Convenience, innovation driving APAC consumers to wellness brands

Brands with convenient solutions to health and wellness concerns are resonating ever more with APAC consumers, according to a study from Mintel.

Increasingly innovative and local brands are helping more consumers tackle their well-being issues, said Delon Wang, APAC trends manager at Mintel, by marrying the region's mobile-first audience with convenient tools to get healthy.

According to Mintel’s 2017 APAC Metro Consumer Study, 53 percent of Indonesians said convenience is the top influencer of purchasing decisions, while 46 percent of Thais shop close to home or work because of a lack of time.

With health and wellness being listed as a key priority for most APAC consumers surveyed, Wang said the modern APAC metro consumer is looking to multi-task and maintain an active lifestyle as part of that.

As such, apps such as Wanderclass in Malaysia, which offers flexible fitness class booking, and Boxgreen in Singapore, which has launched a healthy snack vending machine in the central business district, are gaining fast traction with urbanites.

Incentives and gamification are also key trends in the APAC health and wellness sector, with Wang saying that new technologies are helping build activity-based communities and creating motivation for health-seeking consumers.

Examples include AIA Malaysia offering rewards for health achievements made by their insurance holders, or a new Japanese cycling gym that uses VR to transport members to various locations around the world.

“Brands are looking to endow convenience and flexibility to their services in order to suit urban lifestyles,” Wang said. “In addition, there is a heightened demand for greater experiences.”

Moreover, Wang said another important trend in the health and wellness space in APAC was progressive government intervention.

With the World Health Organisation estimating that diabetes will have tripled in Malaysia by 2030 to nearly 2.5 million people, for example, governments are looking for innovative ways to encourage healthier lifestyles, similar to brands.

Measures include Thailand’s ‘Smart Food’ programme, which offers nutritional, balanced meals to senior citizens, while Indonesia is considering a soda tax to curb sugar consumption.