There is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the drug category in food and retail. With the 2021 cold and flu season approaching, Retail World takes a look at the trends shaping the category and the potential impact of the “new normal”.
With consumer health concerns rising over the past year, dominated by Covid, pharmaceuticals were one of the most visited categories in the grocery and retail sectors. Surely the medical shelves at my local supermarket were emptied along with the toilet paper aisle when the 2020 pandemic first hit.
"Unsurprisingly, Covid-19 has sparked a growing interest in protecting immunity, and consumers are proactively looking for ways to protect and strengthen their immunity and overall well-being through sustainable health practices," said Nicky Dolman, Head of Nutrition and Digestive Health at Bayer Consumer Health ANZ.
"Consumers are looking for preventive solutions that are easy to incorporate into their daily lives."
She says this is happening now more than ever, which increases the opportunities within the industry to meet this need.
"The opportunities lie in our industry and our partners to leverage these opportunities to make everyday health products as accessible and convenient as possible for consumers," she said, "whether in-store or online."
Ms Dolman explained how the pandemic affected the category and said the main driver behind the March to April 2020 sales surge was panic buying. "Covid-19 has reinforced our predicted prioritization of consumers for everyday health solutions and will have a positive long-term impact on the industry as a whole," she said.
"We have seen good and continuous growth in our domestic retail offering since then (beginning of pandemic in Australia)."
For more information on the household items category, see the May issue of Retail World magazine.
