Personalization and plant-power trend in sports nutrition as industry battles misinformation

29 Apr 2020 --- As the sports nutrition category reaches increasingly broader audiences, segmentation occurs as a result of the increasingly varied consumer needs and preferences. Notably, plant-powered products, clean label innovation and greater personalization have emerged as key trends spotlighted by Innova Market Insights. However, industry players tell NutritionInsight that sports nutrition’s mainstreaming is leading to the spread of inaccurate information, although there are new marketing opportunities in harnessing the power of “influencers.”

Innova Market Insights reports that global launches of sports nutrition products have more than doubled between 2015 and 2019, with younger consumers maintaining their status as the primary audience. Millennials and Generation Z have already been expressing great interest in products across categories that meet their individual needs or tastes, which has now entered the sports nutrition space. The market researcher details that this is leading to segmentation. 

“The category will change as a wider and more diverse, mainstream consumer enters it. The sports category has always been very active with a lot of rapid product churn. Combine that with a larger target market and broader trends will have more impact on the category as companies look to attract that more mainstream consumer to their brands,”  Lu Ann Williams, Director of Innovation at Innova Market Insights, tells NutritionInsight. 

Earlier this month, NutritionInsight reported that COVID-19 is spurring the rapid personalization of sports nutrition as gyms around the world are increasingly shut and sports gatherings banned. In line with this trend, Nestlé recently launched NesQino, which creates healthy, customizable superfood drinks quickly and easily for the at-home or in-office market. Meanwhile, Science in Sport unveiled a personalized sports nutrition service for elite athletes last month. 

Additionally, Williams notes that sales of sports equipment have soared with COVID-19. “People are having to find new ways to exercise. A news story this week highlighted how slow strolls have been replaced by running in Paris. Some consumers may feel like they don’t need the same type of nutrition now that their workouts might not be as intense, while others will focus even more on their diet as they see the impact of not being able to follow their typical routine.”

While products geared towards pre- and post-workout needs are already well-established, classic benefits related to performance, endurance and energy have now been joined by newer diet trends, such as keto. 

Also branching out within the sports nutrition space, ingredients for alternative needs are also emerging, which include adaptogens, nootropics and cannabidiol(CBD). This ties in with Innova Market Research’s eighth trend for 2020, “A Star is Born.” “If an ingredient provides enough margin, it can be accepted by a smaller niche and still be viable. I think CBD falls into that group for now,” Williams previously told NutritionInsight’s sister platform FoodIngredientsFirst.

Plant-based and clean label
The sports nutrition sector is also keeping apace with other prominent themes with its embracing of the plant-based trend. Innova Market Insights details that sports bars are using more nuts, fruits, vegetables and other botanical ingredients, and even in more specialist sports protein categories, plant-powered products are emerging.

Pea protein and rice protein were used in 32 percent and 21 percent of plant-based launches in 2019 respectively. While they have emerged as particularly popular ingredients, there is still room for alternatives, with ongoing experimentation with more unusual options such as fava bean, microalgae and pumpkin seed proteins, according to the market researcher.

Additionally, sports nutrition may have been slow off the mark in the clean label space, but is now increasingly focused on this issue. Innova Market Insights reports that around a third of launches in 2019 carried clean label claims, up from just 20 percent in 2015. No additives and preservatives claims are also particularly important, having doubled penetration over the same time period.

“The sports category was always about the benefit. The consumer wanted results and that was the focus. Products typically came in big plastic tubs and the labels highlighted all the promises about muscle growth or recovery. As the category went more mainstream, it was inevitable that broader food and beverage trends would have an impact on it. The mainstream consumer looks for different things than a hardcore weight lifter. So I’d say it wasn’t late [to clean label]. Instead, as the consumer changed, so did the category,” explains Williams.

People tend to quickly scroll down their social media news feed and pick up quick facts without going back to check the reference. Fighting fake news
As consumers are faced with a torrent of information – much of which may be inaccurate – it is more important than ever that industry innovates trustworthy products. This is a major factor for the sports nutrition segment, which is seeing products for performance reach increasingly broad audiences, whose knowledge of active nutrition may vary broadly. 

“Active people are confronted nowadays to a torrent of information more or less reliable. They tend to quickly scroll down their social media news feed and pick up quick facts without going back to check the reference. The so-called followers are at risk of taking in any recommendation from their pairs and social media gurus,” says Lucie Lingrand, Product Manager of Marketing and Communications at Lallemand Health Solutions.

She continues that although some influencers are now aware of their persuasive power and do validate that their affirmations are scientifically-backed, some still do not. Nonetheless, marketers now face more aware customers that know what they are – or think they are – looking for. This means that it is crucial that companies repeatedly communicate with both clients at a B2B level and customers at a B2C level in order to educate and give the facts about dietary food supplements and sports nutrition. 

Elodie Macariou, Senior Product Manager at Lactalis Ingredients, also notes that ingredient transparency is crucial. “Consumers are doing more research than ever to find the right product for themselves. In marketing terms, we have been utilizing our science-based research and social media via influencers. Our products are based on science, which gives consumers the transparency and comfort they need. Meanwhile, working with influencers in the social media space helps us to promote our products in day-to-day use.”

Floris Daamen, Marketing Manager Performance Nutrition at FrieslandCampina, also has noticed that consumers are receiving information through new channels. “Consumers are increasingly taking nutrition into their own hands, proactively seeking information, not only from conventional sources, such as medical professionals, but also personal trainers and gym instructors, and friends and family. Similarly, they are educating themselves about the different ingredients that will benefit them personally, and have clear views about the formats they prefer.”

However, Macariou notes that gaining consumers’ trust is one of the major challenges. “Consumers like to feel safe and secure while testing out new products, so we try our best to alleviate those concerns with a few tactics. Many mainstream needs are geared toward product taste, with consumers asking if it is appealing, convenient and available on-the-go. Questions like these have to be answered honestly within the team environment to produce the best and most convenient protein for the customer,” she concludes. 

Williams of Innova Market Insights will be presenting a webinar on sports nutrition trends on May 11, 2020 as part of Vitafoods’ Digital Week. You can register here.

By Katherine Durrell