Coupling Health and Wellness with eCommerce in 2020
Where there’s a will there’s a way!
Before COVID, Health and Wellness industry trends were on the rise. Per Mintel, 77% of Americans said they are “actively trying to improve their health in some way.” With people becoming more health-conscious, the health and wellness industry has seen an increase in demand; what’s changed are the customers’ shopping behaviors. To adapt to the new norms, it’s imperative to keep up to date with the trends and customer expectations, as insight is GOLDEN. As consumers adapt to the unfamiliar landscape of re-opening and perhaps closing stores again, what is certain is the recent shopping habits being adopted. Many experts agree while stores may reopen, consumers’ shifting shopping habits, needs, and expectations will most likely stay. As a response, many players in the Health and Wellness industry are investing the time to revive and design solutions that fuse digital and physical commerce together even tighter.
With changing behaviors, consumers are becoming more responsive to email marketing messages, while also spending more time engaging and purchasing through social media channels. Consumers are more likely to open personalized emails, like posts on social media, and claim unique offers! All of this has led to an uptick in eCommerce sales.
Why is this important to YOU?
Studies show that consumers are trying to stay fit both mentally and physically, now more than ever they are taking a holistic approach to wellness!
Topics Trending Now:
- CBD Based Products – CBD oil is used for many ailments such as pain relief, anxiety, and stress relief. The market is expected to grow by 31.9% from 2020 to 2027.
- Energy Medicine – Ancient energy medicines like Ayurveda or shamanism have been on the rise. People want to optimize their health & vitality holistically.
- Personalized Medicine – Just like our current personalization of other products and services, consumers are looking to have a personalized touch to their wellness treatments. From supplements to therapies, studies find that personalization enhances motivation, engagement, and results for the consumer.
- Integrative Health – With workouts come recovery, this is where integrative health has gained momentum. From cupping, cryotherapy, floating for the body and meditation and sound baths for emotional wellness. Per MindBodyOnline, “69% notice a significant change in their mood after getting integrative health/alternative medicine services.”
What can YOU do to enhance your approach?
Health and Wellness is a $350 billion industry and diversifying your customer outreach is a key to engaging new customers that were perhaps once constrained by geographical limitations. With lines between brick and mortar and online digital becoming blurred, the potential for eCommerce in Health and Wellness is HUGE!
A strong online presence is a cornerstone to your success, but to maximize outreach, an omnichannel approach is best, where the physical store, digital online, and mobile meet to provide a seamless customer experience across all channels. A study by Omnisend.com highlighted, “Campaigns using three or more channels to reach their customers enjoyed a 22.4% engagement rate average across those channels, while marketers using a single-channel campaign earned only 11.1% engagement in that campaign.” Most companies that take this approach double their engagement, increase their sales, build loyal customers and increase return customers!
How a STRONG online presence benefits YOU!
- Gain new customers through search visibility – People do not just research products/services online, they also convert to customers. You can use search engine optimization (SEO) to increase your visibility on the web. Sell where your customers hang out.
- Establish yourself as a thought leader– By sharing your knowledge on different channels and mediums, your name and brand become synonymous with knowledge, which is a key factor in building your online community.
- Overcome geographical limitations – Your store/practice will have no boundaries. Anyone will see what your business has to offer and shop from your store. One website that will reach across all borders.
- Lower costs – In most cases, starting an eCommerce business costs less than a traditional storefront. Grow with your business!
- Customer data insights – Get smarter and better predict trends to capitalize on them before everyone catches up. Selling online allows you to gather data from your customers, which in return will provide you great insight on what your next steps for business should be. The loop of constant feedback provides you a platform to be hyper-focused on your customer experience and create actionable next steps for your business
- Provide abundant information for consumption – Content is king! An online presence provides you an opportunity to dive deeper into your products/services. Having a branded site gives practitioners/owners a place to provide key content to customers. You can educate customers and help them make better buying decisions. It also allows you to grow your subscriber lists, create targeted email campaigns that create unique experiences that meet the needs of your audience!
- Serve your niche market – Serving your niche customers is easier when you are online. It can be a place of community and dive into the greater depths.
- Open all the time – 24 hours, 7 days a week! – Your online presence is always on, and your stores are open for businesses no matter time or day. Automated chatbots allow you to connect with potential leads even when you are away.
The use of digital channels keeps increasing, per Retail Dive, “87% of shoppers are doing product searches online, up from 71% last year.“ With the ever so changing landscape, it’s important to create initiatives that can take your business to the next level.
At Alena Solutions, we take pride in helping our customers succeed with their eCommerce initiatives. Our team has delivered digital experiences that have brought in more than $1.3B of revenue to date. Our clients convert up to 5x their industry average! Now more than ever it is important to diversify and use data for your business’s go-forward strategy. Let’s chat! We are happy to connect!
About the author
Osanna is experienced in leading teams and businesses with empathy and analytics. She loves helping brands shape their vision and enhance their strategic stance in the market.