What Shoppers Care About: 3 Trends in Sustainability
Content provided by Naturally Austin partner NielsenIQ Byzzer
With growing numbers of conscious consumers driving demand for natural and sustainable products, natural brands like yours can be a fast pass to higher revenue and market share.
Courtesy of our partner, NielsenIQ Byzzer, here’s a look at some of the latest trends in health and wellness surrounding sustainability that can help you stand out to retailers.
Sustainability is a Growing Niche
Health and wellness is now the single most powerful force influencing consumers worldwide, and the concept of health and wellness has expanded beyond individual health to include the health of the environment. Shoppers understand that their purchase decisions affect their living conditions—the quality of the air, water, and land around them—and are using their consumption choices to advocate for a better world.
According to NielsenIQ research, 72% of surveyed respondents across the globe say they would be willing to pay a premium for products that claim to be sustainable. In the U.S., 30% of consumers are more likely to buy products with sustainable credentials.
From Intention to Action
Shoppers are putting action behind their words, with retailers seeing higher sales for sustainably and naturally made products. For example, plant-based products are winning across the store, rising 48% in food and beverage, 40% in personal care, and 15% in household care.
Environmental Sustainability attributes growing the most in three departments:
Food and Beverage (+17%)
Personal Care (+16%)
Vitamins / OTC (+16%)
Offering sustainable products is far more than simply a do-good activity. With growth rates exceeding industry growth in many categories, the business case is clear: sustainability drives share and revenue, not just good publicity.
Packaging Trends: Less is More
Recyclable packaging is becoming a baseline expectation for shoppers, with recyclable products across the store showing a 17% increase over the past two years. Consumers are also increasingly seeking products with packaging that has already incorporated recycled materials (+8%).
Search trends around packaging indicate areas of opportunity for growth in the coming years. Personal Care products have seen a 94% increase in searches for “plastic-free,” a 74% increase in searches for “refillable packaging,” and an 11% decrease in searches including “disposable.”
Want More Sustainability Trends to Help Build Your Business?
Want to accelerate your brand’s growth with early access to the latest trends in sustainability? As a member of Naturally Austin’s community, you can sign up for three free reports from NielsenIQ Byzzer, a retail data analytics platform that puts the same data big brands are using into the hands of small businesses. It’s data the easy way: simple, affordable, and actionable.