29th November 2019
Sports Nutrition in the UK
Consumption is Rising
Sports nutrition consumption is on the rise. Consumers in the UK are now turning to more functional products that offer them a greater benefit when exercising. FMCG Gurus research shows that in Q3 2017 8% of consumers had energy drinks daily and only 3% had protein snack bars daily. In comparison to Q4 2019, there has been a significant rise in these numbers. Now 16% of consumers in the UK have a protein bar daily and 29% of people are having an energy drink a day. This is due to consumers growing more aware of the benefits that protein can offer.
When purchasing products high in whey protein, 52% are aware of the additional benefits of whey protein hydrolysates versus whey protein isolates or concentrates. These benefits include stimulation of muscle growth and reducing weight gain.
The Importance of Claims & Color
Storytelling on packaging can be done in many ways and claims are key to getting the attention of the consumers. Consumers want to be able to trust the brands they buy with transparent ingredients. The top claims consumers seek when looking at sports nutrition products are; Natural colors (71%), Kosher (64%), and Non-GMO (63%).
Color is also important in the eyes of the consumer when it comes to packaging. In the UK people associate Greens (75%) and reds (73%) with sports nutrition products whilst only 14% associate the color white with sports nutrition products.
Social Media Impact
Today we are living in a tech future with consumers having access to the internet at the palms of their hands. Social media is now a key part of everyday life, especially when looking for new products and word of mouth. Consumers are actively researching products as 50% say they use social media to research information on sports nutrition. One of the key areas people are researching is product reviews (64%). Secondly, people are researching health benefits (55%) of sports nutrition products. Social media has a great impact on consumers purchasing decisions as 64% say the information is influential or very influential.
This data comes from our UK Sports Nutrition Survey Q4 2019 & Q3 2017.
For more details on our sports nutrition surveys please click here.