What Are People Looking For in Vitamin Supplements?

People have taken vitamin supplements as a way to attain better health and avoid disease since the 1930s. While our desire to live better has not changed, the landscape of the supplement word has changed completely. What are people looking for in a vitamin supplement today?

Vitamins that make them feel better

While we all know that vitamins are a crucial building block for all major processes in the body, it’s impossible to feel individual body processes working. In most cases, it is unlikely anyone would feel the action of any one vitamin unless they were severely deficient. For the most part, the effects of these supplements are felt over time and in a mix of useful vitamins.

What most people are looking for in a vitamin supplement is something more general. They want something that will help them feel better: more energetic, less tired, or more alert. This desire is so profound that energy drinks and energy vitamin supplements continue to saturate the market.

Vitamins that are easy to swallow

This might seem like an obvious statement, but for some people, their choice of vitamin may boil down to a question of which pill is the easiest one to take. There is disagreement about why some people find it so difficult to swallow pills, but there is no disagreement over the preference of most consumers for simple swallowing.

This presents a challenge for vitamin manufacturers who need to make quality supplements out of the best ingredients with the right absorption rates, but in such a way that people will find them easy to swallow.

Something to slow aging

As the baby boomer population grows older, this enormous demographic is looking for vitamins that help them avoid the worst pains and strains of aging and keep up their strength and vitality for as long as possible.

Age-specific vitamins have become some of the biggest sellers for this group, with an emphasis on Vitamin D and calcium for bone health, Vitamin B12 for energy, and B6 for a healthy immune system and memory support. Elderly vitamin consumers are also interested in vitamin combinations that help them keep up their vitality for as long as possible.

Alternatives to traditional medicine

The millennial generation is generally interested in avoiding a lot of traditional (and expensive) healthcare by looking into the vitamin and supplement aisle. As this generation begins to move beyond the full vigor of youth, many want to stop the advance of aging and disease before it starts.

Millennials are also particularly keen to buy targeted vitamin supplements, like an energy booster for those slow days, a brain boost for a tough day at work, or something to help them pump just a few more times at the gym. This demographic is also one that manufacturers are anxious to attract, as they are likely to remain loyal to a trusted supplement for decades.

A way to ditch the medications

Americans are taking more pills now than ever before, and over half the population is on four prescription medications. Lots of people would love to get rid of some of their medications, or at least ramp them down if at all possible; especially considering the cost of drugs and the risk of adverse effects and interactions.

People are increasingly looking for holistic ways to address their health issues, from acupuncture to yoga, and from vitamin supplements to herbal remedies. Fish oils fortified with Vitamin E and Vitamin D pills are increasingly in demand for those looking to protect their hearts, boost their immune systems, or fight allergies.

It’s an interesting and exciting time in the world of vitamin manufacturing, and the challenge is to keep up with the demands and needs of consumers while still producing a valuable and useful product. Understanding consumer demand is the first step in meeting this challenge.