Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Overall OTC cough, cold, flu, and allergy market slows
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- Figure 1: Total US sales of cough, cold, flu, and allergy remedies, at current prices, 2011-16
- Mainstream children’s medications decline, while natural grows
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- Figure 2: MULO sales of select children’s cold and sinus brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
- Young adults, a key consumer, most willing to forgo OTC medication when sick
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- Figure 3: No need to treat barrier to OTC remedy use, by gender and age, January 2017
- The opportunities
- Help mom prepare for illnesses
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- Figure 4: Purchase medication to be prepared, by parental status, January 2017
- Product claims are the key to choosing products
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- Figure 5: OTC selection factors, by rank, January 2017
- Free-from claims give perception of natural without compromising potency
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- Figure 6: Take natural remedies in addition to conventional, January 2017
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Cough, cold, flu, and allergy market experiences minor growth in 2016
- People take measures to prevent illness
- Alternative and nontreatment threaten OTC remedy use
- People get sick, how many depends on severity of the cold and flu season
- Families get sick the most; number of households with kids declining
Market Size and Forecast
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- Regularity of cough, cold, flu, and allergy ailments supports stable market growth
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- Figure 7: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of cough, cold, flu, and allergy remedies, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 8: Total US sales and forecast of cough, cold, flu, and allergy remedies, at current prices, 2011-21
Market Breakdown
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- Market segments post modest gains
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- Figure 9: Total US retail sales and forecast of cough, cold, flu, and allergy remedies, by segment, at current prices, 2011-21
Market Perspective
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- Proactive measures are taken to prevent illness
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- Figure 10: Proactive health measures, January 2017
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- Figure 11: Use of vitamins or minerals and supplements in the past year, by ailment, January 2017
- Flu vaccine protects against flu, reducing OTC remedy needs
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- Figure 12: Yearly flu shot and first time getting flu shot, January 2017
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- Figure 13: Vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates for influenza seasons from 2005-16
- Home remedies help some people cope with symptoms
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- Figure 14: Use of a home remedy in the past year, by ailment, January 2017
- Some suffer through without intervention
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- Figure 15: Did nothing for ailment in the past year, by ailment, January 2017
Market Factors
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- People get sick and it can happen year-round
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- Figure 16: Ailments experienced seasonally in the past year, January 2017
- Mild 2015-16 flu season
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- Figure 17: Seasonal flu severity, 2010-16
- Households with children are declining
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- Figure 18: US households, by presence of related children, 2006-16
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Market leaders change places, competition intensifies
- Nasal sprays, streamlined offerings, children’s external remedies thrive
- Cough/throat stagnate, mainstream children’s remedies decline, allergy brands try sales tactic
- Private label introductions and new allergy options will impact market
- Children are the key for supplementary growth
Company and Brand Sales of Cough, Cold, Flu, and Allergy Remedies
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- Reckitt Benckiser and Bayer change places in the ranks
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- Figure 19: Sales of cough, cold, flu, and allergy remedies, by company, 2015 and 2016
- Mucinex and Vicks lead sales of cold and sinus remedies
- Bayer introduces line extensions, more natural formulas
- J&J experiences solid gains
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- Figure 20: MULO sales of cold/sinus remedies, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
What’s Working?
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- Sales of nasal sprays continue to grow with new 2016 introductions
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- Figure 21: MULO sales of nasal sprays, by select brands, 2015 and 2016
- Vicks streamlines its offerings; relaunches sinus brand
- External therapies for children are thriving
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- Figure 22: MULO sales of chest rubs and nasal aspirators, 2011-16
What’s Struggling?
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- Overall sales of cough/throat remedies stagnate
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- Figure 23: MULO sales of cough/throat remedies, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
- Mainstream children’s medications take a hit
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- Figure 24: MULO sales of select children’s cold and sinus brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
- Allergy tablet brands aim to improve value proposition
What’s Next?
