Put yourself in the shoes of the consumer for a minute…okay…ready? You walk into a health food store to purchase supplements that you recently learned about that you hope might help with your new healthier lifestyle. As you walk into the section, you are hit with a wall of multiple brands and an alphabet-long list of supplements as far as the eye can see. Is it overwhelming? Maybe? Did you do your homework, or will you seek the advice of the salesperson? Either way, you are not leaving until you purchase an item that will hopefully help you.
Now imagine you’re the manufacturer of one of the aforementioned alphabet-long list of supplements on the wall. How will you make your product stand out so that the consumer will make that purchase? What will drive consumers to choose your brand? How do you capture repeat customers and make them ambassadors of your brand? A major deciding factor in the buyer’s decision-making process is your ‘differentiating factor’. A claim, on your packaging that was substantiated by a solid body of supporting evidence, would be a great place to start. In fact, consumers are 69% more likely to choose a brand with a claims statement such as “rich in antioxidants” than one which does not.1
But not all claims substantiations are created equal. Did you know that the primary reasons the FDA would deny your product authorizations include “issues of fit for purpose, issues of study design, data quality or interpretation, statistical issues, administrative issues, and lack of demonstrated treatment benefit”2? This is where conducting a clinical trial can help ensure that your health and wellness product will not be denied market entry for your product. It does not take as long as a pharmaceutical one (which often takes years!), so you can prepare to make your claim part of your next year’s marketing plan.
Let’s face it, the health and wellness industry is booming. According to a Government of Canada intelligence report, the industry grew from $14.9B USD to $16.7B USD from 2013 to 2017, and by 2022 it’s expected to grow to $20.6B USD3. With the new Canadian government strategy advocating a “healthy choice,”4 the demand for health and wellness is increasing, which concludes that “highlighting the healthy benefits of the products on labels or in advertising/promotions is also becoming an increasing necessity to differentiate from highly competitive companies.”5
For clinical research inquiries please contact dicentra‘s Director of Clinical Research Business Development, Mr. Charles Galea at charles@dicentra.com to see how the dicentra team can assist you in meeting and exceeding your clinical research goals.
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