Consumer Shopping Habits for Wellness and Environmentally ...

Expert Opinion
Health and wellness consumers frequently rely on opinions from experts when pursuing goals.
Experts that are relied upon shift as consumers become more involved in H+W. For example,
Periphery consumers may rely on their personal physicians or ―Mom,‖ but Mid-level consumers rely
on figures such as Dr. Andrew Weil and Bob Green for guidance. Consumers in the Core are not as
reliant upon expert opinion as they have become their own experts.
Knowledge
Mid-level consumers are in the wellness information-gathering stage. They actively seek information
about foods, supplements, and other H+W items, as knowledge becomes an important motivator for
product experimentation and adoption. Core consumers continually cultivate their extensive
knowledge and have themselves become ―gurus‖ on wellness topics.
Authenticity
Authenticity is the notion that products (and people/organizations, including retailers and
manufacturers) are ―real‖ and ―as they should be.‖ This dimension becomes increasingly important
as H+W consumers evolve toward the Core. For these consumers, it is important to know from
where a product comes in order to verify authenticity. Often, this results in preferences toward local,
organic and small-producer brands.
H+W Information Sources
Consumers rely upon a wide variety of sources to acquire information on H+W issues. Doctors and
Web sites devoted to providing health information (e.g., WebMD) as well as social networks (friends
and family members) are the most commonly used sources of information for consumers.
Doctors
Consumers seek general wellness information from primarily alternative doctors, such as
chiropractors or naturopathic doctors. These doctors are considered more credible sources of
wellness information in particular, such as diet, exercise, and supplements, because they are
focused more on prevention than treatment. Consumers also rely upon doctors with whom they have
no personal relationship. Doctors who are featured in popular media are deemed trustworthy
wellness resources. Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil who are/were associated with Oprah (a credible wellness
resource herself), Dr. Gupta from CNN, and Dr. Weil were all mentioned as sound sources of
information. These media doctors might help to account for the high percentage of consumers
indicating ―doctors‖ as a source of health and wellness information.
Internet
The Internet is a very powerful and frequently relied upon source of H+W information for consumers.
Typically a consumer‘s internet research begins with a Google search for information. Consumers do
not seem to utilize any one Web site to a greater extent than another when seeking general wellness
information; rather, they may look at multiple web sites to answer one question and other times rely
upon a single source for their answer. That being said, when faced with a specific health issue,
consumers overwhelmingly rely on WebMD exclusively for diagnosis and treatment information on
the Internet.
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