Ewa Hudson, director of insights at Lumina Intelligence, informed attendees on the latest IPA World Congress and Probiota 2025 that the digital transformation in well being and health is occurring quickly, regardless of individuals’s pure resistance to altering habits.
“Altering individuals’s habits is a really tough factor to do, however we’re seeing that the rise of client use of tracker apps and wearable expertise is reworking client habits at an unimaginable tempo,” Hudson stated.
The influence of apps on complement suggestions
When customers see real-time deficiencies or developments—equivalent to low vitamin ranges, poor sleep high quality or insufficient hydration—they’re extra more likely to take motion to handle these considerations, Hudson defined.
In keeping with the Lumina Intelligence knowledge, throughout Europe (UK, Italy, France, Germany and Spain), 54% of the inhabitants studies utilizing well being or health apps and trackers. As these apps gather vital consumer knowledge, this permits corporations to personalize suggestions and goal merchandise successfully.
By way of the type of the app, health monitoring leads the best way, with 33% of customers monitoring exercises, adopted by 19% monitoring food regimen and 18% specializing in total well being. Apps for psychological well-being and fertility monitoring are additionally considerably used.
Notably, nearly all app customers reported buying a minimum of one really helpful product yearly.
“Customers are already turning to apps for product suggestions, and 93% of app customers report buying well being merchandise—equivalent to dietary supplements—based mostly on app strategies,” Hudson shared.
And whereas shoppers primarily purchase dietary supplements and sports activities merchandise in bodily shops (55%), many additionally store by means of e-commerce (30%) or instantly from the app (15% to 22%).
Altering client objectives
Hudson defined that Maslow’s hierarchy of wants, a principle by psychologist Abraham Maslow, predicts how priorities shift as individuals age, pushed by evolving wants.
Because of this, well being objectives change over time. Younger adults might prioritize health and efficiency, whereas older adults focus extra on illness prevention and total well-being.
“Getting old, good well being and longevity at the moment are key well being objectives for the inhabitants,” she said, noting that these priorities are particularly outstanding in nations equivalent to Spain, Italy, France and the UK.
Curiously, “getting higher sleep” ranked second, adopted by “supporting temper and psychological well being.”
Sleep, a major concern for shoppers between the ages of 18 and 35 takes priority in these youthful age teams. Nonetheless, by ages 45 to 65, “wholesome growing old and longevity” turns into extra essential, and sleep shifts to a secondary precedence.
Seeking to biotics
Biotics have a rising relevance within the well being market, supporting the altering wants and priorities of individuals by means of life phases, Hudson dish, noting that 60% of Europeans report taking probiotics a minimum of annually, with 28% utilizing them weekly.
“We’re already seeing vital shifts in client well being objectives and priorities, and the seek for biotics displays that,” she stated.
In keeping with the info, the most typical causes shoppers take biotic dietary supplements embody bettering intestine microbiome well being and total well-being, adopted by in search of improved sleep, in addition to lowering the opposed results of prescribed medicine.
“The trade is well-prepared, with quite a few research and new strains of probiotics within the pipeline,” she stated, emphasizing the speedy growth and readiness to satisfy the rising demand for merchandise concentrating on psychological well being and stress administration.
Regardless of probiotics’ recognition, data gaps persist, as solely 36% of shoppers report actually understanding their advantages, Hudson identified.
“There’s nonetheless work to be achieved in educating the general public concerning the science behind probiotics,” she stated.
On the identical time, prebiotics are gaining traction, particularly within the context of supporting GLP-1 agonist customers.
“Prebiotics are rising as key gamers, and merchandise that mix prebiotics with probiotics could also be notably efficient in addressing the wants of this inhabitants,” Hudson stated.
“As the usage of GLP-1 medication continues to develop, notably within the U.S., there’s potential for probiotic merchandise that assist the microbiome in gentle of those remedies.
“This presents a novel alternative for probiotic merchandise geared toward GLP-1 customers, notably in a post-treatment section,” she stated.
Future developments
Because the microbiome science area continues to evolve, Hudson famous that the following frontier could possibly be mobile growing old, an space that probiotics have but to completely discover.
“There’s rising curiosity within the position of probiotics in supporting mobile well being and stopping neurodegenerative illnesses,” she stated.
“The mix of biotics, digital instruments and a rising understanding of the microbiome presents big alternatives for manufacturers to innovate and meet the evolving wants of right this moment’s health-conscious shoppers.”
