Alexandru West 
Wellness businesses should have much to consider with fitness apps now dominating an estimated $80billion market, yoga classes and products topping $20 billion, and 72% of U S adults taking dietary supplements being key metrics of growth for any wellness business.
Consumers’ prioritization of health and wellness has propelled explosive industry growth. With so many wellness brands competing for attention in an already oversaturated space, brands must strategically position themselves.
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI (artificial intelligence) refers to software designed to replicate human mental functions like perception, learning and reasoning. AI technology powers many technologies we rely on every day such as Amazon Echo and Apple Siri voice assistants; face recognition technology for unlocking phones; machine learning-based financial fraud detection – just to name a few!
Wellness brands are turning to AI to deliver tailored experiences, products and content for their consumers. Supplement brand HUM Nutrition uses AI to recommend tailored product offerings specifically to each of its consumers. Influencers are working alongside micro- and nano-influencers to produce more authentic content that resonates with audiences.
2. Immersive Virtual Reality (VR)
VR (Virtual Reality) is an immersive environment created through virtual reality headsets which transport users into an entirely digital universe. VR offers sight, sound and touch sensations (with possible addition of smell) for an unforgettable experience.
VR can help address health disparities that arose during the pandemic by expanding access to healthcare for underserved communities. Businesses are placing great importance on creating wellness programs that are affordable, inclusive and representative.
Expect more’micro workouts’ this year – short and low-intensity exercises designed to fit into people’s busy lives. From morning dance challenges with influencers to tech neck stretching exercises, this trend is helping people keep moving while staying healthy.
3. Personalized Medicine
Personalized medicine refers to medical advancements tailored specifically for the unique characteristics and preferences of each individual patient. This can include both individualized medicine (based on clinical research results and patient profiles) and precision medicine, which targets only certain genetic variants.
An increasingly popular wellness trend is ‘mouth taping,” which involves tapering your lips shut at night to encourage breathing through your nose and improve sleep quality and sinus issues. Furthermore, more consumers are becoming familiar with adaptogenic drinks – non-alcoholic beverages that use plants like reishi for stress relief or cordyceps as immune system supports.
Personalizing supplements has become an increasingly popular wellness trend. This can be seen through community-based apps that offer tailored supplements based on users’ answers to health questionnaires.
4. Community-Based Apps
Wellness brands with established customer bases may find offering virtual wellness services an effective way to expand their customer reach and develop sustainable health habits. Fitness equipment manufacturer Peloton recently introduced such an offering which marries its hardware with live online classes, creating a virtual workout service.
Wellness enthusiasts tend to favor apps that provide community support. Such applications might include nutrition-tracking apps that assist users with counting calories, sleep-tracking ones that improve quality of restful rest, or stress management applications which allow users to practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing.
Wellness brands are capitalizing on consumer’s desire for community by teaming up with influencers to develop engaging content that resonates with them. Some wellness influencers may use their platforms to promote micro workouts like quick dance challenges on TikTok that make exercising accessible without breaking your schedule every day.
5. Metaverse
Wellness has quickly become a top priority among consumers across demographics and markets, according to a CivicScience poll that revealed improving food/diet and fitness as the top two resolutions for 2023.
This wellness trend can be seen through the rise of micro workouts like one-minute dances and challenges on TikTok that enable people to incorporate exercise into their everyday lives. Spas and gyms that take holistic approaches to self-care such as offering services that accommodate for mental needs have also taken note.
As technology improves (such as computing power and large-data processes such as graphics rendering), lifelike and accessible worlds become possible. Companies have begun exploring this idea known as the metaverse – similar to what appeared in 2018 sci-fi film “Ready Player One.”
6. Virtual Wellness
As more wellness programs evolve their delivery model, some brands are turning their activities online. Digital programs enable employees to engage in wellness activities remotely from anywhere – including live classes and webinars from home or the office.
Wellbeats and Grokker have leveraged technology to offer virtual fitness classes for remote workers during pandemic outbreak. These virtual classes offer users key metrics and tracking features to track their progress over time.
One way to take advantage of this trend is to establish an employee digital book club that encourages staff members to read and discuss books on self-improvement topics like healthy eating habits and mindfulness. By adding this activity into your employee engagement program, it will broaden its scope and increase its impact.
7. Wellness at Work
People are the backbone of every successful business and should not feel overworked and overstressed by their work, as this can compromise both health and productivity. More companies are turning their focus towards wellness at work programs to boost team morale and increase collaboration within teams.
Remote working has led to an increase in neck pain among employees, prompting many of them to search for neck hump exercises and mobility stretches in order to ease tension.
Employees want to feel valued by their employers when it comes to both mental and physical wellness, including flexible working policies, decluttering office spaces and offering snacks. Establishing first-class workplaces with wellness programs designed to support the whole person can help employees become more productive, happy and healthy at work.
