The consumer-health industry is booming, driven by an aging population, a proliferation of wellness-related products and services, burgeoning sources of health-related information, and consumers’ desire to control their health. However, an increasing number of smaller, niche players entering the market, digitization, price transparency, regulatory changes, and consumer value consciousness underline the need for change.

Consumer-health companies looking to keep up in this rapidly changing environment will need to adjust their innovation cycles and develop a deep understanding of their consumer base to create a unique value proposition and stand out from competitors. In many cases, companies need to extend beyond traditional barriers of products, services, and tech in order to provide solutions to—and remain relevant with—consumers. We help companies achieve increased growth and profitability by establishing a comprehensive perspective on the issues they are facing and collaboratively creating realizable solutions that account for the needs of their consumers.

What we do

Strategy and growth

We help set the strategic direction and identify opportunities for growth, combining broad experience from the pharmaceutical lens and the consumer landscape. Our work spans corporate strategy, corporate finance, digital strategy, portfolio strategy, and risk management.

Operations

We develop a distinctive operations strategy by optimizing supply chain and ensuring world-class performance within individual functional areas. Our work ranges from operations digitalization and next-generation procurement to product development and lifecycle strategy.

Commercialization

We help define marketing strategies and commercialization approach to manage brands effectively, optimize spending effectiveness and in-store execution, drive innovation, and build world-class marketing and sales-force processes and capabilities.

Organization

We help to maximize company and functional performance through optimal-organizational structure, performance management, and processes. Our deep expertise in transformational change and capability building helps companies foster innovation and build the business models needed to sustain long-term impact.

Mergers & Acquisitions

We partner with consumer-health companies to maximize the success of their end-to-end M&A activity, which includes identifying complementary partnerships and integrating new businesses—including those with different business models and scale—into the organization.

Advanced Analytics

We help companies unleash advanced analytics on rich data—including direct to consumer, pharmacies, purchasing pools, and wholesaler—to turn consumer insights into commercial excellence. This data can be a unique asset to generate value through targeted marketing, pricing, product development, and promotions.

Featured Capabilities

Predictive Growth Navigator: we help companies accurately project demand and consumption for specific categories and markets using advanced machine-learning models to combine McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) macroeconomic scenarios and consumer insights. It can be tailored to a variety of categories and markets including VMS specific applications

Periscope: our services improve return on sales (ROS) through better assortment, performance management, pricing, and promotions

Commercial excellence benchmarking: our solutions identify winning marketing and sales best practices by linking consumer packaged goods (CPG) company actions to results seen in the market

Featured Insights

Collection

The Next Normal – The future of wellness

– The wellness market is booming. Consumers intend to keep spending more on products that improve their health, fitness, nutrition,... appearance, sleep, and mindfulness. In this edition, The Next Normal explores the fast-changing, fast-growing wellness industry.
Article

Sweating for the fitness consumer

– Fitness customers’ habits have evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering fitness-industry providers the opportunity... to reexamine their value propositions and target specific segments.
Collection

Perspectives on consumer health and wellness

This collection explores trends, consumer attitudes, and implications for companies in the global wellness market, focusing on... six categories: health, fitness, nutrition, appearance, mindfulness, and sleep.
Article

Feeling good

– Our new survey shows that a rise in consumer interest and purchasing power presents opportunities across markets, especially as... consumer spending rebounds.
Video

Wellness worldwide: Consumer insights from four countries

– Four McKinsey leaders discuss highlights from our recent global survey on consumers’ behaviors and attitudes toward wellness.
Article

At the heart of a crisis: How consumer-health companies can lead in the time of coronavirus

– As consumer behavior continues to shift with ever-changing conditions, consumer-health companies must respond to the coronavirus... pandemic with key stakeholders in mind.
Interview

GSK’s Brian McNamara on the business impact of COVID-19

– The CEO of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare discusses the global challenges and possibilities of the next normal and the shifts... now underway in consumer behavior.
Article

Consumers with food allergies: A growing market remains underserved

– A quarter of Americans now avoid allergens in the food they buy—and tell us they are hungry for innovation.

RELATED PRACTICES

Retail

Learn how we help clients increase efficiency and drive growth by refining the commercial offer and developing new organizational and technological capabilities.

Healthcare Systems & Services

Discover how our team of consultants works with healthcare leaders to deliver better care, increase quality of life, and improve global outcomes.

Pharmaceuticals & Medical Products

Learn how our consultants work with innovators in pharmaceuticals and medical products to ask the right questions, provide insights, and deliver results.

Related Areas of Expertise

Healthcare Consumer

Accelerate organizational performance and health outcomes through better patient engagement and experience

Connect with our Consumer Packaged Goods Practice