This report looks at the following areas:
- Policies and market factors affecting the health and wellness market
- Marketing activities and new product trends in the health and wellness market
- Sub-health issues and health management behaviours
- Attitude towards traditional Chinese healthcare practices and hidden opportunities
- Opportunities for innovation in chronic disease management
Sub-health issues and chronic diseases are on the rise and consumers are growing ever more health-conscious, spurring brands to compete for a slice of the market. Brands can target consumer pain points and differentiate themselves from the competition by adopting vivid and lively communication methods, such as expanding usage occasions and creating personalised consumer profiles.
Qianqian Ji, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
This year’s Report continues to track consumers’ sub-health issues and health management behaviours, and compares them with data from the past two years. In addition, it also focuses on consumer attitudes towards traditional Chinese healthcare, as well as attitudes towards chronic disease management and its pain points. Amid the rising popularity of Chinese-style wellness and chronic disease management, this Report aims to identify pain points that have not yet been addressed by the market and identify opportunities for innovation.
In this Report, GNPD analysis covers the food, drink and healthcare categories.
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Executive summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- The market
- Market factors
- Companies and brands
- Marketing activities
- New product trends
- The consumer
- Vision and sleep issues have continued to grow over the past three years
- Graph 1: sub-health issues, 2022-24
- Aside from vision and digestive issues, chronic back and shoulder pain are also common sub-health issues in close relatives
- Graph 2: sub-health issues of close relatives vs respondents' own sub-health issues, 2024
- Consumers still value time spent with friends/family and learning about health-related topics, while focusing more on inner happiness and contentment
- Graph 3: changes in health management behaviours, 2024
- Consumers prefer accessing free information on social media and health platforms, supplemented by content from professional paid channels
- Graph 4: channels used to obtain healthcare knowledge, 2024
- Nourishing plant-based ingredients have higher market penetration, but there is greater potential in nourishing animal-derived ingredients
- Graph 5: attitude towards traditional Chinese healthcare methods, 2024
- The vast majority of respondents have health/disease management issues, with medicinal side-effects as the top issue
- Graph 6: pain points in long-term treatment of chronic diseases, 2024
- Over half of respondents are concerned about cardiovascular diseases
- Graph 7: attitude towards detailed symptoms of cardiovascular diseases, 2024
- Issues and insights
- What we think
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The market
- Market factors
- The NHC issued several nutritional guidelines for patients with chronic diseases which integrate principles from Chinese and Western medicine
- Innovations in chronic disease insurance are on the agenda
- TCM culture will become an important component of leisure time
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Companies and brands
- Marketing activities
- Bring new experiences to traditional wellness culture
- Build a stronger relationship with consumers by leveraging 'healing' culture
- Visualise the concept of the 'fourth meal' of health supplements
- New product trends
- Convenience and minus claims continue to grow, while natural and functional claims rebound after a slowdown
- Graph 8: health-related claim categories to watch in food, drink and healthcare launches, 2019-24
- Highlight the claims that consumers are most concerned about on the front of packaging
- Launches that boost energy, satiety and eye health lead the way in new innovations
- Graph 9: select fast-growing functional claims in food, drink and healthcare launches, 2019-24
- Utilise technology to enhance satiety and create a calorie deficit
- Help consumers with sub-health issues and chronic diseases find a balance between watching what they eat and satisfying their taste buds
- The trend for freshly made TCM-inspired food and drinks shows no sign of slowing down
- AI supports precision health management
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The consumer
- Sub-health Issues
- Poor eyesight, digestion problems and sleep disorders remain the three most common sub-health issues…
- Graph 10: sub-health issues, 2022-24
- …and these three problems are linked to multiple other sub-health issues, signalling possibilities for persona-led communication
- Younger, middle-aged and high-income consumers are more likely to experience sleep and skin issues…
- Graph 11: consumers with sleep and skin issues, by monthly household income, 2024
- Graph 12: consumers with sleep and skin issues, by age, 2024
- …and parents of very young children face the same issues
- Graph 13: consumers with sleep and skin issues, by marital status, 2024
- …as do pet owners
- Graph 14: consumers with sleep and skin issues, by living situation, 2024
- Sub-health issues of close relatives
- Respondents' close relatives also suffer from chronic back and shoulder pain
- Graph 15: sub-health issues of close relatives vs respondents' own sub-health issues, 2024
- Women aged 18-24 are more sensitive to the health of their close relatives
- Graph 16: sub-health issues of close relatives, by select ages and genders, 2024
- Graph 17: personal income and living situation, women aged 18-24 vs all respondents, 2024
- Changes in health management behaviours
- Consumers still value time spent with friends/family and learning about health-related topics, while focusing more on inner happiness and contentment
- Graph 18: changes in health management behaviours, 2024
- Sports and professional health products/services are becoming an essential part of a healthy lifestyle
- Consumers with anxiety/depression, skin problems and hyperuricemia/gout are more interested in supplements and health knowledge
- Graph 19: changes in health management behaviours – more, by sub-health issues, 2024
- Channels used to obtain healthcare knowledge
- Consumers prefer accessing free information on social media and health platforms, supplemented by content from professional paid channels
- Graph 20: channels used to obtain healthcare knowledge, 2024
- High-income families are more willing to seek healthcare knowledge through a variety of channels
- Graph 21: channels used to obtain healthcare knowledge, by monthly household income, 2024
- The post-1990s generation embrace both mainstream channels and emerging professional channels
- Graph 22: select channels used to obtain healthcare knowledge, by generation, 2024
