The Growth Of Health & Wellness In Ecommerce

Health and Wellness is quickly becoming a large and powerful force in the eCommerce sector. This is a result of rising health consciousness, preventative healthcare measures, new dietary decisions and growing eCommerce health retail. Health and wellness retailers have a chance to capitalize on this expanding market, and the eCommerce world plays a part in this.

The Trend Towards Wellness

Health is becoming a top priority for consumers worldwide. People are becoming more invested in maintaining good health and preventing illness. Examples of products and markets that are seeing these booms are:

• Appearance (cosmetic, haircare, skincare)

• Health (vitamins, over-counter medications)

• Fitness (memberships, devices, classes)

• Nutrition (subscription services)

• Sleep (mattresses, weighted blankets, supplements)

• Mindfulness (meditation and mindfulness apps, therapy)

We can see this growth mainly in the Millennial and Gen Z demographics, who are also most likely to purchase products via an eCommerce channel. Another main reason this trend is taking place is a focus on healthy aging. This demand spans different generations, all consumers who are looking to live longer and healthier lives. 

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Challenges In The Industry

Demand is high, but there are complexities that are specific to the wellness industry. In a  saturated market, often full of vast catalogs, how are you going to stand out from the crowd? 

Search

Health and wellness retailers can have thousands of SKUs over multiple categories. Consumers will frequently search based on:

• Ingredients

• Health benefits

• Values (ethical sourcing/sustainability)

• Certifications

This means that a standard site search will not suffice. Instead, an advanced site search solution is needed. This may be backed by AI, which will allow for intricate and accurate search through different products.

There are several search functionalities that can be used to help solve this problem.

Multimodal Search

Multimodal search allows the consumer to search visually or verbally, as opposed to typing alone. This means that if the shopper knows what the product looks like, or has a picture of something similar, they can use this as search input. This saves them time and effort, and will match them with what they are looking for on your site. 

Verbal search gives them the chance to save time by just speaking what they are searching for, as opposed to having to type it out. This gives them the freedom and comfort to use natural language instead of having to type, especially if the search is keyword based.

Vector Search

Vector Search is great as it uses user intent to source results, rather than keywords alone. Through AI and machine learning, Vector Search offers more accurate results than ever before without the need for specific words or matches. It’s a fast and seamless way of ensuring that customers find the results they need.



Personalization

Another challenge in the health and wellness industry is ensuring that shoppers have personalized enough experiences. All consumers expect a top level of personalization, and when it comes to health and wellness, this is no different. 

People’s health and wellness routines are very individually tailored to their own needs. The shopping experience you offer them should reflect this. Making sure you save any information previously shared, or offer personalized quizzes or surveys can be a great way of guiding customers in the right direction.

This personalized interaction also boosts engagement which boosts brand loyalty and trust. Many sites for skincare often offer a personalized quiz before you enter the store, in order for them to suggest products that will meet your needs.

Merchandising

When it comes to selling, merchandising is key. In situations where there are large catalogs, merchandising can sometimes be a challenge. Manual merchandising processes take a long time, and can be prone to error.

AI based Merchandising allows your merchandising strategy to be based on previous data, rather than just guesswork. This means that shoppers will see what suits them best, and your business will grow. Having a strong merchandising strategy when it comes to the health and wellness industry is key.

Conclusion

As we have seen, the rise in the health and wellness industry comes with a lot of potential for growth in the eCommerce world. However, it is not without its difficulties. In order to capitalize on this opportunity, you need to make sure that you have a superior and successful Site Search, Merchandising and Personalization strategy in place. If you have all this covered, you are set to go far.

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