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The rise of a dynamic consumer health market

Responding to consumers' expectations and gaining their trust

A dynamic consumer health (CH) industry is focused on promoting well-being and extending healthy lifespans. CH companies use genetic, healthcare and behavioural data to develop personalised, science-based products and services. AI-enabled diagnostics, digital tools, wearables, FemTech and AgeTech tools empower self-care. Companies can generate a feedback loop using health data and real-time consumer feedback to enable outcome tracking and continuous innovation. Sustainable practices and evidence on commitment to ESG principles help differentiate companies and improve trust.

The world in 2030

 

  • Personalised products: CH companies develop personalised products that deliver proven benefits across areas such as nutrition, sleep, fitness, and mental well-being. 
  • Increased market penetration: CH companies leverage AI-predictive/sensing capabilities and market insights to develop targeted products, expanding their reach to new demographics and regions, and investing more in FemTech and AgeTech. 
  • Pharmacies’ increased capacity: Retail pharmacies leverage integrated data, tele-pharmacy, and automation to enhance service offerings, and pharmacists support consumers in interpreting health data, providing advice and identifying suitable products and services. 
  • Social value: Health equity and environmental sustainability are key considerations in designing consumer products.  

Overcoming cross-cutting constraints

 

There are several cross-cutting constraints that could affect the prediction (not having the right skills and talent, funding models, approach to regulation, and data governance in place). The prediction can be realised by turning the constraints into enablers by:  

  • accessing talent with a wide breadth of skills, including scientists, wellness coaches, digital health and tech designers, and pharmacists
  • adopting innovative financing and insurance models
  • employing data governance frameworks and data security standards including ‘security-by-design’ products, transparent data sharing agreements, and secure, cloud-based and interoperable data storage platforms

 

Evidence in 2024

   

Personalised nutrition: ZOE is a health science company that combines nutrition science, digital technologies and AI to predict the responses of individuals to food, according to individuals’ genetics, metabolic determinants and other individual characteristics, and meal context and composition. 
Anti-ageing and longevity market: The global complementary and alternative medicine for anti-ageing and longevity market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.5% from 2024 to 2030 driven by an ageing population and increasing awareness of holistic well-being.

 
How AI/GenAI might impact consumer health industry

 

  • Improve product development and sourcing, finding new and different ingredients, and obtain a better understanding of what works in which cultural setting.
  • Personalise healthcare by using wearable and other biomarker data to customise products, treatments, and wellness plans.
  • Improve internal efficiencies and monitor regulatory compliance across markets.
  • CH companies need to ensure transparency, monitoring, and assessment of the use of personal health-related data.

Interpreting Global Trends: An Australian Perspective

 

Deloitte’s latest predictions perspective puts forward a thought-provoking view into the expanding role of the consumer health market – bridging the divide between personal health goals and health care support and intervention.  

In a world where AI knits together seemingly disparate strands of information with blinding efficiency, it is little wonder that the same technology can empower individuals to better understand and explore their own health.  

From an Australian policy perspective, adoption of these technologies is aligned with an ongoing and interesting shift in the locus of knowledge and control of information from the healthcare provider to the individual. Australia has a tight regulatory control around the advertisement and influence of consumers with respect to healthcare interventions (for example, advertisement of pharmaceuticals or the clinical capability of clinicians as judged by consumers).  

The Australian market for such companies is steadily expanding including those which utilise AI. For example, the recently piloted fem-tech product ‘Ovum’ which is marketed as a holistic health assistant to support women and overcome the barriers women face in accessing care through traditional health system avenues.  

Indeed, consumer health products have the capacity to bridge access barriers which some vulnerable populations face in accessing care through mainstream services. Equally, access barriers to such products (digital literacy, access to internet, health literacy) can serve to further deepen the divide.  

As is the case globally, the capacity for this market to drive positive health outcomes will be dependent on the data security and governance and quality/regulatory frameworks which must contemporaneously expand to meet this change. 
 

 

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