From Trend to Expectation: The Wellness Imperative
Health and wellness isn’t a niche anymore; it’s the new baseline. Canadian consumers are making more intentional, needs-based decisions in-store, and they’re leaving emotion at the door. In this new reality, trust, transparency, and relevance are the currencies of brand loyalty.
According to NIQ’s 2025 Global Health & Wellness survey, 63% of Canadians are more likely to buy from companies that prioritize wellness across their portfolio. Even more telling: 80% want product labels to be more transparent and easier to understand.
For CPG brands, this isn’t just a call to action; it’s a strategic imperative.
The Rise of Needs-Based Decision Making
Today’s shoppers are laser-focused on satisfying specific health and wellness needs. Whether it’s gut health, stress relief, or clean ingredients, consumers are actively seeking products that align with their personal goals. And they’re doing it with precision.
This shift is reshaping the path to purchase. Consumers are no longer browsing aisles with brand loyalty top of mind. They’re scanning for attributes that match their values and lifestyles. In fact, 75% of CPG shoppers use digital channels to research or select a brand, and 78% of grocery searches on Amazon are unbranded.
The message is clear: attributes matter more than logos.
Why Product Attribute Data Is Mission-Critical
To stay competitive, CPG brands need to go beyond traditional category tracking and start thinking in terms of product attributes. From “plant-based” and “non-GMO” to “contains hyaluronic acid” and “made in Ontario”, attributes help brands decode what consumers are really looking for.
Here’s why that matters:
- Claims drive growth: Products with claims have grown +170 bps faster over the past five years than those without.
- More claims = more growth: Products with multiple types of claims grow ~2x faster than those with just one.
Transparency Builds Trust and Sales
Consumers are demanding more than just clean labels; they want proof. They want to know what’s in the product, where it came from, and how it was made.
That’s where packaging attributes come in. They enable brands to meet this demand by surfacing:
- Stated attributes: What’s printed on the label (like “organic” or “gluten-free”).
- Qualified attributes: What can be derived from ingredients and nutrition facts label (like “no added sugar”” or “sodium free”).
This dual-layered approach builds trust, validates trends, and helps brands identify white space before the competition does.
From Gut Health to Clean Beauty: Attribute Trends in Action
The power of attribute data is playing out across categories:
- Sport nutrition drinks have surged +115% in two years, driven by attributes like “no added sugar,” “contains amino acids,” and “free from artificial sweeteners.”
- In personal deodorants, “vegan stated” and “free from parabens stated” claims are fueling double-digit growth vs two years ago.
- Ingredient-level insights like “contains avocado oil” or “contains collagen” are helping brands tap into niche wellness trends with precision. Both are growing at high double-digit growth rates vs two years ago.
And these aren’t just passing fads. They’re signals of a deeper consumer shift toward intentional, informed, and health-driven purchasing.
The Cost of Inaction
Despite the clear opportunity, many brands are still missing the mark:
- 84% of brands fail to claim one of their top three attributes.
- 87% of products qualify for an attribute but aren’t returned in retailer search results.
In a world where digital discovery is attribute-first, this is a costly oversight. Brands that fail to optimize their product data risk being invisible, both online and on the shelf.
What CPG Brands Should Do Next
Here’s how to turn insight into action:
- Audit your portfolio: Are your top attributes clearly stated and searchable? How are they performing vs the market?
- Innovation & Marketing Opportunities: Use granular attribute data to inform R&D, marketing, and shelf strategy.
- Track competitors: Understand how others are positioning their products and where you can differentiate.
- Focus on the “why”: Go beyond topline performance to understand what’s driving growth at the attribute level, whether it is demand from certain consumer segments or deeper promotional and distribution support
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Wellness Is Resilient. Are You?
Even in a tough economy, wellness attributes are still outperforming. Consumers are choosing transparency, functionality, and alignment with their values.
For CPG brands, the path forward is clear: embrace product attribute insights as a strategic asset. It’s not just about keeping up with trends. It’s about staying relevant in a market where health and wellness is the new baseline.
