The earth is clear: Consumers are looking to take steps to try and reverse damage done to the environment

Next Article

The power of plants: Consumers are switching to plant-based alternatives as they look to moderate their intake of meat and dairy products

Proportion of consumers who say that they are concerned about the state of the environment (2019)

38%

28%

25%

Nigeria South Africa Saudi Arabia

Source: Sustainability survey, Q3 2019 (3,000 respondents)

Source: Sustainability survey, Q3 2019 (3,000 respondents)

Source: Sustainability survey, Q3 2019 (3,000 respondents)

Proportion of consumers who believe that damage done to the environment is irreversible (2019)

74%

34% 54%

Nigeria South Africa Saudi Arabia

Proportion of consumers who believe brands should be doing more to protect the environment (2019)

66% 69%

58%

Nigeria South Africa Saudi Arabia

Menu for me:

Consumers want customised solutions to deal with their health goals

Across Africa and the Middle East, consumers are becoming more conscious about their health. This is something that can be attributed to several factors. For instance, as society slowly begins to age and life expectancy levels rise, consumers will be taking conscious steps to try and stay fit and active until as late in life as possible. Linked to this, consumers are recognising that the westernisation of diets is something that is increasing the risk of immediate and long-term health problems, as dissatisfaction over issues such as immunity and waistlines grow. Finally, consumers have also become more conscious about their health in the wake of COVID-19, as they question their vulnerability to disease and illness.

As consumers become more health conscious, they are also questioning the efficacy of current products on the health and wellness market. Indeed, some consumers can worry that products on the market are not suited to their specific nutritional needs. One area that consumers recognise as significantly influencing health is DNA; yet, few consumers in the region currently know about their DNA profile. This is something that creates opportunities within the nutrition market from a personalisation perspective, such as nutrition genetic testing.

Nutrition genetic testing is where consumers provide DNA samples to third parties in return for a health screening and from this, personalised products that have been specifically designed to address health issues they may have, or to maximise wellbeing in general. Although most consumers in the region have not heard of this concept, when given a definition, it was something that they found appealing. This is because such innovations are associated with helping boost the immune system and facilitate healthy ageing

However, when launching innovations such as nutrition genetic testing, brands need to take ethical considerations into account. For instance, some consumers can be conscious about whether such information is reliable or whether you can influence DNA-related issues. This means that brands must be fully transparent in communicating what can be achieved with such products. Security is also an issue, and consumers must be confident that any sensitive information sent to third parties is handled accordingly. Finally, consumers admit that they are conscious about whether such innovations could result in them receiving information about an unavoidable health problem later in life, as that will severely impact on their immediate mental wellbeing.

Nevertheless, as consumers continue to become more health conscious, the demand for customised product solutions is something that will continue to grow.