Beating the freeze: winter remedies category report 2019 | Category Report

At a total level, winter remedies sales have remained stagnant. The market was worth £373.5m, representing a £100k decrease on last year.
“This is no mean feat given that 2018 was a bumper year for the category, as the Beast from the East caused a sales spike in the early part of last year,” says Kantar analyst Andrew Zarb. “This year we’ve seen a significantly warmer winter and this is reflected in performance.”
Volumes are down by 0.8%, which means the market has been reliant on increasing prices to drive value performance. Cough liquids, medicated confectionery and decongestants have all seen price rises.
“Format changes have been important, with a shift towards sensorial formats such as nasal sprays and inhalants,” says Zarb. “These generally carry a higher average price point – £3.18 versus £1.94 for the total category – and now account for a fifth of sales.”
However, the opposite is true of cold treatments. Unlike the rest of the category, they have seen a 2.9% decline in average price. That has negated the 0.8% increase in volumes.

Streetbees: consumer attitudes towards winter remedies
Consumer attitudes towards winter remedies
20% believe natural cold and flu remedies are more effective than over the counter medication
42% get paranoid that they'll get sick when someone sneezes near them
58% like to have a stock of cold and flu medication in winter "just in case"
69% have some concerns over taking cold and flu tablets
34% worry about putting too many drugs in their body

Source: Streetbees poll of 950 consumers