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- Private label sales will get a boost from new formulation introductions
- Plateauing allergy sales could gain boost from children’s launches
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- Figure 25: MULO sales of Claritin and Zyrtec allergy remedies and children’s allergy remedies, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
- New allergy relief introductions give consumers more options
- Dye-free offers more natural approach without compromising potency
- Essential oils offer alternative cold, cough, and sinus relief
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Proactive measures are taken to prevent illnesses
- Most everyone gets sick, and there’s somewhat of a seasonal pattern
- OTC medications are the top remedy choice regardless of the ailment
- Consumers focus on product claims
- Some people are willing to suffer without treatment
- Natural remedies have a place in the medicine cabinet
Health Attitudes
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- People take proactive measures to keep illness at bay
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- Figure 26: Proactive health attitudes, January 2017
- Women and older adults are more vigilant
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- Figure 27: Proactive health attitudes, by gender, generation, and parental status, January 2017
- There is seasonality in the minds of most consumers
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- Figure 28: Seasonality of cold, cough, and flu season and purchase medication to be prepared, January 2017
- Illness is less seasonal for older adults
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- Figure 29: Seasonality of cold, cough, and flu season, by age, January 2017
- Moms prepare
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- Figure 30: Purchase medication to be prepared, by parental status, January 2017
- Those making preparation purchases also taking other proactive measures
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- Figure 31: Purchase medication to be prepared, by proactive health attitudes, January 2017
Ailments Experienced
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- Illnesses are common
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- Figure 32: Ailments experienced in the past year (net), January 2017
- Young adults are most susceptible to illness
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- Figure 33: Ailments experienced in the past year (net), by age, September 2016
- Adults and kids share the germs
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- Figure 34: Ailments experienced in the past year (net), by parental status, January 2017
- Employed adults need more sick days
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- Figure 35: Ailments experienced in the past year (net), by employment status, January 2017
- Cold and cough occur in cold months; allergies spike in spring
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- Figure 36: Ailments experienced in the past year, by season, January 2017
Ailment Treatment
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- OTC medications are turned to most often, no matter the ailment
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- Figure 37: Correspondence analysis – Cough, cold, flu and allergy remedies treatment, January 2017
- Correspondence methodology
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- Figure 38: Treatment of ailment, by ailment, January 2017
- Young men and Hispanics are least likely to treat with OTC medications
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- Figure 39: OTC medication used for treatment of ailment, by gender and age, and by Hispanic origin, January 2017
- Parents, more so than nonparents, turn to homeopathic remedies
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- Figure 40: OTC homeopathic remedy used for treatment of ailment, by parental status, January 2017
- Older women using an Rx for allergies, younger adults opt to do nothing
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- Figure 41: Used prescription or nothing for treatment of allergies, by age, and by gender and age, January 2017
OTC Selection Factors
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- Product claims are central to choice
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- Figure 42: OTC selection factors, by rank, January 2017
- Women more drawn to certain claims, men to brand name
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- Figure 43: Specific symptom claim, nondrowsy formula, brand name impact on OTC medication choice, any rank (net), by gender, January 2017
- Older adults are influenced by a professional recommendation
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- Figure 44: Recommendation impact on OTC medication choice, any rank (net), by age, January 2017
- Parents factor in naturalness and on-the-go convenience
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- Figure 45: Natural ingredients and easy to take on-the-go impact on OTC medication choice, any rank (net), by parental status, and by parental status by gender, January 2017
Barriers to OTC Remedy Use
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- Willingness to suffer without is the main barrier to OTC remedy use
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- Figure 46: Barriers to OTC remedy use, January 2017
- Young adults most willing to forgo OTC medication
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- Figure 47: No need to treat as barrier to OTC remedy use, by gender and age, January 2017
- Lack of seasonality limits the need to treat
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- Figure 48: No illness season by no need to treat, January 2017
Natural Remedy Perceptions
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- Natural remedies are prominent
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- Figure 49: Natural remedy use, January 2017
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- Figure 50: Don’t know which natural remedies treat symptom, by female by age, January 2017
- Younger generations and parents seek natural options
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- Figure 51: Natural remedy use, by generation, and by parental status by gender, January 2017
- Some adults don’t buy into natural
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- Figure 52: Natural remedy perceptions, January 2017
- Opportunity to encourage stocking up on natural remedies
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- Figure 53: Purchase medication to be prepared, by natural remedy use, January 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – Market
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- Figure 54: Total US sales and forecast of cough, cold, flu, and allergy remedies, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2011-21
- Figure 55: Total US retail sales and forecast of cold/sinus remedies, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 56: Total US retail sales and forecast of cough/throat remedies, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 57: Total US retail sales and forecast of allergy remedies, at current prices, 2011-21
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- Figure 58: Total US retail sales of cough, cold, flu, and allergy remedies, by segment, at current prices, 2014 and 2016
- Figure 59: Total US retail sales of cough, cold, flu, and allergy remedies, by channel, at current prices, 2011-16
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