A savvy natural products store with the right arrangement can host farmers’ markets at their store thereby encouraging farmers and shoppers to become regulars.
According to the HerbalGram, sales of herbal supplements have grown from $4.1 billion in 1999 to $5 billion in 2009 (1). Retailers, it is vital that you stock the supplements that are in high demand so you can achieve optimal sales.
People often have specific health goals in mind when walking into a whole food or supplement store, so it makes sense for storeowners to aid them in their search for products suited to their needs. This usually is accomplished with signage and store sections, pointing the customer in the direction of, say, the whole-grains section, or the aisle containing vitamin D supplements. Taking things a step further, though, can often lead to more satisfied customers and better sales.
If you are like most natural products retailers, you believe you give good customer service. If so, you should be seeing a steady flow of new customers into your store. Why? Because good customer service creates good word-of-mouth.
The natural products industry is filled with stories of people who have tried to leave it, but who never quite succeed. When, in the 1980s, John Mackey and then-president Peter Roy decided that Whole Foods Markets would be a national chain, the duo approached the largest natural products retailers...
Local publicity sells, and now more than ever, it is extremely important to effectively market yourself and your products to local media. Building relationships with media in your region can help turn you into a local “media darling,” someone journalists can count on and consumers love.
