GlobalData predicts that sleep-friendly ingredients in food and drinks are the next big trend as it aligns with consumers’ desire for a good night’s rest through natural methods.
According to the company’s Global 2019 Q3 Consumer Survey, a notably higher proportion of Gen X and Gen Y consumers worldwide (79 per cent) are concerned about tiredness/fatigue than the retired Silent Generation (58 per cent). Among Gen Y or millennials, the pressure that comes with starting a new career, combined with a typically higher propensity to watch television or stream apps, could play a part in preventing regular sleep, leading to fatigue in day-to-day life.
As fatigue and tiredness are such a high concern for consumers globally, foods and beverages with ‘sleep-friendly’ claims will perform well in an otherwise highly saturated market, as they create a point of differentiation against traditional energy-boosting counterparts
The link between diet and sleeping patterns
GlobalData’s report, Foresights: Night-Time Foods and RTD Beverages, highlights a growing awareness among consumers that their diets can have a major impact on their sleeping patterns.
Ramsey Baghdadi, consumer analyst at GlobalData, comments: ‘As fatigue and tiredness are such a high concern for consumers globally, foods and beverages with ‘sleep-friendly’ claims will perform well in an otherwise highly saturated market, as they create a point of differentiation against traditional energy-boosting counterparts.’
Digital lifestyle
Younger consumers are most vulnerable to feeling sleep deprived due to their hard-working, digital-orientated lifestyle. As a result, manufacturers in the past year such as the sleep-easy ice cream brand Nightfood and sleep-friendly ready-to-drink (RTD) brand Snoooze, have been focusing on foods and beverages specially designed to be consumed shortly before bed to improve sleep patterns.
Baghdadi states: ‘Such products are also an innovative example of how manufacturers can stand out from the competition by highlighting unique benefits to consumers such as specific lifestyle/health benefits, as product specificity is a key driver in consumer purchasing behaviour. Manufacturers should use more natural ingredients in their products as a significant proportion of consumers globally are concerned about chemical/pharmaceutical sleep solutions, following global trends towards simpler and more natural lifestyles.
‘The key to these sleep-friendly snacks is that they contain more plant-based ingredients that claim to improve digestion, natural melatonin levels and are low in sugar, leading to a deeper sleep.’
