Health & Wellness

Recent studies indicate that this year’s allergy season may last longer and come on stronger thanks to climate change. As pollen counts surge across the U.S., sales of over-the-counter allergy medication are on track to surpass those of last year’s allergy season.

2022 allergy season forecast

The 2022 allergy season outlook

For many U.S. shoppers, springtime doesn’t just mean warmer weather and more daylight—it signals the beginning of allergy season. Sales of over-the-counter allergy medications are booming across the U.S. In 2021, the allergy category sold $3.6B across in-store and online channels, an increase of 8% compared to the previous year.

As consumers flock to the shelves for their allergy medication, retailers need to ensure private label and big-name brands are in stock, in store. While online sales growth of allergy medication is outpacing in-store sales, it only accounts for 11% of category sales overall. For this category, a significant portion of consumers are still looking to the larger name-brands they trust as well as the private label alternatives.