Pharmacy Daily | Supplement snacking!

FRUIT isn't cutting it for the younger generation, who would rather chew a vitamin gummy or pop a high-tech capsule to stay youthful and healthy, reports alizila.

Generation Z consumers born after 1995 eclipsed older shoppers in terms of anti-ageing purchases.

"In terms of wellness awareness, Gen Z consumers woke up earlier than their parents," says Candice Wan, Bayer's Vice President of APAC cross-border e-commerce.

"And unlike their parents, tablespoons of cod liver oil and giant multi-vitamin capsules aren't enough.

"Tablet-shaped vitamins make consumers feel like they are taking medicine, [and] makes it difficult for them to develop a long-time habit," added Wan.

Young shoppers demand tasty, convenient and straightforward products, and the company's One A Day brand ticks these boxes with fruit-flavoured gummy vitamins packed with 10 supplements.

Zoomers aren't the only ones stocking up.

Searches for "anti-ageing" as a whole rose 500% year on year in the first sales period of last year's 6.18 Mid-Year Shopping Festival on B2C marketplace Tmall.

Companies young and old are flocking to take part in this upcoming health boom, from 159-year-old Bayer to a new generation of technology-powered health startups.

This includes newcomer supplement brand Ritual, which launched on Alibaba's Tmall e-commerce platform this year and has amassed a following among Gen Z and Millennial shoppers, with a quarter of buyers under 25.

"Our patented bead-in-oil design allows us to combine oily and dry ingredients in one capsule, which means consumers can get key nutrients like omega-3 DHA and vitamin D3 in just two capsules a day," said Joy Chua-Schwartz, Ritual's Vice President and Business Development Director.

The company sources ingredients globally and develops the final product in stateside labs.

"Seeking changes and innovations" is an integral part of life for supplement brands in this competitive field, according to Bayer's Wan.

But newer is not necessarily always better.

Modern supplements can complete, not compete, with traditional health regimes rooted in thousands of years of traditional medicine practice, according to Chua-Schwartz.

"Anything you're doing for your health can be done in parallel and can complement one another.

Bayer and Ritual both see a growing focus on the origin and quality of ingredients, as consumers prioritise efficacy and take time to research and evaluate products.

"All of our work around sustainability resonates a lot with that younger generation," said Chua-Schwartz.

It's paying off. Ritual's high-tech capsules have quickly gained traction, and around a quarter of purchases made during the mid-year shopping festival were by repeat buyers.

Likewise, Bayer's One A Day brand saw 60% sales growth during last year's 6.18 shopping festival, with the Gen Z customers accounting for 16.78% of the shopping force.