Lubrizol taps social listening to inform consumer-led ‘Nutra 2.0’ strategy
Lubrizol Life Science Health (LLS Health) recently debuted a new consumer-led approach aimed at connecting the dots by aligning supplement makers with their customers’ behaviors.
LLS Health is on a mission to gain deeper insights into the purchasing behavior of dietary supplements based on conversations and activities on social media platforms. To obtain these insights, LLS Health commissioned AI-driven research company 113 industries, which specializes in developing consumer behavior models using machine learning to gather and analyze vast relevant consumer-generated content.
Overall, 2,286,816 posts from Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and forums were analyzed to gain insight into unmet needs, evolving preferences, as well as perceptions and concerns regarding ingredients and nutraceuticals.
“The idea of this market research was to bring forth the voice of the consumer using social analytics software that acquires online conversations across publicly available data sources. Using Natural Language Processing and other artificial intelligence, sources can be obtained where conversations occur, rising or falling behaviors, top terms, and passion around a given topic, as well as engagement on singular or multiple posts. By analyzing these conversations, we were able to extract patterns and trends that ultimately turn into insights that we then turn into a marketing strategy,” explained Isabel Gómez, Global Marketing Manager for LLS Health’s nutraceutical business.
“The findings show that, in order to appeal to consumers, manufacturers need to satisfy both the logical and the emotional sides of consumer consciousness.”
Consumer profiling
The research characterized several types of supplement consumers, the most prevalent being the health-hooked consumer eager to explore new products to maintain overall well-being. This was followed by the informed seeker of solutions to personal problems, specifically sleep, mental health, skincare and gut health. Other types included irregular users, mechanical users; skeptics who believe in “food first and supplements only when necessary”; and the fertility/pregnancy-minded consumer.
When seeking health products, today’s consumers not only demand science-backed, clinically substantiated ingredients with proven benefits, but also those that offer sensory appeal to satisfy their intangible, emotional needs. This research is reflected in the nutraceutical portfolio of LLS Health, which offers proven solutions designed for a range of products such as syrups, gummies, and powder sticks, providing key sensory benefits such as taste, mouthfeel, and visual appeal.
“The left side of the brain focuses on science and clinical evidence, while the right side focuses on sensory experience,” explained Gómez. “By gaining a deeper insight into these mechanisms, Lubrizol addresses product solutions that provide a stronger value proposition, such as with science-backed, microencapsulated ingredients that tackle different categories of well-being as well as around-the-clock needs.”
Speaking to NutraIngredients-USA, Gómez laid out several findings that stood out most.
Key Takeaways:
1. Consumers are taking a proactive approach to prevent health problems to ensure long-term wellbeing.
2. Consumers are looking to supplements for more than just physical wellbeing. There is a significant focus on overall wellness and mental health within this space.
3. Consumers place more emphasis on the beneficial ingredients/components of supplements and less on the brand or retailer.
4. As the impact of the pandemic continues to linger, consumers continue to demonstrate a heightened level of concern about their immune health.
5. Several posts mentioned the need for improved sleep is at the root of a more balanced and healthier lifestyle for many. Consumers said they were trying to improve insomnia, sleep quality, or general issues. Also, a high proportion of consumers indicate interest in supplements that help aid skin health.
6. Bad taste, stomach upset, and nausea are high-volume topics related to dietary supplement intake.
7. Consumers seek out effective solutions to help address their concerns. Based on this, Better-for-you products positioned around ingredient claims also must offer sensory appeal and convenience
8. Preferred formats are portable, easy to take, and have the most pleasant mouthfeel: gummies, chewable tablets, sticks, or liquid formats.
9. Consumers prioritize recognizable ingredients such as specific vitamins, minerals, and/or herbal supplements.
10. The modern consumer is increasingly skeptical and wants scientific proof, maximum authenticity, and reassurance around claims made of the products they are taking.
Informing strategy
Gómez explained that as holistic health continues to come to the fore, consumers are recognizing that all aspects of health are interlinked, furthering demand for products that carry a variety of claims and benefits.
“Based on our research and when analyzing the purchasing drivers, we can see how important it has become for brands to consider the unmet needs from the left side of the brain – the logical, data-driven side combined with the right side, based more on the senses and the emotions in new product launches. The consumer understands the science, which explains the health benefits across different demographics. The format and presentation of the product, on the other hand, satisfy those non-science-based criteria, which also need to be met,” Gómez said.
With this in mind, she noted that brands should leverage these focus areas by launching product formats that are growing in popularity with millennials and Gen Z as they grow their disposable income. Gómez added that with the importance of sensory appeal and convenience to the end consumer, formats around gummies or portable powder sticks should be prioritized as delivery formats.
“Brands should focus on launching products with science-backed ingredients that ensure absorption, ease of digestion and minimal side effects such as metallic taste or stomach upset. A way to do that is by including branded ingredients to support product positioning,” she said.
Trend forecasting
“Consumers are increasingly interested in products that help improve sleep quality and reduce stress and anxiety,” Gómez said. “Over the next five years, we expect to see products with claims referring to stress and sleep support.”
She added that there is also a resurgence in launch activity for supplements, mainly in the chew/gummy formats. “They offer consumers a convenient and sensory-appealing alternative, so we expect to see more of this in the future. Moreover, consumers are also interested in products that provide a long-lasting effect, such as a sustained energy boost to get them through the day. Therefore, bringing up designed release products is an attractive feature to differentiate products.”
Lastly, Gómez highlighted skin health, which has certainly enjoyed steady growth in recent years. “As consumers increasingly expand their definitions of Health & Beauty, creating new spaces that cross over traditional boundaries, we expect the meaning of this category to take on a new dimension driven by the growing connection between beauty and nutrition, with supplements expanding the menu for wellbeing with skin benefits.
Lubrizol will be showcasing this new strategy at Vitafoods Europe May 9-11 in Geneva.
