Bushfires, floods and a global pandemic have driven Australians to look closer to home for locally made and owned products and services.
A recent report by Mintel showed that from July 2019 – July 2020, 52% of Australian consumers changed their buying behaviour to actively seek and support Australian brands, a growth of over 8%. This demand has continued to climb, providing not only economic benefit by supporting local brands, but also a guarantee that products are made to Australian Standards and Safety Guidelines.
What’s more, COVID-19 has placed health and wellbeing top of mind. Discussions like how to improve our immune system and gut health are now as common as knowing regular exercise can improve your heart health. As a result, consumers are now more empowered than ever to take control of their own health and are seeking products that can support this lifestyle.
The challenge of sourcing locally
Coming from 20 years of corporate sales, mixed with a personal training background, l have a deep passion for health and wellness myself. I love exploring new products that can improve my health and wellbeing.
I was constantly on the search for products that were organic, ethically sourced or used natural ingredients and the more research l did, l uncovered there was a huge range of incredible local suppliers making amazing products right here in Australia.
The trouble was, while there were so many available, it took so long to find them. I thought, there had to be an easier way to find these brands in an already busy space.
Enter, Yo Life
That was when l came up with the concept of Yo Life – Australia’s first online marketplace for local and independent brands that are passionate about health, fitness and wellness.
For consumers it’s a one stop shop for all things health, wellness and fitness. For suppliers it’s a unique growth channel, providing opportunity to sit amongst like-minded stores that complement their brand and ability to market to an audience they may not traditionally market to.
Now a year on from our launch, we have over 150 stores on the platform with over 4000 products to choose. Our categories have grown and will continue to grow, based on what our consumers are looking for that will support them in their health, fitness and wellness journey.
The future of health and wellness
With COVID anticipated to have a lasting impact, I believe the health and wellness industry will continue to grow and adapt in both products and services offered to match the homegrown demand.
There is a huge opportunity to aggregate these services and products in one place. Yo Life is geared up to meet this opportunity, support local business and ultimately help improve the health and wellbeing of Australians.