In the early days of sport nutrition there were not a whole lot of options for stocking vending machines. Sport nutrition solutions back then were fairly limited, mainly to a couple of protein bars and one or two drinks. Things have certainly changed since then. Today we look at sport nutrition as a multifaceted environment represented by different groups of people with different expectations.
We find it helpful to envision the modern state of sport nutrition as different customers with different faces. It is an approach similar to online marketers creating customer personas to help them figure out how to market to different groups of people. Whether you look at faces or personas, the concept is still the same. It is our job to understand what customers want and then provide it.
4 People Who Value Sport Nutrition Products
The Bodybuilder
One of the first faces that comes to mind is that of the bodybuilder. And why not? Bodybuilders were the foundation of sport nutrition back in its early days. They were the ones who began requesting healthy snacks and nutritional supplements that would enhance their efforts.
Believe it or not, the protein bar sprang from the bodybuilding mentality. The body requires protein in large volumes in order to build muscle mass, so bodybuilders started demanding protein bars, protein shakes, and the like. Our industry responded.
The Amateur Athlete
Next up is the amateur athlete. This is a person who regularly works out for the purposes of engaging in recreational athletic activity. It might be a person who plays football in a Sunday league. It might be an avid swimmer, cycler, or golfer. Regardless, amateur athletes have one thing in common when it comes to their food choices: they make a concerted effort to maintain a healthy diet.
The Holistic Eater
One of the more recent faces to appear in the sport nutrition world is that of the holistic eater. A person in this category takes a holistic approach to nearly every aspect of life. Where food is concerned, holistic eaters are aligned with the concept that you are what you eat. That makes them very cognisant of everything from daily meals to between-meal snacks.
Holistic eaters tend to be a bit more discriminating when it comes to vending machine choices. They may want protein this time around, but next time they might be looking for something different. It really depends on how they've been eating throughout that particular day.
The Weight Watcher
Last but not least is the face of the weight watcher. This is a person who has committed to losing weight and keeping it off. Healthy snack choices are important because eating high-calorie, high-sugar foods is counterproductive to weight loss efforts. Our focus here is to give customers snacks that are both healthy and good tasting. If the flavour isn't there, it's harder to entice weight watchers to buy.
Sport nutrition solutions have evolved over time. They will continue evolving as the many faces of sport nutrition change.
