Automated personalisation: Australia’s Vitable going global with data-driven supplement service after $5.5m funding boost

The direct-to-consumer brand offers a personalised dietary supplement service which comprise of an online questionnaire leading to a personalised sachet of vitamins and supplements delivered to consumers’ houses.

Vitable which was launched in 2019, is now present in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, with revenue growing double digits month-on-month.

The company intends to enter the UK within the next few months, and hopes to be present in the major Asia-Pacific countries by next year.

Not-one-size-fits-all​

“The supplement industry is a billion-dollar industry. In Australia, we observed that 80% of the money spent on supplements is made on one-size-fits-all product​,” Ilyas Anane, co-founder of Vitable told NutraIngredients-Asia​.

“Most consumers make these purchases with no prior knowledge and with no proper guidance. They tend to buy multivitamins that are designed to fit everybody, but you don’t personally need all of those ingredients​.”

Anane wanted to create a personalised experience for consumers through its website and mobile application.

It starts with an online questionnaire on the individual’s health concerns, goals, diet, lifestyle, physical activity and allergies.

“The whole idea was to automate this questionnaire​,” Anane said.

“The algorithm of this quiz is built by nutritionists and naturopaths to tailor every question according to your answer and help us identify any potential deficiencies​.”

After completion of the questionnaire, consumers are given a holistic recommendation, which may recommend supplements to take or lifestyle changes.

It may not even recommend any changes, especially if the individual already has a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

“The idea is not to only recommend products, but to empower people to understand what supplements they need and why they need it​.”

Take the example of vitamin B which aids in transforming food into energy.

“We will explain that if you don't get enough fruits or foods that contains vitamin B, it will be very hard for you to feel energised, because you're not transforming your food into energy​.”

If consumers decide to make a purchase, they can follow their process on the mobile app which offers ongoing guidance, lifestyle tips and can track their progress.

“For our consumers, they have the ability to call us anytime, many times as they want in the app. They can retake the quiz, track their progress, and assess their progress on a weekly basis​.

Because consumers lifestyles are constantly changing, individuals are recommended to retake the quiz every few months.

So far, almost 300,000 people worldwide have taken Vitable’s free online questionnaire.

Those who become customers receive 30 personalised sachets monthly, containing one to 10 tablets, ranging from vitamins, minerals, probiotics, omega-3, botanicals and others.

They are delivered in compostable sachets made from plant-based cellulose produced from Eucalyptus trees.

The ingredients are sourced globally, for instance, its fish oil sustainably sourced from Norway, curcumin from India, vitamin D3 from the UK, zinc from the US and iron from France.

All of the products are manufactured and packed in Australia, complying with the Therapeutic Good Administration (TGA) and GMP standards.

Future developments​

While every plan is individualised, Anane said the top health concern he has seen so far was for energy, followed by sleep.

The company recently completed an AU$5.5 million series A round, led by Rocket Internet.

The funds would be used for its global rollout as well as work on its technology.

“We have a mobile app and want to continue to invest in technology. The more personalised we are, the better the result will be.​

“Our solution is very data driven and we want to use all these data to improve customer experience, to make products that people need and will fit them​,” Anane said.

The company is also working on adding new products in the prenatal, pregnant and breastfeeding space to cater to this group.