March 8, 2021
To keep themselves safe from covid 19 Indians are swallowing immunity boosters from homemade concoctions or readymade products, boosting FMCG immunity portfolio unit sales by 13.5% in 2020 from just 3.9% in 2019.
Data from market researcher Kantar showed, Consumption of turmeric powder surged more than five times to 14.4%, besides milk food drinks that doubled growth to 6%, honey, and chyawanprash, in fact Chyawanprash market had declined over 5% in 2019 from the previous year, but bounced back a whopping 132% in 2020. For instance, the penetration level of chyawanprash has gone up to 6% as compared to 3-4% pre-pandemic.
The heightened concern for health and wellness, and the reality of widespread financial hardship caused by the pandemic, consumers were rethinking every purchase. Ayurveda-based preventive healthcare has gained prominence in the consumer mind space with people now more inclined, especially to immunity-boosting products.
The winter months are the peak season for products like honey and chyawanprash. While it may moderate a bit, the growth will continue on the back of the innovation, brand building, investments that we are putting in, and brand extensions that we will be launching.
The market for several products has grown 1.5 to 2 times, which is unlikely to remain at that elevated level, but will certainly be more than the pre-pandemic phase. Consumers have become much more conscious about health, but we have to see how their mindset evolves post-vaccination.
Kantar said 91% of Indian households bought immunity-boosting categories. It said rural India leads urban growth, primarily due to milk food drinks, which saw the fastest growth in rural areas while in the urban space they lost volume. In urban areas, only the adult milk food drink brands grew by 40% from 2019’s 30%.