Lack of results causes half of UK users to stop using a health product​ ​

Consumer health brands may be prioritising attracting new customers and ensuring loyalty instead of investing in helping customers recognise whether a product is working, according to new research from behavioural experience agency, Pomegranate. The research found that 51.1% of digitally active UK consumer-health users reported previously stopping a product because they didn’t see tangible results. Just under half (49.5%) said that evidence of tangible health benefits was one of the most important factors when choosing a product, while 58% identified the consistent delivery of health benefits as a key reason for continuing to use one.

For the average consumer, it is critical that the product consistently delivers on its promises. Visible benefits outrank discounts as a reason to stay with a health product, with only 18.1% of users selecting loyalty rewards or discounts as a top-three retention factor.

Further data found that peer recommendation and the influence from someone a customer knows marginally rivals scientific evidence via clinical trials as a leading choice factor.

Taken together, the results point to an important distinction between winning customers and keeping them and the factors which influence customers’ attitudes towards health products.

Duncan Thomas, CEO and founder at Pomegranate, said: “Consumers don't usually abandon health products overnight. More often, they disengage in a matter of days because they're unsure whether what they're doing is making a difference.”

“Brands should be setting realistic expectations from the outset, making progress easier to see, and helping people recognise the benefits they're experiencing from the health product. Product imagery can help communicate these benefits to the consumer in the onboarding process but continuous engagement throughout is essential. Brands can also go beyond this, utilising newer forms of customer nurturing including wearable, biometric tech to connect body effect with the product they’re selling.”

“Our research indicates that brands should pay attention to early behavioural signals and help the consumer with good habit-building and onboarding so that they use the product long enough to see results.”

Progress visibility is a key retention factor for consumer health brands. That means brands must set realistic expectations against their products and design customer experiences to reinforce positive outcomes before the consumer disengages. Rather than pushing further marketing messaging and payment reminders, brands should remind the consumer of the positive impact as a result of using the product.

Scientific backing reinforces confidence in the product at a similar rate to a peer recommendation, so brands must combine scientific credibility with experiences that help the consumer see and feel the value behind the health product.

The findings form part of Pomegranate’s wider analysis of trust in consumer-health experiences, covering privacy, personalisation, evidence, retention, AI and digital experience.

The full report, Building Trust in Consumer Health, can be found here.