Marketing products to female athletes

The female athlete/active consumer demographic is growing, giving sports nutrition companies a huge opportunity to craft new formulas dedicated specifically to women. Although women use sport-related product less than men, according to data from the Natural Marketing Institute’s (NMI) 2017 Supplements/OTC/Rx Database, “this indicates a huge opportunity to develop and market products to women,” said Steve French, managing partner, NMI.

To successfully woo women in the sports nutrition market, brands and companies must speak a different language to women than men, and expand their marketing pitch beyond the traditional category of weight management. Women consumers seek companies they can trust, identify with and that reflect their lifestyles. Brand authenticity plays a huge role in gaining the trust of women consumers.

With so many sports nutrition products offered on the market, women want clarity as to which ingredients work for their body and what products deliver. Brands should invest in educating the female consumer, not fixing them.

For package development, focus first on formulation and ingredients, and then design packaging that highlights the various ingredients and exactly what each does for the female body. Women are seeking results with verbiage that appeals to their intellect, not cute product boxes with just feminine appeal.

Creating an uplifting, empower community around a brand based on trends is a solid marketing strategy for companies with brands that produce results for women. According to Euromonitor, a market research provider, identified the following trends female athletes and active consumers are searching for: healthy desserts and keto-diet focused products. Also, social media influencers are stepping up and launching products, which could be targets for M&As.

Overall, female athletes and active female consumers want products created with ingredients that their body uses to achieve their wants and needs from brands and companies they trust.

To read the full article about marketing specifically to active females, as well as related content, download INSIDER’s Sports Nutrition: The Female Athlete digital magazine.