How to Spot the Next Big Supplement Trend

Being ahead of your competition is a big deal in any industry but in the supplement industry it’s even more important. Being one of the first to adopt an up and coming supplement can set you apart and help you attract a new crowd of customers scrambling for the latest and greatest product on the market.

While it’s easy to hop on a trend while it’s in progress it can be difficult to carve out a space for yourself. So while many customers might be using this trending supplement you’ll likely have to do a lot more work to catch their attention if you didn’t get on board early.

Being late to trends can cost you time, money, and customers if you’re not careful. That’s why it’s so important to look ahead and know when it’s the right time to get involved. You also need to be careful of whether or not something is truly a trend or just a fad.

Difference Between Supplement Innovation, Trends & Fads

Often people mix up or confuse innovations, trends and fads. All three can seem fresh, new and popular but there are definite differences.

Innovations

While innovation can lead to trends, innovation isn’t a trend quite yet. There are many innovations that have fallen flat (8 track tapes, Google Glass, etc.) and never really panned out into a trend.

Keeping an eye on innovations can help you stay on top of potential trends, you just want to wait until they develop a bit. The key for an innovation to turn into a trend is whether or not it addresses a real pain point for customers.

Trends

This was mentioned in the previous point but a trend is something that fills a real need. A trend catches fire because it’s a new or unique solution to a problem that hasn’t had an amazing solution yet.

Take turmeric for example. Turmeric has been around for ages but it wasn’t until it was marketed for its anti-inflammatory benefits that people really started to take notice. So many people experienced real results at an affordable price without side effects which is why it was able to catch on.

Of course not only do trends catch on, they stick around. Trends are like slowly rising stars with staying power.

Fads

If trends are are like slowly rising stars, fads are like shooting stars that quickly fade away. Fads don’t have staying power. Supplement fads can rise up and die out quickly as a result of exciting promised results that never quite meet expectations.

This is just another reason to do your research on ingredients before you invest. Make sure that there are solid studies to back up the ingredient. Using Turmeric as the example again, turmeric has had countless studies done to back up the results.

3 Ways to Track Supplement Industry Trends

So how do you find the real trends while avoiding supplements that may never pan out into long term success? Well there are a few ways to keep an eye out.

Trend tracking tools

There are many different trend tracking websites that can help you stay informed on trends. These trend trackers aren’t specific to supplements but they touch on subjects like health and wellness so if there is a supplement trend that’s picking up momentum, it will likely show up there. Trend Hunter and More Inspiration are both great because they’re free.

Another great trend tracking tool that’s free is Google Trends. Google Trends is a great way to track an innovation to see if it’s picking up steam. You can search any keyword in Google Trends and see how interest is changing overtime.

Follow the Leader

Another way to stay on top of trends to follow industry leaders that have followed the right trends in the past. Unless you’re the one innovating and starting the trend, you’re not going to be the first one on board but you can follow close behind and be one of the first.

Looking to supplement manufacturers for help in spotting trends is a great solution too. Supplement manufacturers keep a very close eye on trending ingredients so that they can offer the next up and coming supplement to their customers. They’re just as motivated to spot the next trend but they also don’t want to be left holding a ton of slow moving inventory.

Look Around You

The other way to spot up and coming supplement trends is just by looking around you and listening to your intuition (and following up with more research).

• Mainstream news
• Social media
• Research journals

Also look around you to see what people are struggling with and if there’s a new supplement on the market that actually provides a solution, you might really have something.

The Takeaway

Spotting the next supplement trend at the right time isn’t easy but it can certainly pay off. It’s a balancing act of waiting until you know a supplement is really going to catch on and not waiting too long. It’s about knowing when something is truly a trend or just a short term fad.

With the right tools and by keeping an eye on what’s going on around you, you can spot the next supplement trend early on so you can get in as an early adopter.

At Quality Supplement Manufacturing we stocks 100+ of the most popular supplements and ingredients on the market and we’ve always got an eye out for what’s next so that we can help you jump on the bandwagon early.

From private label to custom supplements, we’ve got your back and we’re ready to help you grow your business.