Millennials and health: shift in focus from who to what

January 15, 2015 

Millennials are thinking differently about their health than older generations, and the shift suggests some interesting potential opportunities for retailers. The new generation seems to have shifted emphasis away from “who will make me healthy” and to “what will make me healthy.”

Food for thought

From the Drug Store News article Millennials Crave Healthy Options (registration required):

• Millennials think about their health plenty – 77% of both Millennials and Baby Boomers worry “at least a little” about getting a serious illness – but it they handle their needs differently.
• Millennials are more likely to “do it themselves” when it comes to preventive care; a large majority – 62% – visit a doctor only when they’re sick. Gen-Xers and Boomers visit health care professionals far more frequently, just 46% of Gen-Xers and 34% of Boomers visit doctors only when they are sick.
• Nearly half of Millennials have used a training program in the past two years and more than a third are willing to pay more for foods they perceive as healthy.  They also link physical and mental health more closely than other age cohorts.
• They have lots of access to lots of health information on the internet, and their social networks have a big influence on their healthcare behavior.
  • 84% trust information from people they know personally.
  • 60% trust high profile experts like Dr. Oz.
  • 22% trust celebrity endorsements.

What this means >>>

Since Millennials are depending less on doctors and more on themselves to stay healthy, shopping for health is important to them.

They are willing to pay more for products with health-enhancing attributes. They also consume a lot of information online about health, but they could use reassurance that they’re doing the right thing since there’s so much of it and it can be contradictory and hard to decipher.

The article suggests some interesting opportunities for retailers to better serve these customers by finding ways to:

• Increase access to in-store dieticians who can provide guidance and assurance on what they can do to stay healthy. This means encouraging the dieticians to reach out to more people through store tours and to the community through “lunch and learns.”
• Make it quicker and easier for millennials (and other customers) to find popular “good for you products” by enhancing navigational signage and shelf sets to showcase these popular products.