{"id":13691,"date":"2023-03-22T12:10:02","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T11:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/?p=13691"},"modified":"2024-07-25T14:49:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T14:49:33","slug":"boosting-ecommerce-for-health-wellness-and-fitness-brands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mapp.com\/blog\/boosting-ecommerce-for-health-wellness-and-fitness-brands\/","title":{"rendered":"Boosting eCommerce for Health, Wellness, and Fitness Brands"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year the Health, Wellness, and Fitness market is reaching its new \u201cpersonal best.\u201d In fact, McKinsey<\/a> found that the market is worth an estimated $1.5 trillion, with a yearly growth trajectory of 5 to 10%. As consumers have an array of choices when it comes to finding products and services that fit their needs, for brands, it means one thing: fierce competition.<\/p>\n

How can brands trying to get a slice of the (healthy) pie get themselves in the lead? To explore this, Forrester\u2019s Principal Analyst Emily Pfeiffer and our client Lloyds Pharmacy\u2019s William Connor joined us in a webinar<\/a> – here\u2019s what we had to say \u2026<\/p>\n

Health and wellness eCommerce trends in 2023<\/h2>\n

Customers are now willing to invest more in preventative health measures and live healthier lifestyles. Combine this with the high adoption of online shopping; these have been major influencers in the market\u2019s boost. But as our guest speaker Emily Pfeiffer notes, eCommerce brands looking to gain the upper hand in the health and wellness sector need to think a little differently.<\/p>\n

Fostering loyalty by managing expectations<\/h3>\n

It might not sound particularly mind-blowing but hear us out! Managing your customers\u2019 expectations is a huge opportunity that many miss out on.<\/p>\n

You know the phrase: surprise and delight! <\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Emily, customers aren\u2019t looking for surprises. They simply want to be served in the way that they expect. Yet, brands often get carried away with gimmicks and \u2018clever\u2019 attempts to foster loyalty.<\/p>\n

Brands should be doing exactly what they should be – providing a service or product to their customers in the best way possible. To meet these expectations, all it takes is to be clear and realistic with customers, by identifying and managing expectations.<\/p>\n

In practice, for an online pharmacy, it might look like this:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Set expectations<\/strong>: You advise a customer that their prescription will be ready for collection at 4pm.<\/li>\n
  2. Manage expectations<\/strong>. There are delays with the packing of the prescription, so you advise the customer that it will be ready at 4.30 pm instead.<\/li>\n
  3. Meet expectations<\/strong>. The prescription is ready to be collected at 4.30 pm, and the customer fulfills their needs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Pretty simple, right? But companies often fail to live up to expectations. Research carried out by Forrester found that for 23% of UK consumers, pickup or curbside orders took longer than expected in 2022. Meanwhile, 38% sometimes or always had online orders canceled. This is huge, as this leads to high frustration and a loss of repeat business.<\/p>\n

    Incorporating agile practices to move quickly<\/h3>\n

    The digital world moves pretty fast \u2013 and so should you! During the pandemic, many organizations found themselves at a digital disadvantage because they simply could not change the way they were working quickly enough.<\/p>\n

    Speed and agility are key. And sometimes, it\u2019s better to get something out and improve it afterwards, rather than waiting until it\u2019s perfect.<\/p>\n

    \n

    In fact, according to Emily, \u201cperfect is the enemy of fast\u201d. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    Evolve your tech as you go<\/h3>\n

    Being better than your competition may be your motivation. But you need to rethink who you\u2019re actually comparing yourself to.<\/p>\n

    As Emily notes, many customers usually stick to one brand in this sector. A handful of examples that customers have one of are usually a gym, a bank, a pharmacy, and more. While very flattering, being \u201cthe chosen one\u201d means providing the best experience of all. Your focus needs to be less on beating the competition and more on providing the best possible experience for customers by learning from all brands in other verticals. <\/em><\/p>\n

    A common blocker in providing great customer experiences is the lack of tech to support your marketing. According to Emily, digital businesses need their tech to be FIRE:<\/p>\n