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Today 79% of UAE and Saudi consumers place greater importance on their health than they did two years ago.
This is based on the findings in a new Datamonitor’
Topics such as stress, holistic and transparency attitudes are subjects the report delves into.
Based primarily on 2000 consumer interviews, 1000 in the UAE and 1000 in Saudi Arabia, it identifies how consumers’ relationship with health is becoming more multifaceted. Dieting is still a major feature of regional consumer behavior; 38% of UAE and 35% of Saudi consumers are still trying to diet on a regular basis. However consumers are also no longer focused solely on reducing food intake or avoiding ‘bad nutrients’. 62% of UAE and 55% of Saudi consumers are actively seeking out products with ‘added’ health benefits.
Product labeling has become a major related consumer issue, with 61% of UAE and 56% of Saudi consumers declaring that they use information written on packaging to make product choices all or most of the time. Manufacturers need to respond with clearer labels which can be ‘digested’
An increased sensitivity to allergies and intolerances are another emerging consequence of heightened health awareness, the report uncovered. Currently, 68% of UAE and 75% of Saudi consumers avoid products because of visceral, though often unfounded, allergy/intolerance fears. Clever product labeling, which also advertises what a product lacks can, in many cases, help manufacturers establish a price premium for products and cement brand loyalty.
Product transparency and ‘risk management’ are becoming much more important for food, beverage and personal care industry players as supply chains become longer, more complex and transnational. Simple measures, like specifying product country of origin have a significant effect on product choice.
The report has discovered that health is increasingly viewed in holistic terms by regional consumers. Not only are they more conscious of environmental health and the potential health benefits of living an ‘ethical’ life but many are proactively trying to live a balanced, sustainable, lifestyle. Stress levels and demands on time, particularly in wake of the global financial crisis, have become more acute. More than half of UAE and Saudi consumers now feel more stressed than they did six months ago. However health-aware consumers are actively seeking stress-relieving solutions and means to maximize leisure time. Marketing communications, as a result, need to empathize with consumer’s struggle to achieve more well-rounded, and fundamentally healthier, life-style.
The holistic health trend will be hugely important going forward simply because health considerations are having a growing influence on consumer behaviour. Because the growing demand for healthy products will not only be driven by those strictly maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but also by mainstream consumers who are attempting to live a little healthier, the opportunities for different product tiers or brand architectures which cater to differing degrees of health consciousness will define the regional consumer market in the years ahead.
Datamonitor:
http://www.reports-
Datamonitor:
http://www.reports-
