Health Supplement Stores NAICS 456191

Jul 30, 2025 - Consumers Turn to AI to Research Health/Supplement Use: Survey

• Over a third of Americans have used AI tools to manage or learn about their health, as AI continues to play a growing role in the pursuit of wellness goals, according to a 2025 consumer survey by Talker Research commissioned by The Vitamin Shoppe. Of those respondents who used AI, popular applications include researching medical and wellness topics (31%), meal and recipe planning (25%), weight-loss program design (23%), and learning about supplement usage (21%). About 27% of respondents not using AI said they would consider doing so in the future. In addition, the survey addressed how consumers support their longevity and healthspan. Nearly 70% of Americans take dietary supplements to support their health and well-being, in addition to seeing a doctor regularly (40%), exercising regularly (39%), getting enough sleep (39%), and eating a healthy diet (38%).
• Consumer confidence levels, an indicator of discretionary spending, increased in July 2025 month over month, rising by 2 points, according to the Consumer Confidence Index. Consumer confidence levels have stabilized since May but remain lower than last year’s levels, according to The Conference Board, which publishes the monthly index. July’s gain can be attributed to consumers over 35 years old and shared across all income groups, except the lowest income group earning below $15K. In addition, the consumer sentiment index from the University of Michigan increased in July 2025, rising to 61.8 in preliminary July data from 60.7 in June, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. July’s inflation expectation results were lower than June’s, when respondents expected a 5% price increase for the coming year. The index serves as a predictor of consumer spending as it indicates consumers’ perception of their financial prospects and the broader economy.

• The US health supplement stores industry is projected to grow at a 3.71% CAGR from 2025 to 2029, slower than the overall economy's projected growth, according to a forecast from Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. The retail and wholesale sectors are driven by consumer spending, along with expenditure by businesses and government. Retail spending could soften with the growth of spending on consumer services. A factor that may limit consumer spending is higher tariffs on consumer goods. In 2025 and into the forecast period, real disposable income may be supported by continuing nominal wage growth, lower inflation rates, and higher employment levels. Lower inflation supports a moderate increase of real disposable income by about 2% in 2025 and 1.9% in 2026. Real income could suffer if prices rise due to tariff implementation.
• According to a new report in Retail Dive, the retail sector had 64,319 job cuts in the first four months of 2025, a nearly 300% increase year over year, and was the second-leading industry in job cuts. The Challenger, Gray & Christmas report found retail job cuts were up almost 80% year over year in April 2025, reaching 7,235. According to Andrew Challenger, an SVP at the consulting firm, “Generally, companies are citing the economy and new technology. Employers are slow to hire and limiting hiring plans as they wait and see what will happen with trade, supply chain, and consumer spending.” The US lost 603,000 jobs in total across all industries, the most since 2020, when over one million job cuts occurred. According to the report, nearly half of the cuts in the first four months were attributed to job eliminations by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).