Zicam and Vicks Win Over Cold Medicine Shoppers, But Loyalty Lies With Price and Symptom Relief: Report

2/3/2025

Only 11% of searches were for specific brands.

The cold medicine market has proved to be a difficult landscape to gain market share in as consumers prioritize symptom relief over brand loyalty.

Using U.S. Amazon data, a recent study by CommerceIQ found that the market grew in product sales by an average of 18% in the fourth quarter of 2024 from Q3. While brands such as Zicam and Vicks are seeing notable growth, consumers are increasingly focused on medicine products that do the trick but don’t break the bank.

Only 11% of searches were for specific brands and mid-range SKUs ($6–$15) accounted for over 70% of unit sales across all product categories.

Also read: RxSugar Seizes GLP-1 Opportunities With PIM Investments

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Leaning Into Targeted Products

The Extra Strength segment is one area, in particular, where consumer goods companies can elevate promotional efforts to differentiate themselves from competitors. It claimed the highest category share at 37.3% between September 29 and December 28.

New product types, like Gluten-Free Lozenges, are also gaining traction, providing brands with an opportunity to capitalize on consumer preferences for specialized offerings.

Leading the Pack

Vicks leads in the Sinus Pressure category with 96.7% share, while Bayer leads in Congestion Relief (37.2% market share). Additionally, Vicks grew by 2.1% in the Spray segment.

Zicam is a dominant brand in the $6-10 price band, which contributes 40% of units and 25.5% of revenue. It also had the highest organic growth in the Drops category, growing to 14.27% market share.

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