no opportunity. It is necessary to segment, segment, and segment again; concentrate, concentrate, and concentrate again. Data from the past year shows that new niche categories such as intimate care, sleep autonomy, hair volume, and eye nutrition have seen continuous growth.
Delving deeper, the rise of every niche trend track originates from a deep excavation and accurate grasp of differentiated demands. Now, consumers’ demands for nutritional supplements are more personalized. The time when one nutritional solution fits all is over. Based on individual differences such as age, gender, constitution, genetic factors, lifestyle, and dietary habits, targeted ingredient offerings support personalized nutrition supplementation, with precision nutrition becoming popular.
Looking into it, height growth, weight gain, and brain and eye development are focuses of the mother and baby demographic, oral beauty has become a core demand for female consumers, kidney strengthening is the focus of male group nutritional supplementation, and the elderly often face challenges of multiple comorbidities with major health issues related to quality of life, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and osteoporosis as chronic illnesses.
In addition to the three major directions mentioned above, some practitioners also emphasize that the nutrition and wellness industry has not yet reached an oligopolistic stage. Now, to break through early, it is necessary to intensively cultivate and invest more in category penetration and mindset positioning.
Keywords:
1. wholesale natural and organic pregnancy products
