Are Skeptical Wellness Consumers Slowing Your Sales Cycles?

Spend a little time looking up trends in consumer trust and information about sales cycles, and you’ll find some recurring themes. Search for this through the lens of wellness industry trends, and it’ll become clear how your target audience is researching and buying in today’s marketplace. Here’s what we’ve found when it comes to consumers’ approaches to wellness purchases, and how you can use the information to appeal to more buyers.'

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Consumers prefer to conduct their own research

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There may be a lot you’d like to educate prospective buyers about, but consumers have largely shifted their research process. Case in point: 81% of retail shoppers were found to conduct online research before buying. Whether they plan to buy in person or online, the majority of people look for information on the web first. The same applies to wellness products, but it’s even more amplified. People want to know what they’re putting in their bodies, on their skin, and in their homes.

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If what you sell could impact someone’s health (which is true for many wellness products), then increasingly educated consumers are going to do their homework before giving it a try. You can help expedite your buyers’ research process by supporting them in their quest! Ramp up your online review program and gather testimonials and case studies to share. Include detailed educational information on the website, where it can be easily found. Even though it can be frustrating that customers take longer researching nowadays than they ever did before, it’s actually a good thing. The savvier your customer is, the more committed they’ll be to you if they do decide to use your product. This boosts customer loyalty - and of course sales.

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Skepticism is up; building trust takes time

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Being trustworthy has always been imperative for businesses. But wellness companies have a unique responsibility to build consumer trust. Since their products deal with the body or home and are related to healthy living, customers need to have full confidence they are helpful (and not at all harmful) before making a purchase. This, coupled with the fact that the average buyer today has more access to research and health information than ever before, means that your sales cycle is likely going to be longer than it used to be. There’s also a lot of competition in the wellness industry, leaving customers with far more options than they may have had in the past. With more companies to use as points of comparison, one little morsel of doubt is all it takes for someone to stop looking into one brand and move on to researching another.

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‍Step 1:

How can you overcome skepticism and build trust? Be transparent. Wholly transparent! Share your ingredient list, call out research that backs up any ingredients that may be controversial, share what inspired you to create a product that’s getting lukewarm reception - and so forth. Consumers want to know what they’re getting into with a brand, and shouldn’t have to hunt down the information they seek.

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‍Step 2:

Think about who else can vouch for you. Are there influencers in your space who you could ask to review your products? An association whose endorsement carries weight in the wellness industry? Sometimes all it takes is an unbiased, credible third party to quickly establish trust in our buyers’ eyes. Yes, skeptical consumers have changed, and slowed, the way they make wellness purchases. But it doesn’t need to be a bad thing. You can work with today’s educated, skeptical consumers and still end up winning if you meet them more than halfway.

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Need help establishing a digital strategy for your wellness company? Give us a call!