Survey: Health Lifestyle grabs consumer interest

Diet and exercise have become virtual New Year's Resolution clichés, but this year consumers are putting a different twist on the typical resolution. Rather than looking for the next diet fad, more people are searching for more mainstream health trends - by using search terms like 'gluten free' or 'paleo diet'.

by Kristina Knight

"Online searches for nutrition, diet and super-food terms have risen by 70% from 2014 to 2016. The food industry is notorious for "here today, gone tomorrow" diet fads (Atkins, anyone?). However, search data also reveals several consistent food trends that are gaining continuous traction. For example, since 2014, searches for "gluten free" have risen steadily by 141%, and show no sign of slowing," said Rochelle Bailis, Global Director of Content & Insights at Hitwise. "Meanwhile, searches for the "paleo" diet hit a sudden peak in January of 2016, with variations like "what is paleo" '"paleo recipes" and "paleo snacks" - but this sudden interest steadily lost steam (as do many New Year's resolutions) over the course of the year. Steady food trends reflect consumer's desire for long-term change in their eating habits, whereas sudden spike may indicate a more short-lived diet fad."

Hitwise, a division of Connexity, looked into how consumers are using search to tap into the healthier lifestyles of the new millennium. According to the experts, interest in healthier living is driven by an increase is networks like ESPN streaming fitness competitions like Tough Mudder runs. Who are these healthy lifestyle recruits?

The most over-indexed age range is between the ages of 35 and 44 with household incomes over the $100,000/year mark. They're also looking at organic food sources, and environmentally friendly products. Just over half (53%) are women.

But, the largest age rand is between 25 and 34, and about one-third (31%) buy new clothing every season. Among their favorite retailers are athleisure brand LuLuLemon and Victoria's Secret; nearly two-thirds (62%) are women.