- Consumers with sleep, skin and emotional sub-health issues are key targets for mainstream information channels
- Graph 23: channels used to obtain healthcare knowledge, by sub-health issues, 2024*
- Attitude towards traditional Chinese healthcare methods
- Consumers show high levels of satisfaction and interest in minimally processed traditional healthcare products
- Herbal/plant-based ingredients have higher market penetration, but there is greater growth potential in ingredients derived from animals
- Graph 24: attitude towards traditional Chinese healthcare methods, 2024
- Focus on female consumers to boost customer engagement and retention
- Graph 25: attitude towards traditional Chinese healthcare methods – have tried and will try again, by gender, 2024
- Consumers with sleep, digestion, vision and skin problems welcome all sorts of traditional treatments
- Graph 26: attitude towards traditional Chinese healthcare methods – will try again or are willing to try, by sub-health issues, 2024*
- Pain points in long-term treatment of chronic diseases
- The vast majority of respondents have health/disease management issues, with medicinal side-effects as the top issue
- Graph 27: pain points in long-term treatment of chronic diseases, 2024
- Tap into unexplored health management markets in anxiety/depression, sleep disorders, skin issues and hyperuricemia/gout
- Graph 28: pain points in long-term treatment of chronic diseases, by respondents' own sub-health issues, 2024*
- The three 'highs' and hyperuricemia/gout are key battlegrounds for chronic disease management products marketed towards the filial economy
- Graph 29: pain points in long-term treatment of chronic diseases, by sub-health issues of close relatives, 2024*
- High-income families are more willing to pay for products and services that safely supplement and enhance the treatment experience
- Graph 30: pain points in long-term treatment of chronic diseases, by monthly household income, 2024
- There is huge scope for the development of chronic disease management products and services marketed for 'the good health of the whole family'
- Graph 31: pain points in long-term treatment of chronic diseases, by living situation, 2024
- Attitude towards detailed symptoms of cardiovascular diseases
- Over half of respondents are concerned about all types of cardiovascular diseases…
- Graph 32: attitude towards detailed symptoms of cardiovascular diseases, 2024
- …and respondents are most active in the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure
- Graph 33: preventative/treatment activity among those concerned about cardiovascular issues*, 2024
- There is growing awareness around the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases among younger demographics
- Graph 34: attitude towards detailed symptoms of cardiovascular diseases – concerned, by age, 2024
- Consumers who are worried about the three 'highs' and diabetes but have not taken any action are more in need of diet, exercise and health knowledge-related guidance…
- Graph 35: attitude towards detailed symptoms of cardiovascular diseases – concerned but not taking preventative actions/treatment, doing more health management activities, 2024*
- …for example in the form of traditional Chinese healthcare-related products which will inspire them to make a purchase
- Graph 36: Attitude towards detailed symptoms of cardiovascular diseases – concerned but not taking preventative actions/treatment, by attitudes towards traditional Chinese healthcare methods, 2024
- Married people living with children and elders are proactive in cardiovascular disease management…
- Graph 37: attitude towards detailed symptoms of cardiovascular diseases – concerned and taking preventative actions/treatment, by living situation, 2024
- …so there may be broader market potential for health monitoring products, food and drink innovations, and medical insurance marketed to this audience
- Graph 38: attitude towards detailed symptoms of cardiovascular diseases – concerned and taking preventative actions/treatment, by select pain points in long-term treatment of chronic diseases, 2024
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Issues and insights
- Extend usage occasions to tap into the growth potential of sleep and skin health management
- Preventative healthcare policies are driving the development of sub-health management
- Focus on the nationwide launch of 'self-service clinics' for sub-health management
- Sleep and skin issues segments are still untapped markets in sub-health management and demonstrate a high degree of correlation
- Graph 39: number of sub-health issues, 2024
- Establish consumer personas for those most affected by skin and sleep issues, and communicate extended usage occasions
- Drive traffic to purchase by leveraging traditional Chinese healthcare knowledge, social media and health apps
- The opportunity: there is still white space in the market for pet owners with sleep issues
- International examples of calming products/sleep aids for pets
- Seize chronic disease management opportunities in whole family health, the filial economy and the youth pivot
- Highly valued by the government, the market for chronic disease prevention and control is seeing the development of diverse products and services
- Digitalisation and 'full-cycle' services are powerful tools for brands looking to capture the chronic disease management market
- Focus on the large three ‘highs’ market, where consumers are already proactively undertaking prevention and control efforts…
- …for example, by the segmentation of health monitoring indicators and innovations in diet-friendly food and drinks
- Examples of food and drinks for those avoiding certain substances
- The current market for hyperuricemia/gout may be small, but it is expected to expand in the future, brands should get ahead….
- …for example, by further investing in market education and launching health supplements that lower uric acid levels
- Future innovation opportunities: concentrate on the younger generation in the chronic disease management market by launching chronic disease-friendly instant foods
- …and launch youth-oriented chronic disease protection insurance
- Key factors for innovation in traditional Chinese healthcare-inspired food and drinks include locking-in freshness, convenience and preventative healthcare
- Innovations in Chinese healthcare-inspired food and drinks will reach a new high in response to the growing development of TCM culture
- Graph 40: % of food, drink and healthcare launches with 'botanical/herbal' claims, 2019-24
- The opportunity: leverage marketing and sales strategies to tap into the RTE/RTD trend
- The challenge: balancing the needs for freshness and convenience in packaged products
- Develop TCM-inspired health food products based on the Holistic Nutritional Guidelines for Chronic Diseases
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Appendix – methodology and abbreviations
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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