Pharmacies and Products for Health and Wellbeing – Food Supplements and Nutraceuticals

Hall B6 - Tulipano Room

How is it possible to reconcile scientific, pharmacological, and clinical content with the tools of Marketing and Communication? The inspiration comes from the profound cultural and social transformation that has shaped the new landscape of the health and wellness sector over the last 15 years—a transformation that increasingly highlights the need to place a new figure, the Patient-Client, at the center of product research, development, and marketing strategies within companies in the sector.

The growing use of products with natural ingredients (supplements, nutraceuticals, herbal remedies, and cosmetics), together with a more in-depth culture around dietary models, balanced and correct nutrition, and physical activity protocols, are the appropriate responses to the pursuit of psychophysical wellbeing, aimed at improving the concept of Well-Being, and therefore of Health.

This substantial growth in the sector and in this category of products finds its roots in this phase of change in social, cultural, and regulatory systems, along with changes in distribution models and markets. As a result, defining and applying the tools made available by Marketing allows for targeted and specialized strategies to attract and retain Consumers, influencing their purchase decision process.

At the core of this context, food supplements have found the ideal substrate for conveying a positive message to a wide range of people who care about their health and wish to preserve it.

The use of food supplements, nutraceuticals, and herbal products, combined with a balanced diet, a regular lifestyle, and moderate physical exercise, is therefore believed to:

• stabilize physiological processes, altered over time by endogenous and exogenous factors;

• contribute to maintaining an optimal state of wellbeing;

• improve physical and mental performance;

• reduce the likelihood of developing pathological conditions;

• optimize the body’s functional capacity to defend itself from aging;

• strengthen internal defense systems to counteract stress and oxidative factors.

That being said, it becomes both necessary and important—for both consumers and sector professionals—to provide clear and transparent information about the scope of the food supplement market in Italy through an overview of legislation, market data, product types, food chemistry and technology, quality and safety, labeling, advertising information, and the inevitable fraud.

In these stages, in addition to the regulations governing the activities of the supplement supply chain (from formulation to distribution), the Marketing system provides tools to guide companies through the phases of product definition and commercialization, while also supporting the consumer in informed purchasing decisions. This happens through distribution channels, which become an active and interactive part of consultation and commercial offerings.

Speaker – Prof. Roberto Romagnoli – University of Bologna – FA.BIT Department Bologna – QU.VI. Rimini

Author of the following books:

• Il mercato degli integratori – Maggioli Publisher

• Il marketing in farmacia – Maggioli Publisher

• Il marketing degli integratori – Maggioli Publisher

• Gli strumenti della pubblicità – Amon Publisher