In the U.S., mental health needs vary greatly, and self-care products play an important role in providing relief and support. Understanding people’s needs and behaviors during times of stress can help you better understand the self-care products they are looking for, and how you can step in to help.
To recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, we asked members of our proprietary 360 Health and Wellness Community to tell us about their stress levels, how they alleviate stress, and where they look first when researching self-care products.
Consumers are stressed, but are taking strides to alleviate it.
69% of 360 Health and Wellness Community members say they have been stressed over the last month, and this rises to a whopping 79% among those aged 18-39. The top actions members take to alleviate their stress include:
- Spend time outside (43%)
- Participate in physical activity (39%)
- Sleep (35%)
By understanding the activities consumers gravitate toward when they are looking to reduce stress, companies can better position themselves to provide self-care products that enhance these experiences.
If you are interested in learning more about community members’ well-being priorities and health and wellness resources, consult our 2023 Wellness Tool Kit, available in this article.
Consumers first search online to learn about self-care products.
Over half (55%) of 360 Health and Wellness Community members have purchased a self-care product in hopes of improving their mental health. Purchasing self-care products are even more prevalent among younger consumers (18 – 39 years old) with 70% doing so.
The top source they consult first when looking for information about self-care products is the same across all age groups: online searches are quick and reliable method for consumers, providing a key opportunity for companies to promote their self-care products and services. One way that companies can support people looking for self-care products with improving their mental health is having a solid SEO (and potentially paid media) strategy in place to help them find what they are looking for faster.
Other top sources of information about self-care products include friends/family, one’s doctor, and YouTube. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the youngest age group (18-39) is more likely to search for information about self-care products on social media (TikTok, Instagram, etc.) than those aged 40 or older.
Do you want to learn more about how to support people as they look to satisfy their overall health and wellness needs?
At Leger, we place great importance on supporting our employees, as well as brands that are working to make a positive impact on peoples’ lives. Through conducting research that helps brands better understand consumers’ needs, we can help them develop products/services that aid in relief. While self-care products are not a be all, end all solution, they truly make a difference for some people and can greatly enhance mental well-being.
Whether you are looking to conduct foundational research or need help with innovation research, we can provide you with a custom solution that helps you empower people to live better, healthier lives. One of the tools we can use to help is our 360 Health and Wellness Community, a community comprised of pre-qualified respondents with varied interests in better-for-you products. The advantage of leveraging this community is quicker field times at a lesser cost and the ability to access your target health-minded consumers.