Sports Nutrition for Seniors: Is Anyone Paying Attention?
With so many different trends lately, it got me wondering about the next step in the sports nutrition game. Supplement companies have forever been targeting a certain demographic (18-35 year old’s) and it made me wonder if anyone is paying attention to those consumers? What I mean is, what happens after those consumers turn 36? If you have loyal customers, they are going to want to remain loyal but what if your brand no longer resonates with their needs? Have brands thought about sports nutrition for seniors?
Getting Old Sucks… What about Sports Nutrition for Seniors?
I’m 41 and I can tell you first hand and my body is WAY different than it was back in my 20s. Putting on muscle is a little more difficult. Losing weight is a little more difficult. And the aches and pains from years of athletics and competitive sports are now catching up to me (for instance my back and knees are shot).
As a business owner, I look at the lifetime value of a customer. How long can I service that customer before they either no longer need me or they’ll need something different? When I worked for a supplement company, I kept bringing up the lifetime value of a customer and how you can engage with a customer at the age of 18 and then potentially have them turn into a 60-year customer (or longer). Yet, they kept their blinders on and said to stay in my lane. I always thought sports nutrition for seniors was a good idea.
Now, I’m not saying brands need to drop what they are doing to focus on sports nutrition for seniors and get away from their bread and butter products, but I do believe it is worth sitting down and talking about the opportunities.
Yes, there are brands out there who cater to seniors. Primarily, for those brands, that’s their only demographic though. So, while they are waiting for people to get old(er), they aren’t looking to sell to them earlier which I feel is the inverse problem that sports nutrition and supplement companies are having — they’ve flip-flopped on their thinking.
There are some brands out there who have products that would fit into the sports nutrition for seniors portfolio. You have protein powders, joint products, fish oil, testosterone boosters, etc. However, brands are only catering them towards their 18-35 target demographic. With a simple change of their copy, they could help those same customers understand that the products suit their needs even as they age. Which could have them purchasing the products for a longer period of time.
Obviously, as we age it would be wise to speak with a medical professional to ensure the products being used are fine and wouldn’t have any effect on medications being taken for any health concerns.
We Aren’t Getting Any Younger
The fact of the matter is, we aren’t getting any younger. And as we age our needs change. Sports nutrition for seniors is way different than what is needed for a 20-yr old male. For many, they are no longer looking to be a 260-pound gorilla with massive musculature. Instead, they are simply looking to age gracefully while still maintaining their health and somewhat of a decent physique — without being tagged as having a “dad bod.”
As mentioned earlier, adding a few extra products would be a good idea to cater towards the sports nutrition for seniors market. But for the time being, brands should at least be educating their consumers on the products that can carry a lifetime value. Just because you’re 60 doesn’t mean you don’t need protein. Just because you’re 55 doesn’t mean you should stop using omega 3’s and healthy fats. And just because your testosterone levels and joint health are fine currently doesn’t mean that will continue with the years to come.
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