Cough & Cold Sales Up

Perhaps not surprisingly, sales of throat lozenges and tissues consistently peak in winter months, according to latest findings from Roy Morgan Research.

In the 12 months to Mar 2016, 36.2% of Australians 14 years and older bought tissues/paper handkerchiefs and 9.0% bought throat lozenges/cough lollies in an average four-week period.  These figures have remained relatively stable over the last few years, the report said. 

Quarterly figures paint a different picture with more Australians buying tissues and cough lollies during the Jul-Sep period than any other quarter.  For example in 2015, 14.0% of Aussies bought cough lozenges and 39.7% bought tissues in an average four-week period during the Jul-Sep quarter, as opposed to 5.6% and 32.0% respectively in the Jan-Mar quarter.

The research showed that conversely, the proportion of people purchasing cough lollies drops steeply during the Jan-Mar quarter while sales of tissues also slump at this time of the year, although the contrast is not as dramatic.  The data also revealed that at any time of the year, a higher proportion of women than men buy these products, and during the peak Jul-Sep quarter, this pattern is especially apparent.  During this period, 16.1% of women and 11.8% of men bought throat lozenges in an average four weeks, the gender skew being most striking for tissues,  purchased by nearly twice as many Aussie women (52.0%) as men (27.0%).

Researchers said it was interesting to note that Kleenex tissues’ recent ‘Soften Up’ campaign, featuring ex-footballer tough guy Barry Hall, appears to be designed to redress this imbalance.

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Source: pharmacydaily.com.au, Wednesday 22 June 2016