Four ways to promote probiotic yogurts

The probiotics market is well-established but is far from saturated. Here are four ways to take advantage of the opportunities offered by probiotic yogurts. Moreover, DSM has developed Delvo®Pro probiotic strains, enabling dairy manufacturers to produce healthy, tasty probiotic yogurts that consumers love.

Probiotic yogurts have a lot of specific consumer benefits to offer

The global probiotic yogurt market is showing a steady increase. That’s no great surprise. Manufacturers respond to consumers, who are much more health conscious these days. As consumers, we are being more proactive in seeking out products that help boost our health – including our digestive health and immune system.

At the same time, we are becoming more comfortable with the concept of live, active bacteria in food and drinks. This explains why the most popular form of probiotic option is yogurt in a cup, followed by yogurt drinks.

Of course, the probiotics market has been established for several years. But it’s far from saturated. So how can you take advantage of this growth opportunity? Here are four suggestions.

Tap into the power of education

Research by FMCG Gurusⁱ indicates that almost half of all consumers who use probiotic products have been using them for less than twelve months. In other words, probiotics are still quite new to them. The same research also shows that many consumers don’t understand the differences between strains, or the significance of the number of live and active micro-organisms that can be found in each serving of a probiotic. So there’s work to be done here. I think both the science and some product labels could be simplified. For example, why not put less information on packaging, but add a QR code that links to a webpage with more information, including an explanation of the cell count?

Take advantage of consumers’ appetite for taste

Every yogurt needs to taste good, that’s a given. Personally, I enjoy yogurts that include seasonal fruits, or exotic or local fruit varieties when I travel all over the world. When it comes to probiotic yogurts, consumers want products to offer taste and nutrition simultaneously. This is clear from research indicating that consumers would like to see a greater variety of flavors within the probiotic market.

High in good ingredients is not enough

It is not enough for probiotics products to be high in good ingredients such as vitamins or offering maximum natural appeal. Other aspects are equally important, such as low sugar, no sugar or lactose-free.

Look for on-the-go opportunities

Consumers want healthy products that can be easily incorporated into our everyday routines and lifestyle. This is where yogurts score highly. They are easy and quick to consume, can be eaten daily, often contain fibers, are low in fat, and are the perfect mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. What’s more, yogurts rate highly in terms of sensory appeal. So a fresh, tasty yogurt on-the-go with added probiotics is always going to be a winner!

At DSM we’ve developed DSM Delvo®Pro high-quality probiotic strains. They are stable, proven, cost-effective and well-documented. They enable dairy manufacturers to produce attractive yogurts with probiotics that consumers know and trust.