Profiting From Consumer Mega-Trends in the UAE and Saudi Arabia: Health

Content

• Overview
• Catalyst
• Summary
• Executive Summary
  • Health concerns in the Middle East are gaining momentum and increasing in scope
  • Consumers are acting more holistically in the pursuit of general wellbeing
  • Health conscious consumers are increasingly prone to, and acting upon, product safety concerns
  • Ethical Wellbeing reflects a convergence of ethicality and emotional wellbeing
  • Financial Wellbeing reflects how consumers value the peace of mind that emanates from financial security
  • Stress is a common theme in modern lifestyles as consumers adopt stress reduction strategies in their pursuit of wellbeing
  • Jaded Society: overcoming fatigue and lethargy
  • Visual Culture: appearance consciousness continues to characterize an image conscious society
  • Sterilized Society: the escalating obsession with hygiene, cleanliness and immunity
  • Consumers are embracing tools that enable more informed health-driven choices
  • Moderation and avoidance
  • Positive nutrition
  • Fitness for wellbeing: getting active and using supporting products
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of figures
• Introduction: The Importance of Trend-tracking
  • Tracking consumer mega-trends is fundamental to long-term success
  • Trend-tracking insight 1: mega-trends can be classified in two ways according to desirable product/service benefits and societal complexities
  • Trend-tracking insight 2: trends are aligned with pre-existing, but evolving human values, attitudes, needs and behaviors
  • Trend-tracking insight 3: mega-trends can be broken down into trends and sub-trends to provide structure and clarity at a time of 'information overload'
  • Trend-tracking insight 4: manufacturers, retailers and researchers/futurologists perpetuate trends
  • Trend-tracking insight 5: adopting a broader perspective to trend-tracking facilitates better decision making by overcoming 'category myopia'
  • Trend-tracking insight 6: trends have longer-term implications than fads and can be categorized by evolvement
  • Trend-tracking insight 7: for every trend there is a 'counter-trend' while 'trend-crossover' is also and important phenomena
  • Takeouts and implications: a trend framework boosts the quality and frequency of insight generation ensuring maximum return from the broader market research processes in place
• The Future Decoded: Deciphering The Health Mega-trend
  • MEGA-TREND SYNOPSIS: Health concerns in the Middle East are gaining momentum and increasing in scope
  • TREND: Middle Eastern consumers are acting more holistically in the pursuit of general wellbeing
  • SUB-TREND: Middle Eastern consumers are taking more self responsibility for, and placing greater importance on, their health
  • in both the UAE and Saudi, health is becoming an increasingly important issue as health reforms improve chronic disease awareness and accessibility to healthcare services
  • Key takeouts and implications: health is set to stay at the top of the agenda for the years ahead
  • SUB-TREND: Middle Eastern consumers are adopting a broader "wellness" orientated lifestyle
  • Consumers in the Gulf are adopting a "wellness" oriented lifestyle
  • Key takeouts and implications: the pursuit of wellness/wellbeing is best thought of not as a trend in its own right, but as an umbrella of related trends and behaviors that must be reflected in products and marketing
  • TREND: Health conscious Middle Eastern consumers are increasingly prone to, and acting upon, product safety concerns
  • SUB-TREND: Intensifying product safety anxieties affect many Middle Eastern citizens
  • Product safety is an issue gaining prominence in the Gulf region
  • Key takeouts and implications: escalating health attentiveness has been matched by growing concern about the safety of products
  • SUB-TREND: Consumer sensitivity is a growing phenomena as reflected by allergen and intolerance influenced consumption among Middle Eastern consumers
  • Consumers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are highly conscious of the food and drinks they purchase due to issues with tolerance or allergies
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumer sensitivities such as allergies and intolerances create opportunities to target specific segments
  • SUB-TREND: 'Fear-driven avoidance' means some consumers are outright rejecting products with what are perceived as harmful ingredients or where safety is compromised
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumers will be less forgiving when products compromise their safety
  • SUB-TREND: Middle Eastern consumers are opting for local products and products produced in countries with strict phyto-sanitary regulations
  • The average cconsumer in the UAE and Saudi-and in the Gulf generally-favours locally produced food; however certain consumer sub-groups show no preference for local produce at all
  • Key takeouts and implications: while globally, safety concerns will be one of a number of drivers ensuring that 'local' products will continue to gain favourability, in the UAE and Saudi the picture is much more complex
  • SUB-TREND: Middle Eastern shoppers increasingly value reassurances and transparency about how products are produced
  • UAE and Saudi consumers want to know where and how their products were produced
  • Key takeouts and implications: reassuring consumers will become a necessity to overcome trust voids and build stronger brands
  • TREND: Ethical wellbeing reflects a convergence of ethicality and emotional wellbeing
  • SUB-TREND: Direct and indirect consumer altruism shapes consumer choices
  • Ethical and/or environmental considerations heavily impact Middle Eastern consumers' purchasing activities
  • Key takeouts and implications: ethics, environmentalism and health are more inter-related than many come to realize
  • TREND: Financial wellbeing: and the 'economies of happiness' influence emotional and physical wellbeing
