•QNet chief executive Malou Caluza says wellness products took the lead in East Africa sales with Kenya leading the pack.
•The firm estimates the wellness market will grow by 30 per cent year-on- year in East Africa, as wellness is now considered a top priority in most homes.
Companies with health and wellness products have experienced a significant boost in their sales, thanks to increased awareness and personal health concerns brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
QNet chief executive Malou Caluza says wellness products took the lead in East Africa sales with Kenya leading the pack.
QNET is one of Asia's leading e-commerce based direct selling companies offering a wide range of health, wellness and lifestyle products.
The firm estimates the wellness market will grow by 30 per cent year-on- year in East Africa, as wellness is now considered a top priority in most homes.
Products taking the lead include vitamin and mineral supplements which have risen sharply during the pandemic.
“Our latest research shows that consumers care deeply about wellness and that their interest is growing,” she notes.
Much of this has been through QNET's direct selling program allowing individual entrepreneurs to take the lead in building a sales initiative.
Research has shown that supplementing with certain vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other substances can help improve immune response and potentially protect against illness.
However, currently, no research supports the use of any supplement to protect against Covid-19 specifically.
"We have seen a significant rise in our products in the East African market some of the preferred products include EDG3, Immunity booster and purifier as well as Kenta, vitamin rich supplement," Caluza said in a statement on Friday.
East Africa sales were 16.7 per cent higher in 2021 compared to the previous year with demand elevating.
The move comes even as lifestyle diseases such as high blood pressure and cancer are now the leading causes of death in Kenya.
More than half of the deaths - 55 per cent - are caused by high blood pressure, heart diseases, diabetes and cancer. The diseases also account for half of all hospital admissions.
About 37 per cent of the population is suffering from high blood pressure followed by heart disease at 12.7 per cent and diabetes at 10 per cent.
Every year, about 28,500 Kenyans are diagnosed with cancer. A shocking 22,100 of them die from lack of treatment due to high cost.
What next for the health and wellness industry
The advent of lifestyle diseases is blamed on four main issues including economic transition, rapid urbanization, unhealthy diets, lack of physical exercise and modern lifestyle that is associated with excess use of tobacco and alcohol.
According to research firm Mckinsey & Co., the global wellness market is estimated at more than $1.5 trillion, with annual growth of five to 10 per cent.
A rise in both consumer interest and purchasing power presents tremendous opportunities for companies.
“Consumers view wellness through a much broader and more sophisticated lens, encompassing not just fitness and nutrition but also overall physical and mental health and appearance. They also have more choice in the types of products and services they buy and the way they buy them,” the research firm says.
Companies with health and wellness products experienced a significant boost in their sales thanks to increased awareness and personal health concerns brought on by the pandemic.
QNET is one such example. The health and wellness products took the lead in global direct sales at $64.8 billion (Sh7.3 trillion). This trend will likely persist in the following years.
Micro-entrepreneurship is on the rise. E-commerce is booming. As long as direct selling companies have adapted to the change and accepted the paradigm shifts that will shape the future, the rest is upto to the individual to find the demand and grow, the firm notes.