Non-prescription drugs for seasonal ailments, sports supplements, shampoos and conditioners. But also medical instruments and devices. The number of Italians who rely on the web to find out about (or buy) products and news from the health area is constantly growing. This is what emerges from the data of the Trovaprezzi.it Observatory, the portal that compares the rates and offers of e-commerce sites.
In 2016, according to the calculations, the searches carried out by navigators among the products of the "health and beauty" sector recorded peaks of 30% compared to 2015, when requests had increased by 21% compared to the previous year. In particular, 14 million searches were carried out in 2016 for the treatment and prevention of health, hygiene, well-being and beauty. It should be remembered that these are questions that do not always end with an online purchase, but the dynamics photographed by the research confirm that the web is increasingly often the place where offers are sought or products are compared before buying them (remotely or at the point of sale).
Among the most dynamic segments, in the Observatory ranking, supplements and adjuvants stand out, marking a +33% compared to 2015. In all, around 5 million searches, characterized by seasonality, with a strong growth rate in the quarters March-June and September-December, coinciding with the recovery of sport activity after summer and winter. The demand for body care products increases instead of 31%. In this case, the increase starts in March with the purchase of sunscreen and body creams.
Since the end of June searches have returned to a regular trend but still increasing compared to previous years. As regards health products, online requests in 2016 increased by 28%, with peaks especially during the winter period. To attract users on the web above all the self-medication drugs connected to colds. Finally, face and hair products, a sector that recorded a year-on-year increase of 25%. If until a few years ago, creams and hair products were purchased directly in large-scale retail stores or pharmacies, today consumers often opt for the web on the advice of professionals, specialized bloggers or social networks.
