Health Practitioner

The nutritional supplement industry in the United States has consolidated over the last 10-12 years backed by rapid growth. Lately, the market is showing modest growth but growth among the various distribution channels varies. The health practitioner channel has emerged as the fastest channel for nutritional supplement sales as nutritional advices is accessible through this channel.

The increasing growth of the direct sales industry (multi-level marketing) is also driving the growth of nutritional supplement market. This is because of the fact that this channel uses the person-to-person mode of communication for elaborating the benefits of supplements.

However, it is the practitioner channel that is seen as the most lucrative delivery method as its growth has surpassed the broad supplement industry. Atrium has emerged as the leading player in practitioner channel and currently controls around 14% of nutritional supplement sales through this channel.

The traditional mass market channel that includes mass merchandisers, drug store chains, supermarkets, convenience stores and club stores is no more promising. Still, major industry players like NBTY and Leiner Health are banking on this channel for sales of their nutritional supplements.

The report analyzes the US nutritional supplement industry with specific focus on the vitamins and multivitamins market. It assesses the various market and consumption trends for supplements and also the factors that are driving the growth of this industry. It also captures the growth of various channels of distribution for supplements and the respective growth of these channels. The strategies of the major players in the nutritional supplement industry - Atrium (practitioner channel), NBTY and Leiner Health (mass market) and Herbalife and USANA Health (multi-level marketing) has also been evaluated in the report.