Consumers and Nutraceuticals: Online Buying Trends
The nutraceuticals industry has done better than many healthcare fields on the Internet. While online prescription services have been plagued with legal issues, the less stringent regulations covering nutraceuticals has allowed the industry to thrive. Consumers are purchasing a wide range of nutraceuticals, spending several billion dollars on vitamins supplements, and functional foods. Vitamins, supplements, and other nutraceuticals comprise one of the fastest growing industries on the Internet.

With so much money changing hands, competition for pieces of the nutraceutical pie is increasing steadily. Both newcomers and veterans of the nutraceutical industry need to know what trends are driving the online purchase of vitamins and supplements, and how recent government legislation is affecting the industry.

Beauty and the Nutraceutical Market
Beauty is one of the driving forces behind the nutraceutical industry. Forty-three percent of all online nutraceuticals purchases are intended to increase beauty or slow aging. It would be reasonable to assume that the aging baby boomer population is driving the demand for beauty-centered nutraceuticals. It's reasonable, but it's not exactly true.

The demand for beauty related nutraceuticals is not confined to a single age group. While baby boomers have long been considered the primary market for beauty nutraceuticals, younger generations are purchasing equal amounts of nutraceutical beauty products. Nutraceutical consumers are concerned with self-care and preventative healthcare, and younger generations are taking advantage of nutraceutical products now with an eye on the future.

Functional Foods: Increasing the Scope of Nutraceuticals
The line between the vitamin/supplement market and that of functional foods is a blurry one, and many nutraceuticals can be considered both. An increased consumer interest in functional foods has seen a boom in the demand for both grocery stocked and online functional foods, which has in turn led to many new products hitting the market.

Functional foods include any beverage or food product enhanced with vitamins, enzymes, herbs, or other nutraceutical supplements. In the US, functional foods are allowed to make the same claims as other nutraceuticals. They can list up to seventeen possible health benefits, but cannot claim to cure or treat specific conditions.

Functional food's popularity has spurred a legal debate. Do such products constitute food products, or should they be considered drugs? At present, functional foods can make possible health benefit claims, so long as the product is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) under the terms set out by the US Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission. They are not, however, considered drug products under FDA guidelines.

There exists a large potential for growth in the functional food market for nutraceutical companies. Functional foods that can claim anti-aging and beauty benefits have the potential to be extremely popular, as of course, do any functional foods that promote weight loss or weight control.

Consumer Trust and the Nutraceutical Industry
As consumer awareness increases in the nutraceutical market, so too has the need for accountability. In 2006, one of the most important changes to the nutraceutical market came in the form of a bill passed by the Senate and House of representatives. The bill, an amendment to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, requires diet supplement producers to report any adverse effects to the Food and Drug Administration.

Industry leaders have reacted positively to the bill. They are confident that the bill will reflect the high standards that characterize most supplemental products, while revealing unsafe practices by less scrupulous members of the industry.

Under the requirements of the new amendment, all dietary supplements are required to include a contact number consumers can call to report possible adverse effects. The supplement company has fifteen days to forward the consumer's concerns to the FDA. These new regulations will have a great effect on nutraceutical companies.

Customizable Nutraceuticals and Interactive Websites
Consumers are becoming accustomed to a degree of control and customization over the products they purchase, whether they are ordering customized computers or nutraceuticals. Some nutraceutical companies have had success marketing individually designed nutraceutical products online. Online questionnaires on nutraceutical sites gather information about each consumers needs. A personalized regime of vitamins and supplements is then created based on the age, gender, weight and health of each customer.

Customizing nutraceutical products offer two benefits to both consumers and nutraceutical businesses. First, customers feel more involved in their healthcare, strengthening the role of nutraceuticals as personal and preventative healthcare. Interactive website elements reinforce this feeling of self-determination and independence.

Secondly, a customizable system that allows customers to design their own vitamin and supplement packages lends itself to repeat business. Once the customer has entered all their information into the system, and a list of recommended nutraceuticals has been generated, the business has the option of suggesting recurring purchases. The consumer's order can then be automatically refilled at set intervals, so the consumer never runs out of product.

International Expansion and the Nutraceutical Market
Some US-based nutraceutical companies are beginning to expand their business to global levels. Japan, for instance, has high consumer interest in nutraceuticals, and the industry is eyeing the Chinese market with some interest.

Expanding in international markets has many advantages for the US nutraceutical industry, but does come with some complications. Other countries have their own unique regulatory bodies and laws governing nutraceutical products. Certain European countries, such as Germany, have a long tradition of regulated herbal and dietary supplement products, and such products have broad acceptance among the population. The European Union has created an umbrella regulatory system for nutraceuticals, which American companies will have to comply with in order to do business in Europe.

The nutraceutical industry in the US is thriving. The industry is better regulated than it has been in the past, both in terms of self-regulation and government legislation. The growing popularity of functional foods has increased the borders of the nutraceutical industry, and interactive websites increase the likelihood of repeat business, while opening the possibility of international marketing. The industry is coming of age, and its future looks bright indeed. buydomains