A few weeks ago, The Vitamin Shoppe’s 700+ locations set up a new section featuring blond wood shelves lined with an array of nutrient powders, fiber, pro- and prebiotics, and multivitamins.
This unassuming selection is, in fact, it’s the latest evidence of a trend that’s rewriting the playbooks of consumer brands everywhere.
The impetus is the popularity of glucagon-like peptide-1s, (GLP-1s). Approved by the FDA in 2021 for treating type-2 diabetes, GLP-1s have more recently been used to great effect in combating obesity, a condition that affects some 42% of American adults.
And GLP-1 use is soaring. According to health policy nonprofit KFF, GLP-1 prescriptions grew by 400% between 2019 and 2023, with Americans having spent $71 billion on drugs like Zepbound, Saxenda, Wegovy and market leader Ozempic in 2023 alone.
GLP-1s have had a ripple effect felt by brands in many categories: While GLP-1s help its users to shed pounds by curbing their appetites—that also appears to curb certain types of shopping.
For example, a recent survey of GLP-1 takers by FinanceBuzz revealed that 29% are spending less on groceries and 37% less on alcohol. Over half (52%) report that they’re eating in restaurants less often.
But what’s bad news for some sectors is an opportunity for others. Demand for modest-sized snacks has led to a spike in yogurt consumption, for instance.
And since GLP-1s come with side effects including fatigue, digestive difficulties, and loss of muscle, products to address those side effects have given brands like The Vitamin Shoppe new selling opportunities.