  • SUB-TREND: Consumers value the peace of mind that emanates from financial security
  • Wealth is a particularly important determinant of emotional wellbeing in the Gulf, partially because personal identity is highly dependant on consumerism
  • Key takeouts and implications: financial anxieties increase consumers' focus on the short-term
  • SUB-TREND: Financial moderation: Middle Eastern consumers are exercising more financial prudence and control
  • The downturn has prompted Middle Easterners to manage their finances more closely and adjust lifestyles
  • Key takeouts and implications: growing levels of financial moderation will place additional pressure on the growth of upscale premium products and further intensify value consciousness
  • TREND: Stress is a common theme in modern lifestyles as Middle Eastern consumers adopt stress reduction strategies in their pursuit of wellbeing
  • SUB-TREND: Consumers are confronted with the need to confront and manage tension and anxiety
  • Stress and tension have increased dramatically in the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the last six months
  • Key takeouts and implications: the prevalence of stress and anxiety in consumers' lives suggests that there are ongoing opportunities to position products as 'antidotes to reality' and which give consumers a feeling of being in control
  • SUB-TREND: The pursuit of work-life balance represents the ongoing conflict between a desire to maximize leisure time, maximize occupation success, and maximize leisure time
  • UAE and Saudi consumers are unhappy with their work-life balance
  • Key takeouts and implications: opportunities exist for brands to help consumers navigate the ongoing problem of work-life balance
  • SUB-TREND: Pampered relaxation: consumers are actively seeking moments of downtime
  • Consumers in the Middle East continue to want relaxation therapies and downtime in their everyday lives
  • Key takeouts and implications: all FMCG products have the potential to align with the pampered relaxation trend, particularly personal care
  • SUB-TREND: 'Mood foods' reflect consumers' tendency to comfort and reward eat
  • UAE and Saudi consumers are interested in, and actively buying, food and beverage products designed to aid relaxation, concentration and provide emotional comfort
  • Key takeouts and implications: a category of food and beverages based on ingredients that make individuals happier, calmer, livelier and even more intelligent is a potentially compelling proposition for those who are becoming more aware of protecting their mental/emotional wellbeing
  • TREND: Jaded society: overcoming fatigue and lethargy is a common problem for contemporary Middle Eastern consumers
  • SUB-TREND: Many individuals across the globe lack energy and vitality in their day-to-day lives
  • Satisfaction with energy levels in the Gulf region is similar to satisfaction levels elsewhere
  • Key takeouts and implications: energy boosting products can help offset consumers' diminishing energy levels caused by hectic lifestyles
  • SUB-TREND: 'Pick-me-up consumerism' captures the situation whereby consumers are increasingly attentive about their alertness and are opting for products that deliver energy and performance benefits
  • Consumers in the Gulf show high levels of interest in food and beverages delivering antidotes to fatigue
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumers across the globe are highly interested in functional products that boost mental and physical wellbeing
  • TREND: Visual culture: appearance consciousness continues to characterize an image conscious society
  • SUB-TREND: The high prevalence of appearance and body shape anxiety is at the core of 'appearance based wellbeing' (or lack of it)
  • Personal image is a highly important part of life in the Gulf
  • Key takeouts and implications: appearance concerns impact consumers' emotional and physical wellbeing so looking good has arguably never been more important
  • SUB-TREND: A more holistic pursuit of beauty through more diverse appearance management tactics is occurring in the Middle East
  • The Gulf consumer is typically interested in the idea that food and beverages improve their appearance
  • Key takeouts and implications: health, wellbeing and beauty are becoming inextricably linked in consumers' minds
  • SUB-TREND: Middle Easterners increasingly adopt structured and sustained beauty regimes
  • Beauty regimes are common in the Middle East with the use of fragrances particularly widespread
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumers attach considerable importance to their oral, skin and hair health respectively which drives spend and the adopting of beauty regimes
  • SUB-TREND: The polarization of beauty ideals/attitudes reflects the conflict between natural beauty and more 'manufactured appearances'
  • Key takeouts and implications: manufacturers are retailers must adopt diverse product portfolios on order to meet the polarized beauty ideals among global consumers
  • TREND: Sterilized society: the escalating obsession with hygiene, cleanliness and immunity
  • SUB-TREND: Consumers are becoming pre-occupied with boosting self-immunity
  • Gulf consumers are highly interested in food and beverages that boost the immune system
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumer lifestyles reflect the burgeoning interest in immunity boosters
  • SUB-TREND: Healthy nesting: consumers are ensuring hygiene and purity within their living spaces
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumers generally recognize the broader health and wellness benefits associated with clean living environments
  • SUB-TREND: Personal cleanliness matters in a society that values purity
  • There is a large potential for growth in the personal hygiene market in the Gulf region
  • Key takeouts and implications: leverage the wellness factor in the marketing of personal hygiene products
  • TREND: Gulf consumers are embracing tools that enable more informed health-driven choices
