Rituals Global Travel Retail Director Melvin Broekaart outlines how the brand is aiming to seize on the potential of the emerging sleepcare category.
Sleep is integral to our mental and physical wellbeing yet approximately 33% of the world’s population suffer from insomnia and over 50% of adults globally do not get enough sleep. Poor sleep is linked to a whole host of physical and mental health problems, which has led to consumers desperately seeking ways to improve their quality of sleep. As a result, sleep health has risen to prominence in recent years with new products and brands – all claiming to aid sleep – emerging all the time.
Sleep is now a pillar of the wellness market and by 2030 the global sleeping aids market, worth US$79billion in 2019, is forecast to reach US$163 billion, according to a study by market research company P&S Intelligence.
With World Sleep Day – the global awareness event by World Sleep Society – approaching on 18 March, let us dive deeper into the sleepcare category and its potential in travel retail.
Sleepcare – a rising category in travel retail
Just two years ago, there were little to no sleepcare products available in travel retail. Rituals identified a gap in the market to create a new ‘sleepcare’ pillar, a sub-category of wellbeing. Being a wellbeing brand, sleepcare was a natural fit with our existing product offer – and a category we’ve really homed in on in travel retail over the last couple of years.
There is a clear synergy between travel and sleep – when on holiday, we often feel most relaxed and get the best quality sleep. It can however be a struggle to achieve restful sleep when travelling due to a number of factors including jet lag, and adjusting to a new environment and mattress, leading to travellers searching for sleep aid products.
In Spring 2020, we launched The Ritual of Jing – a collection of Sleep and Relax products inspired by the ancient Chinese concept of Jing, representing calmness, stillness and tranquillity. Market research conducted in collaboration with Kantar has shown that The Ritual of Jing products have a positive perceived impact on sleep quality. According to results, 82% of test respondents stated that they fall asleep faster after using The Ritual of Jing products for two weeks.
Besides products, consumers are also seeking out other ways, such as guided meditations and sleep tips, to help them achieve restful sleep on their travels. This is where Rituals’ goal of helping consumers achieve the ultimate form of wellbeing through bringing balance between body, mind and soul comes into its own.
Good sleep promotes wellness that allows people to get the most out of their trip and concrete steps can improve sleep both in transit and during the rest of a trip. Nowadays the onus is well and truly on airports to help passengers achieve a more restful travel experience. Recently, we have seen the introduction of sleep cabins at Vienna Airport and a sleep ‘n fly lounge at Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
The latter saw passengers enjoy nearly half a million hours of sleep, relaxation, or socially distanced space during their transit in the first 12 months.
Innovations in sleepcare and a new Sleep Ambassador
At Rituals, we take our responsibilities as a wellbeing brand, including promoting good quality sleep, very seriously. Since being introduced to travel retail in Q1 2020, The Ritual of Jing collection sales have been on an upward trajectory, cementing Jing as one of the four main Rituals and demonstrating the clear consumer demand for these types of products.
This month we are introducing two new products to our relaxing Ritual of Jing line: a Foaming Shower Gel and an Aromatherapy Diffuser. The Shower Gel is infused with a sleep-promoting fragrance, based on the essential oils of lavender and sandalwood, and the Aromatherapy Diffuser creates a relaxing atmosphere for restful sleep by emitting a transparent cloud of fragrance.
Additionally, as part of our ongoing commitment to promoting good sleep and relaxation, we recently signed a Sleep Ambassador, Dr. Shelby Harris. Shelby is a sleep expert who will work with Rituals to share tips on how to get a good night’s rest, which will be complemented by our sleep podcasts and guided meditations in the Rituals App.
There is no ignoring the importance of sleep to our overall wellbeing and the quality of travel we enjoy. With our holistic approach to wellbeing, incorporating sleep podcasts, a meditation app and sleep-enhancing products, Rituals is well-positioned to partner with airports and other companies operating in the sleepcare space to help them deliver on the potential of this opportunity. This is a rapidly growing trend which aligns with the needs of today’s travelling consumers and something the industry cannot afford to sleep on.
Note: The Moodie Davitt Report publishes a regular e-newsletter, Wellbeing Curated, in association with Rituals. It offers a curated selection of stories focused on the key wellbeing category in travel retail and beyond.
To subscribe free of charge please email Kristyn@MoodieDavittReport.com headed ‘Curated Wellbeing’. All stories are permanently archived on this website. If you would like to be added to its mailing list (or to those for any other Moodie Davitt titles), please click here.
