PIA OSTERMANN
Euromonitor International

There are three consumer types within sport nutrition that can be defined as core users, casual users and fitness lifestyle users.
Core users are considered athletes and body builders who are at the base of sports nutrition sales and use these products for muscle and performance building. Casual users are looking for convenient formats, for instance ready-to-drink and bars, which are increasingly considered an essential part of an active lifestyle. Similarly, fitness lifestyle users are mainly young, urban, affluent consumers who increasingly choose sports protein products as healthy and convenient snack alternatives. Moreover, health and wellness claims are increasingly important, such as clean labelling and all natural.

TRENDS WITHIN SPORTS NUTRITION

There are several trends occurring within sports nutrition. While cow-derived whey protein still dominates the protein powder category, plant-based products are seen as the biggest threats. People are increasingly following a vegan lifestyle and the trend for non-animal derived sports products is also appealing to other customers who want a ‘pure†...