Setting the scene and introducing the top 20 brands of 2019.
Health and beauty products often command a high level of consumer engagement, but can be a relatively discretionary purchase. With Brexit never far from the headlines, 2019 was a year where people felt less than confident in the economy and their personal finances. Discount retailers, be they supermarkets, on the high street, or in retail parks continued to grow, putting price pressure on brands or even offering own label alternatives. While grocery as a whole increased in value by 3% during the year, categories in the health and beauty sector faced comparatively slow growth with toiletries up 0.4% and healthcare up 2%.
This Brand Footprint report is being published at a time of huge behavioural and economic change due to COVID-19. At the time of writing this situation is ongoing and the long-term outlook is unclear. Read more
Another factor hitting the sector is the long-term trend of people simplifying their daily routines, for example there are now 1 billion fewer cosmetics occasions compared with five years ago. The importance of the environment and the implications of packaging and ingredients are an ongoing concern for many consumers. However, as a recent Kantar study revealed, 93% of health and beauty consumers believe that it is the responsibility of the manufacturers to find more sustainable solutions.
These challenging factors make it even more critical that brands understand and tap into what is important to the consumer to make the most of every opportunity available so that they are more likely to be chosen.
