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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nancy White
The Natural Marketing Institute
215.513.7300 ext. 225
Nancy.White@NMIsolutions.com
Wellness Products Gain Distribution, Enhancing Convenience
As the market for wellness products matures, consumers find
these products available in an increasing variety of channels.
Harleysville,
Pa. (September 14, 2004) – The Natural
Marketing Institute (NMI), the leading provider of strategic
consulting and market research services within the health,
wellness, and sustainability industries, today expanded on
one of the trends it has identified as having a significant
effect on the health and wellness marketplace. This trend
is the eighth in the series of "NMI's Top 10
Trends of 2004."
Trend #8: Convenience and Availability Migrate Across Channels
According to trends culled from NMI's most recent data,
consumers are seeking (and finding) the wellness products
they have integrated into their lives from a widening array
of sources. Just over 38 percent of consumers reported that
they shop for healthy and natural products at a warehouse
or club store, up from 25 percent in 2001. Nearly 17 percent
of consumers indicated that they purchase these products
over the Internet – up from just over six percent in
2001. Additionally, consumers are seeking to integrate health
and wellness products in a number of ways. Sixty four percent
of consumers stated that they try to maintain the same healthy
eating standards when eating away from home. Furthermore,
nearly 43 percent of consumers responded that they would
eat more fast food products if they were available in healthier
versions.
"As consumers adopt wellness-related products and
practices into their lifestyles, they expect to be able to
fully integrate with their lifestyles including where they
shop for these products," said Maryellen Molyneaux,
NMI President. "Consumers want to find health and wellness
products where they shop regularly, and choose organic, low
carb, or vegetarian options, for example, in their favorite
restaurants or convenience stores." Molyneaux points
out that, while the trend represents an obvious opportunity
for increased distribution, it also exposes manufacturers
and retailers to increased consumer scrutiny. "Health
and wellness consumers are discerning shoppers, and as such,
they want to know how the products they use are made and
what corporate/social/health initiatives the manufacturer
and/or retailer truly support. In other words, don't
just give lip-service to healthy marketing communications
and product introductions, stand behind it in everything
you do," said Molyneaux.
NMI's
Top Trends of 2004 are the result of the company's
annual Health and Wellness Trends Database™ and LOHAS
Consumer Trends Database™ research projects, based
on research studies from over 15,000 U.S. consumer households.
The databases are nationally projectable to the general population
and statistically valid to +/-2%.
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NMI is a strategic consulting, market research, and business
development company specializing in the health, wellness,
and sustainable marketplace. This release is the third in a series of eleven articulating NMI's Top 10 Trends of
2004. For more information visit us on-line at www.NMIsolutions.com/news.html.
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