Germans have reported incremental improvements to their digestive health across 2023-24 (-3pp), yet gender inequality persists; across the same period, men experienced greater improvement in digestive issues (-5% vs -2% for women).
Overall reductions in the number of consumers experiencing gut health issues, high confidence in managing symptoms and strong reliance upon homemade remedies can be viewed as a challenge for brands to overcome in the market. Brands can respond by increasing their natural offerings, tapping into the desire for ‘softer’, more-holistic health solutions.
It will become increasingly important for brands to call out the emerging secondary benefits of good digestive health as a hook for retaining current users and recruiting new consumers to expand the market. For example, cognitive function and skin health claims are likely to engage a broad spectrum of Germans.
Category growth will likely require investment in new launch activity, which is currently lacking. Clarification of the definitions of and claims that can be made by pre/probiotic launches will likely accelerate growth, but, in the meantime, make use of the growth potential of collagen and botanicals, for example, to tap into the demand for natural remedies.
As consumers’ digestive health improves widely, offer softer, natural treatments and emphasise secondary benefits to expand the market, focusing on the gut-brain or gut-skin axis.
Hannah Sandow, Associate Director – Food & Drink, Germany
For the purposes of the market size, this Report covers gastrointestinal OTC products and excludes those which require prescriptions but includes pharmacy-approved. Vitamins and supplements are excluded unless they are combined with gastrointestinal medicines and these form a main selling point; or marketed solely as remedies for specific digestive conditions and classified as such by the authorities. If this is the case, they may be included. Market size comprises sales through all retail channels, including direct-to-consumer.
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