By Kristin Hornberger
Customers inherently trust the clinical expertise of pharmacy staff in chain drug stores. But now, more than ever, consumers need to see the trust they have for clinical staff extended to their purchases across the store. The drug store channel has faced declines in growth over the last couple years compared to dollar, grocery, club, mass and e-commerce channels. Despite this, rising consumer health care spending — which grew 4% in 2024, compared to total retail spend growth of 2.4% — presents an opportunity for drug chains to regain momentum. To stay competitive and drive customer loyalty, chain drug stores must identify lasting consumer needs, and be able to separate the genuine trends from the fleeting fads that riddle the wellness and retail landscapes. More than that, they must translate this knowledge into actionable solutions sets that engage consumers across categories.
Long-term trend or
passing fad?
Retailers need to distinguish between trends and fads to make informed decisions about their product assortments and marketing strategies. While fads and trends both attract consumer attention, their longevity, purpose and impact vary significantly, with notable differences.
Trends:
• Address a necessity: They offer a noticeable benefit and serve a genuine consumer need.
• Evolve over time: Trends adapt to shifting preferences and expand in relevance to different formats and lifestyle changes.
• Sustain growth: Trends gain momentum over time with consistent adoption and long-term sales potential.
• Are behavior-changing: They create lasting shifts in consumer routines and are integrated into daily habits.
Fads, on the other hand:
• Are rooted in novelty: They often gain attention due to short-term excitement but lack meaningful, proven benefits.
• Peak and decline rapidly: Their popularity quickly fades as consumer interest wanes.
• Limited adoption: Fads rarely alter day-to-day behavior, which limits their ability to drive sustained sales.
Current consumer trends driving innovation
By prioritizing trends over fads, retailers and manufacturers can build lasting consumer trust and engagement by responding with assortments and experiential shopping elements that meet consumer needs. According to Circana research, wellness trends that have seen sustained interest and growth include:
• Sleep: Sleep remains a priority, with 55% of consumers actively trying to enhance their nightly rest. Products with sleep claims are seeing household penetration of 27%, and sleep remedies, primarily in tablet form, had sales of $1.7 billion in 2024.
• Clean and sustainable: Indicative of the broader long-term trend toward products that are “better for me” and “better for the world around me,” products marketed as sustainable have grown twice as fast as conventionally marketed products, driving categories such as skin care, facial tissue, deodorant and more since 2017. Clean-ingredient (nontoxic, naturally derived, biodegradable) products are also expected to demonstrate continued growth, along with consumer demand for transparency around labeling.
• Probiotics and prebiotics: Pre- and probiotics started out in the consumer space as solutions for improving gut health. But as their proven clinical benefits have grown, so have their uses and availability in a variety of food, beverage and supplement formats. They are now used to improve skin and vaginal health, upper respiratory infection symptoms, ulcerative colitis, and other conditions. Pre- and probiotic products have had a compound annual growth rate of 8.4% since 2019.
• Self-care: A Circana self-care study found that 78% of consumers said they are actively practicing self-care. The way the industry defines self-care has deepened since the pandemic, and we’ve seen growth in areas where consumers say they’re practicing it, such as by taking care of their mental health, practicing spirituality, getting more exercise, engaging in social activities and nurturing relationships. Several retail categories that help consumers achieve their self-care goals have experienced growth recently, including beauty, oral care, vitamins and supplements for needs such as sleep, and personal care products like deodorant and fragrances. Circana data shows that consumers who are heavier purchasers of health care products spend more on beauty products than average, while lighter buyers are also increasing their beauty expenditures.
Women’s health
• Women’s wellness is an $8 billion consumer packaged goods industry that supports women across all life stages and generations. Whether you’re GenZ or a boomer, a range of products and new marketing strategies have emerged to help women navigate menopause, motherhood, career development, mobility and the establishment of new self-care routines.
• High protein: Products high in protein have been a stable trend for many years. Forty-one percent of adults are trying to consume more protein, and Circana has seen 18% growth in the last year, versus a year ago, in protein drinks, powders and supplements. The emergence of GLP-1 medications for weight loss has fueled the growth of products high in protein in the last few years. Because GLP-1s can significantly reduce a person’s appetite, adequate protein intake is important to prevent fatigue, muscle loss and other side-effects of lower calorie intake.
Lean into trends to engage consumers
To capitalize on the most enduring consumer trends, retailers should collaborate with suppliers and manufacturers and consider introducing solution sets, or collections that combine complementary products that align with a specific consumer goal or need. Some examples could include:
• A GLP-1 hub where shoppers can find over-the-counter digestive health aids that treat the GI side-effects of GLP-1s, such as gas, diarrhea and heartburn, as well as gum, water filtration devices and drinkware for the people who experience bad breath, dry mouth and increased thirst from medications.
• What woman wouldn’t appreciate an artfully arranged one-stop shop for all the premenstrual products they need? Retailers shouldn’t limit displays to feminine hygiene products — consider a selection of chocolate, heating pads, pain medicine or any other product that helps women pamper themselves.
Drug stores have a significant opportunity to redefine themselves as integrated wellness hubs by building on the unique in-store experience they can provide. Unlike e-commerce platforms, which excel in convenience and delivery speed but lack a tactile and experiential quality, physical drug stores can create holistic wellness destinations.
An integrated approach involves combining health care essentials, such as prescription medications, with self-care products like skin care and beauty items, all within a thoughtfully curated shopping environment. Stores could create cohesive displays that pair indulgence with necessity, offering customers the ability to pick up daily essentials like vitamins while discovering luxurious self-care options like nail polish or aromatherapy candles. This strategy not only simplifies errands but also transforms errands into opportunities for rejuvenation.
By aligning their product and service offerings under the theme of holistic wellness, drug stores can cater to both practical needs and lifestyle aspirations, positioning themselves as a one-stop destination for health, beauty and self-care.
Kristin Hornberger is executive vice president and practice leader in wellness and homecare at Circana.
