Vitamins of interest：Acne & pregnancy vitamins for the young & osteoporosis, high dosage vitamins for the elderly

Let's analyze searches surrounding "vitamins." First, let's look at the number of people searching "vitamins."
For this analysis, we will use Dockpit, an online behavior analytics tool provided by VALUES, Inc. that allows you to analyze competitor websites and investigate trends using behavioral data that is updated monthly, all within your browser.

The number of people searching is high throughout the year. An interesting thing to note is that there is a slight drop in searches in the month of December when December 13 is considered "Vitamin Day."

So, if we go back two years in the data-collection period, we can see a time when there was a notable increase in searches. It was around May 2020 when the Japanese government declared a state of emergency due to the significant spread of COVID-19. It can be assumed that this was influenced by the attention surrounding the positive effects of vitamin D and propolis on the immune system. In fact, FANCL, a supplement manufacturer, reported a significant increase in the sales of following supplements by mail order from April 1 to 23, 2020 compared to the same period of the previous year:
・Vitamin D: 218.3% increase
・Propolis: 78.5% increase
・Vitamin C: 71.7% increase
・Multivitamins and minerals: 52.6% increase

Next, let's look at the user attributes of people searching “vitamins.”

Comparing unmarried and married people, more unmarried people are searching "vitamins." As for married people, considering the presence of family members or a partner that helps manage their diet, it may be that they are less concerned about nutritional imbalance than those who are not married.

Furthermore, we find that people without children are more likely to search for "vitamins."
Once people have children, they are often so busy that feeding themselves is a challenge in itself, let alone ensuring they are getting enough vitamins. Many people consider nutrition a secondary concern. Let's look at some more data.

The following are "keyword combinations" searched together with "vitamins."

"Vitamin C" has the highest number of searches. Everyone, regardless of age or sex, is concerned about the intake of vitamin C, which is widely known to be strongly associated with contributing to beauty and health. This may be due in part to the fact that the COVID-19 has drawn increased attention to the idea that "less susceptibility to colds = vitamin C = less susceptibility to COVID-19."

Following "vitamin C," "vitamin D" is the next keyword that is highly searched, and then "vitamin E" follows. Vitamin D aids in calcium absorption and is necessary for the maintenance of strong bones. Low vitamin D intake may lead to the softening and thinning of the bones, making them brittle. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant, which helps boost immune function and fight off bacteria and viruses that invade the body.
Thus, there are many purposes for searching for vitamins, including to improve beauty, health, and immunity.

Next, let's take a look at the "Demographic Map." We can see the keywords searched by age and sex, and we can see that the overwhelming majority of the searches are by women (right half). Looking at the most frequently searched words by older age groups and by younger age groups, we can also see that there are many women, especially those in the younger group, that are searching "vitamins."

A wide variety of vitamins and its benefits were searched by the younger demographic. The younger they are, the higher the interest in "acne," and vitamins for "pregnancy" was particularly noticeable among younger people.

We see that the older age group searched for a variety of vitamins, but vitamin D was especially searched for among people in their 50s and older. Since a vitamin D-deficiency can lead to osteoporosis and other problems, many people may be interested in this vitamin. Furthermore, words such as "high concentration" are also prominent in the older age groups. This suggests that they are more interested in taking vitamins regularly than younger people. Also, since they have more disposable income than younger people, they may have more time to invest in themselves and their health.

Lastly, to find out the search intent, let's look at the inflow webpage that people visit after searching "vitamins."

The most common questions are "What are the functions/benefits of vitamin 〇?" and "How much should I take per day?" It is clear that everyday people are most interested in their benefits and the amount of intake. How much should one consume, and what foods offer these vitamins? It is apparent that this is a concern to many people. In addition, the multiple recurrence of the same website (Morinaga / Health & Longevity Net) across the ranking suggests that after researching one vitamin, people often look into other vitamins within the same website. It is possible that these people with a high interest in health first find interest in one vitamin, from which they derive interest in other vitamins.

In this research, we looked into "vitamins." "Vitamins" seem to be of strong interest across all ages and sexes, but looking at the search data, we found that the vitamins of interest differ by age and sex. When selling a product, it is important plan an appropriate approach according to the detailed demands of that product.

▼Data from Dockpit was used in this case study. Dockpit is an online behavior analytics tool provided by VALUES, Inc., and it allows you to access online behavioral data (updated monthly) via your browser so you can research competitor websites and investigate trends. There is a FREE version of Dockpit, so if you are interested in using it, please register below.