Consumer behaviors have shifted decisively toward wellness and value, creating new challenges and opportunities for brands. Recent data shows Walmart's eCommerce sales surged 27% in 2024, driven largely by healthier grocery options. Similarly, retailers like Target saw similar growth in wellness categories as younger shoppers made more intentional purchasing decisions.
This health-focused revolution comes with a caveat: shoppers are becoming more selective. Average basket sizes have shrunk significantly, dropping from 9 items in 2022 to just 6.1 in 2024. Consumers aren't just choosing healthier products; they're scrutinizing every purchase more carefully than ever.
In this article, we'll explore key trends from our research, including which retailers are winning in the better-for-you space and why. We've partnered with Vizit to identify which creative strategies appeal the most to health-conscious consumers. Read on for useful insights to improve your brand's approach.
Social is the ‘third shelf’ for Grocery, and even more for ‘Better for You’ brands
Grocery brands are currently heavily investing their ad spend in social traffic. According to the MikMak Shopping Index, 67.6 percent of eCommerce Grocery traffic comes from social channels. Healthier ‘Better for You’ options see stronger performance, with 78.7 percent of the traffic coming from these channels.
When it comes to how likely Grocery customers are to convert, the MikMak Shopping Index showed that Brand Websites had the highest Purchase Intent Rates for both Grocery overall (13.9 percent), as well as ‘Better for You’ Grocery (6 percent). This metric shows the likelihood that a consumer clicks through to checkout from MikMak Commerce-enabled media. While social investment drives product discovery, investing in your brand website is crucial for driving sales.
Walmart is the preferred checkout option for online Grocery shoppers
Where do Grocery shoppers prefer to check out online? Walmart dominates, with 40.4 percent of all Grocery shoppers choosing it over other top retailers. But for ‘Better For You’ brands, the race tightens. Walmart still leads (33.9%), but Amazon (23.8%) and Target (23.2%) close the gap, splitting traffic more evenly.
Personal Care brands see the most traffic on social, but higher conversions on search
For Personal Care brands, the MikMak Shopping Index saw a staggering 91.5 percent of eCommerce traffic comes from social channels. However, Search leads in terms of likelihood of conversion at 21.9 percent. While search sees a small percentage of traffic for these brands, it drives consumers to add these products to their shopping carts.
Personal Care brands are most likely to convert at the beginning of the year, despite seeing more traffic in summertime
Personal Care brands saw a staggering 91.5 percent of eCommerce traffic come from social channels. However, search led in likelihood of conversion at 21.9 percent. While search saw a small percentage of traffic for these brands, it drove consumers to add these products to their shopping carts at a higher rate.
For a deeper dive into the Grocery and Personal Care brands ‘Better for You’ trends and data, check out our recent New Year, New Me Guide.
Revamp your creative to capture new shoppers in 2025
Want your product imagery to resonate with Millennial and Gen Z audiences? We asked Vizit to analyze top-performing creative in categories like clean beauty, healthy snacks, and better-for-you beverages. Their research uncovered key design trends that appeal to these shoppers in Grocery and Personal Care:
Hero Image Best Practices
1. Make Use of Background and Foreground for Clarity
Place the main product clearly in the front. Arrange supporting items, like bulk packaging or matching textures, in the background. Use swatches for beauty products to add interest.
Use clean, minimal backgrounds like white or soft gradients to ensure the product remains the focus. Sometimes, subtle shading to add depth is enough to offset the product packaging.
2. Highlight Quantity and Abundance
Health-conscious shoppers love a good deal, but they still want to feel intentional about their purchases. Here’s how to showcase volume without sacrificing premium appeal:
- Snacks & Beverages: Display bulk packs with energy! Think: individual items spilling from boxes or fanned out in dynamic layouts.
- Beauty: Position your hero product alongside its full collection. Vizit’s data suggests this implies efficacy and value, like they’re investing in a system, not just a one-off.
3. Showcase Product Design Details
For Personal Care, feature intricate design elements such as applicators, swatches, or opened products. Examples include caps removed to display pump mechanisms, mascara wands extended, or gloss applicators revealed. Highlighting usability and formula details enhances the appeal to Gen Z and Millennials prioritizing product functionality.
Carousel Image Best Practices
1. Focus on Ingredients for Transparency and Natural Appeal
In Grocery sections, use attractive displays of key ingredients integrated with the product. This can include fresh fruits, nuts, or plants. Health-conscious consumers value transparency and find visuals that showcase key ingredients or natural product benefits appealing.
Health-conscious Millennial and Gen Z audiences favor carousel images highlighting hero ingredients through infographics or styled displays. They appreciate seeing beneficial ingredients featured prominently in clean makeup and clean skincare. These visuals often showcase natural items like fresh oranges, honey, or plant extracts.
2. Incorporate Aspirational and Lifestyle Imagery
Situate products in aspirational lifestyle scenarios that resonate with the target audience, such as outdoor gatherings, workout settings, or wellness-focused environments. This aligns the product with the audience’s values like balance, social connection, and an active lifestyle.
3. Use Vibrant, Modern Visuals
Leverage bold, colorful backgrounds and dramatic product arrangements in carousel images to create an elevated, design-forward aesthetic. However, this doesn’t mean it's time for you to embrace maximalism. In fact, clean and uncluttered visuals consistently perform well across these categories. Balancing these two design elements leads to impactful imagery.
By implementing these best practices, brands can meet the visual preferences of health-conscious Millennial and Gen Z consumers, ultimately driving higher engagement and conversion rates in eCommerce.
Turn these tips and trends into your competitive edge
Want to put these insights to work? MikMak helps brands move beyond guesswork by measuring exactly how your products perform against these trends, whether it’s Walmart’s dominance in Grocery, the power of bulk packaging, or winning creative strategies.
Our platform lets you test what resonates with your audience and optimize in real time, so you’re not just following trends, but capitalizing on them.
Ready to see how it works? Request a demo today to start leveraging data that drives decisions.
