The plant-based revolution: from niche to the future

What is Veganuary?

Since its launch in 2014,?Veganuary?has?encouraged millions to adopt a vegan diet for the month of?January, but what is it and what does it mean for your brand?

Veganuary is a 30-day challenge that encourages people to take-up a vegan lifestyle for the month of January, the success of which is growing year on year. In fact, in 2022, 629,000 signed up to the challenge across 228 different countries around the world.

Veganuary.com suggests that over 80% of those who took part in 2022 planned to make permanent changes to their diet and lifestyle, making it clear this isn’t just a fad or trend; this lifestyle is here to stay beyond January.

However, the challenge itself does help stimulate demand for plant-based?products each during January each year, as well as highlighting the sector’s increasingly?significant place in the FMCG landscape.???

It also?couldn’t?come at a better time of year. With shoppers?shaking off the excess of the festive period and looking to?embrace healthier habits for 2023, come January, many are?happy to buy into this new dietary lifestyle.?

Don’t forget! It’s not just about diet, shoppers are looking to change their purchasing habits across categories, from food and drink, to beauty and clothing, and even to their household cleaning products.?

But?it’s?not just shoppers that are climbing onboard. More and?more brands are also taking the opportunity to release new?vegan lines, call out their sustainability and ethical credentials?and re-brand existing products that naturally fit within the?sector.??

This makes the annual Veganuary challenge the perfect month?for savvy brands and retailers to reassess their offering in this?sector.?? ?

As NielsenIQ suggests, "Veganuary is a springboard for brands, retailers and restaurants to launch new and exciting NPDs or turn existing product vegan."

So, how can you prepare for the rise of plant-based shoppers?

• Appeal to all, not just to the confirmed vegans, but to the health-conscious and those who still eat animal products but who want to?incorporate plant based into their diet. Offer tips, recipes and extra?content that can help them learn and use these products.???
• Ensure product information is complete and accurate?to flag up?an item is plant-based.?
• Use enriched content?– multi-layered, easy to access content that?makes better use moving images, video and infographics.??This can?be effective both on the carousel and below the fold. Videos and?auto-play gifs are eye-catching and can convey a product is plant-based far?quicker than written product information.?

• Provide all the information needed?so that shoppers?don’t?have to?head off-site to find out more.??
• Use icons?in the shopping aisles when a retailer has the technology?available for this. It can help shoppers easily locate vegan or plant-based items.?
• Make it as easy has possible for the shopper. Consider labelling?products that are inherently vegan but might be overlooked for?being labelled as such, for example hummus or guacamole.??
• Use immersive content?that presents a product in a way that’s as?close as possible to real physical contact to help shoppers?understand?it is?plant-based.?

Want to learn more?

Download our full report, packed with tips and tricks for winning the plant-based shelf space. ??