  • SUB-TREND: The 'democratization of health' information has facilitated more self reliance among consumers globally
  • Increasing accessibility of health information has enabled Gulf consumers to make health-driven choices
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumers are continuing to turn to the media to get their health information, but need to feel that they can trust what they are reading
  • SUB-TREND: Formulation attentiveness: knowing about and being influenced by health information is becoming more widespread
  • Consumers are paying more attention to nutritional information available on food and drink packaging
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumers are demonstrating their increasing knowledge of health by making consumption choices based on labeling and professional advice
  • SUB-TREND: Information overload: burdened by too much information consumers are using information short-cuts to make informed, but simplified choices
  • in Middle East manufacturers and distributors must ensure that nutritional information is easily comprehensible and targeted
  • Key takeouts and implications: product formulation is a battleground for industry players, so key benefits must be clearly communicated to consumers
  • SUB-TREND: Information overload: gaps in health awareness and understanding
  • Consumers in the Gulf region are dissatisfied with the clarity of the nutritional information available on food packages
  • Key takeouts and implications: confusion is a barrier to consumption, and therefore should be eliminated to increase consumer confidence
  • SUB-TREND: Personalized nutrition and nutrigenomics are emerging themes and reflect a crossover between the health and individualism mega-trends
  • Key takeouts and implications: personalized nutrition is appealing to consumers but care must be taken not to take them out of their comfort zones
  • SUB-TREND: Personalized beauty regimes are still relatively niche but are gaining traction as situational and personally adaptive beauty solutions are increasingly sought
  • Key takeouts and implications: demand for personalized beauty is growing in all regions as consumers become more 'me' orientated
  • TREND: Moderation and avoidance: disciplined consumerism
  • SUB-TREND: Food stress and anxiety is a growing problem among consumers who feel pressurized to make 'better' dietary choices
  • Consumers in the Gulf region feel guiltier about snacking in-between meals
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumers' aims of moderated consumption and healthier choices are confused by contradictory information and the tendency for 'carefree consumption' to occur
  • SUB-TREND: Formalized dieting: regimented eating for weight management
  • Specific diet plans are more common in the Gulf than globally
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumers experience difficulties in pursuing sustained dietary plans
  • SUB-TREND: Dietary control: exercising dietary restraint is a key manifestation of the moderation trend
  • A significant sub-set of consumers are trying to eat smaller portions sizes
  • Key takeouts and implications: CPG players must answer consumers' needs for dietary control
  • SUB-TREND: Satiety: appetite control is a developing moderation concept with much potential
  • The potential for 'satiety inducing' products is significant in the Middle East
  • Key takeouts and implications: products which provide a feeling of satiety have significant potential, including in the Middle East
  • SUB-TREND: Vegetarianism and meat reduction have spread among consumers, feeding the market for meat alternatives
  • Key takeouts and implications: respond to consumers' meat reduction behavior with meat alternatives and responsible portion control marketing
  • SUB-TREND: Mealtime fragmentation: skipping meals is a widespread consequence of modern consumers' time-pressured lives and unhealthy routines
  • Key takeouts and implications: a gap exists between consumer attitudes towards main meal consumption and actual behavior
  • TREND: Positive nutrition: consumers are eating and drinking for wellbeing
  • SUB-TREND: Eating for wellbeing: changeable dietary routines are occurring in the Gulf region as dietary patterns increasingly take into account health considerations
  • UAE and Saudi consumers are interested in eating for wellbeing
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumers are willing to change their dietary habits
  • SUB-TREND: Embracing diet diversity: a more balanced and varied diet
  • UAE and Saudi consumers are trying to eat fresh produce with a high nutrient content
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumers will not compromise on freshness and are actively seeking products which provide them with their daily vitamin and mineral needs
  • SUB-TREND: The popularization of functional foods is also becoming apparent in the Middle East
  • UAE and Saudi consumers find added nutrients in food and drinks appealing
  • Key takeouts and implications: regional consumers actively seek functional foods with 'added' health benefits
  • SUB-TREND: Being hydrated: drinking adequate quantities of water
  • UAE and KSA consumers recognized the importance of hydration
  • Key takeouts and implications: the need for instant and continuous hydration has grown in consumer importance
  • TREND: Fitness for wellbeing: getting active and using supporting products
  • SUB-TREND: Getting active: consumers increasingly feel a sense of obligation when it comes to exercise
  • UAE and Saudi consumers are surprisingly happy with their level of physical fitness
  • Key takeouts and implications: consumers are surprisingly happy about their current levels of physical fitness
  • SUB-TREND: Sports nutrition: opting for performance and recovery supporting products
  • Key takeouts and implications: the market value of sports nutrition products is increasing, mainly driven by Lifestyle users
• Appendix
  • Definitions
  • Methodology
  • Further reading and references
  • Ask the analyst
  • Datamonitor consulting
  • Disclaimer