• Better health, probably the most traditional category associated with wellness, extends beyond medicine and supplements to include consumer medical devices as well as personal-health trackers. Consumers are increasingly taking their health into their own hands: we are seeing a rise in targeted, data-driven care, apps to help consumers seamlessly book their medical appointments or obtain the prescriptions they need, and devices that help them monitor their own health and symptoms between doctor’s appointments.

• Better fitness has been challenging over the past year. Many consumers struggle to maintain pre-COVID-19 fitness levels when they can’t go to their gyms as frequently or participate in sports in the same ways as before. For instance, a UK study found that a majority of consumers worked out less after the pandemic lockdowns began, and many did not return to their previous exercise levels even as those lockdowns were eased or lifted.3 However, fitness goals persist. Creative offerings (such as Peloton, Mirror, and Tonal) that meet the needs of consumers in their homes have seen unprecedented growth in the past year.

• Better nutrition has always been a part of wellness, but now consumers want food not only to taste good but also to help them accomplish their wellness goals. More than a third of consumers around the world report that they “probably” or “definitely” plan to increase spending on nutrition apps, diet programs, juice cleanses, and subscription food services over the next year.

• Better appearance primarily involves wellness-oriented apparel (“athleisure”) and beauty products (such as skincare and collagen supplements). A number of service-oriented offerings in this area have sprung up recently for nonsurgical aesthetic procedures, such as microneedling, lasers, and oxygen jets.

• Better sleep is a relatively new category popular with consumers—and maybe that’s no wonder, given the stresses the pandemic has unleashed. Traditional sleep medications such as melatonin now have company: app-enabled sleep trackers and other sleep-enhancing products (for example, blackout curtains and gravity blankets). Half of consumers around the world reported a desire for more products and services to meet the need for higher-quality slumber.

• Better mindfulness has gained mainstream consumer acceptance relatively recently, in the form of meditation-focused apps, such as Headspace and Calm, and relaxation- and meditation-oriented offerings, such as Travaasa and Soothe. During the COVID-19 crisis, reports of mental distress have increased globally; more than half of consumers in each of our surveyed countries said they want to prioritize mindfulness more. Half of the consumers said they wished that more mindfulness products and services were available, indicating an opportunity for companies.

From <https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/feeling-good-the-future-of-the-1-5-trillion-wellness-market>