This is part 1 of 3 of our special deep dive article series into China’s Health and Nutrition Consumption Trends and Opportunities in 2024. Subscribe to Nutiani’s monthly newsletter to be notified when the next part is released.
 

In recent years, China's nutritional health market has experienced rapid growth, presenting broad prospects for the future. What market opportunities and challenges do nutritional supplement brands face in this evolving landscape?
 

To explore this, Nutiani and Ipsos conducted a global survey across 5 countries, including China. This special article series delves into the consumption trends and preferences of Chinese consumers in the health and nutrition sector. We analyze the key driving forces and obstacles in purchasing nutritional products, helping you integrate critical value innovation factors into your products and marketing strategies.
 

Health: No. 1 in the minds' of Chinese consumers
 

Chinese Consumers are the Most Health-conscious

According to the Nutiani Ipsos Consumer Wellness Index 2021 and Nutiani Ipsos Health & Nutrition Consumer Index 2023, "health" consistently ranks as the number one concern for Chinese consumers, followed by food safety, rising living costs, and environmental issues.
 

This focus contrasts with global market priorities. In the surveys’ across five countries (UK, US, China, Japan, and South Korea), economic stability and inflation ranked first and second, environmental issues ranked third, and health issues ranked only fourth.

A comparison shows that Chinese consumers pay more attention to health than global consumers, and their awareness of food safety and environmental protection is increasing.

Top 5 Concerns of Chinese Consumers
 

Market Opportunities

Consumers' increased awareness of food safety and environmental protection has provided opportunities for green, safe, and environmentally friendly healthy nutrition products.

Defying Global Price Concerns

Moreover, Chinese consumers are less sensitive to product prices than those in the international market. While 44% of global consumers rank price as a top factor in purchasing decisions for nutritional products, only 20% of Chinese consumers do the same.
 

The Role of Dietary Supplements in Maintaining Health

Chinese consumers actively pursue health management, with about three-quarters maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. 41% also consume specific nutritional products to manage their health and wellbeing. 
 

Top 5 Steps Taken to Manage Health and Wellbeing
 

Market Opportunities

Consumers' increased awareness of food safety and environmental protection has provided opportunities for green, safe, and environmentally friendly healthy nutrition products.

Effectiveness: The top driving force of purchase
 

The Rational Consumer

When choosing nutritional products, Chinese consumers prioritize nutritional value and ingredient information, which shows that consumers make rational purchasing decisions.

Top 5 Factors Impacting Trust for Chinese Consumers

Convince with Science

Whether the data supporting the health benefit claim is reliable and based on science determines consumers' perception of the product's quality.
 

Top 5 Product Attributes Influencing Purchase Decision for Chinese Consumers

To gain the trust of Chinese consumers and reduce barriers to purchase, brands and products must clearly communicate product benefits and provide evidence-based support for these claims.
 

Market Opportunities

Chinese consumers place great importance on recommendations from other consumers and professionals, so brands should facilitate positive recommendations from consumers, authorities or professionals, and provide scientific evidence for the health benefits of nutrients. 
 

Case Study

Find out how Hanks leveraged science-backed Nutiani Phospholipids to develop a brain-boosting peanut spread in our report: Health, Nutritition, and Rising Costs.
 

Multi-functional: The second driving force of purchase
 

The Interconnectedness of Wellbeing

The vast majority of Chinese consumers have a holistic view of health and believe that various factors of health are interrelated.

The proportion of consumers who hold this view (94%) is higher than the global survey data (87%), indicating that Chinese consumers pay more attention to the overall health of their bodies than global consumers.
 

Time-starved Consumers

Among consumers who already adopt a healthy and balanced diet, 20% believe they are too busy to pay attention to their health, while this proportion is as high as 25% among consumers who have not yet adopted a healthy and balanced diet. When asked what challenges consumers face when purchasing nutritional products, 15% of consumers said these products are inconvenient to use and 8% said these products are time-consuming.
 

Preference for Multi-functional Products

The holistic view towards health, combined with busy lifestyles, drives the demand for multifunctional products that offer multiple health benefits.

Market Opportunities

Consideration should be given to developing multifunctional health and nutritional products that focus on integrating the benefits of multiple nutrient sources so that consumers can obtain a wide range of essential nutrients.