In a “choose your own adventure shopping” world, consumer speak with their actions (and wallets). By 2025, the Nutrition Business Journal predicts that categorical sales will be evenly distributed across e-commerce, mass, and natural/specialty retail. Whether it’s Wal-Mazon or another large retailer, it’s apparent that recent merchandising strategies shows us they want more than entry-level buyers…they want the whole category. The question remains, will being a “Wal-Mazon brand” still have some level of negative (yet always misplaced) connotation in the next 3, 5, 10 years?

Sleep matters A LOT. It’s essential to every process in the body, affecting our physical and mental functioning the next day, our ability to fight disease and develop immunity, and our metabolism and chronic disease risk. Because of that…sleep is truly an interdisciplinary aspect of our health. Yet, if I was tasked to describe in one word the current state of sleep in America, I would use lackluster.

If you mention proprietary blends (aka prop blends) in the supplement industry social media groups, you tend to get a visceral reaction. In any other CPG category, a “prop blend” is considered a highly valuable trade secret. Do you know what goes into a can of Coca-Cola? How about that Oreo cookie? And the list goes on…Those formulas are a main part of what makes them $1B CPG brands. Which side is right? Is the supplement category unique? Should “prop blends” still be around today or not in the supplement industry?

Challenges notwithstanding, frictionless omnichannel retail is here to stay. It’s more than a trend, it’s a reflection of how today’s consumers live, and brands are well advised to take this into account. Just like the Choose Your Own Adventure books, alternate paths to the shopping journey speaks to the desire of control that consumers seek. Choice will become more important in an age of personalization. The future will be rich with personalized products, endless customer service options, 1-to-1 marketing, and loyalty programs that make us feel like special snowflakes. For all that, I guess we can thank Edward Packard.

It’s irrefutable that “COVID-19 Effect” headwinds/tailwinds changed almost everything about the supplement industry. With markets evolving quickly because of elevated consumer interest in the space…it positions the supplement industry as a key gateway into the $1.5 trillion global wellness market. This increased market growth is also bringing additional commercialization activity to an already ultra-competitive space. The fact is that brands must stay ahead of the curve by identifying specific trends earlier and being more aggressive in their actions to fill demand. My intent for this content is to provide supplement industry professionals with a snapshot of what benefitted, evolved, paused, and was damaged by most powerful “COVID-19 Effect” headwinds/tailwinds. These insights will surround the following marketplace variables; product Categories/Attributes, Business Strategies, and Shifts in Consumer Behavior.

Should the advice “better safe than sorry” be universally applied in business? I consistently mention strategies that increase safety, such as financial buffering, stress testing your business model, and building operational resiliency, but what about brand positioning? Despite this trying economic environment, some CPG brands continue to thrive. These top-performing CPG brands work tirelessly to understand their core consumers. Additionally, they identify what those consumers want, where, when, why, and how they want it. Fact is, the CPG industry is bursting with growth opportunities for unique, compelling brands.

The fitness world has always been fast-changing, but did the life-altering last two plus years create additional opportunities for supplement brands to focus on endurance activity participants? More than ever, humans are beginning to realize that movement is an essential component in quality of life. In my opinion, endurance sports (regardless of the level), continue to grow as the fitness/wellness link strengthens. Sports nutrition brands will have to recognize that the market is less concerned about increased performance and more about health, longevity, immunity. Are you willing to look past the challenges caused by this market evolution and see its massive opportunities?

Competition is a central driver in business. Many see competition through a “winner takes all” lens, but that’s a mistake in the CPG industry. Instead, today’s businesses would be best served if they made friends with the competition. This article will explain the strategic concept that I’ve dubbed “brand new friends.”

What is the pink tax? Are all forms of price discrimination bad? When there is no difference between the male and the female versions, apart from a meaningless feature, how can it be fair to charge different prices? While the cheap razor example is often used in the pink tax debate, is there more nuance to this topic? Does the supplement industry struggle with the “pink it and shrink it” mentality?

What heck is going on at Amazon? Usually recessionary periods increase private label sales growth, but instead Amazon is reducing its private label ownership. While this action has broad implications for a variety of product categories, I want to focus on what it means for the supplement industry. Additionally, does it make building an Amazon-native brand in the supplement space easier?

It’s critical that supplement brands recognize these generational differences and meet Gen Z where they are in the customer journey. Remember to make the shopping experience as effortless, quick, and convenient as possible. Don’t hide behind the corporate vail, as researching brands is a key part of Gen Z consumerism…so social proof is king. It’s time for functional CPG brands to finally start talking in a language Gen Z will understand and appreciate.

As consumers commit themselves to losing the pandemic 15, the weight management category will continue to innovate and adapt. Whether it’s probiotics or herbal blends and extracts used in multifunctional supplements ingredients or indulgent-yet-healthy-foods and beverages, weight management isn’t dying anytime soon…it just might look a bit different now (and even more so in the future).

Is it time for wellness brands to start channeling their inner Silver Fox and Gray Panther spirit animals? Populations are aging radically different than previous generations, yet most wellness-focused CPG brands completely overlook them. With substantial wealth, controlling 70% of the America’s disposable income, and an interest in longevity, seniors have put a premium on health, wellness and nutrition. As it stands, the 50+ crowd is largely ignored by fitness and wellness brands. That is changing fast, as companies wake up to the huge underserved market that’s proven it plans on directing its accumulated wealth towards living longer and more dynamically. You can’t control that Father time will keep ticking away, but there are controllable within the aging construct. I believe more seniors will understand that and as the world continues to age, it will transform the way we look at the final third of our lives.

Gaming and esports can be described in many ways…it’s a vibrant and fast-growing sector of the market. It’s a legitimate means of monetization in today’s attention economy. It’s an entertainment medium for billions of enthusiasts around the globe. It might also be one of the most misunderstood opportunities in the supplement industry right now!

Your CPG brand has on average a few seconds to make a good impression before the customer moves on to the next option. Effective and appealing packaging design not only makes it more likely for one product to be chosen over alternatives, but it also reflects on the values of the brand. This is what makes packaging design just as important as the product itself. It has a major influence over the buying decisions of consumers. I provide 10 CPG packaging trends that can definitely help positively impact a brand’s sales activity.

You’ve likely heard me say countless times that a “great product is only the entry fee to compete in today’s functional CPG market”, but what’s at the heart of that statement? The hard truth is that there has never been as many functional CPG brands and products as there are today, so if you think the answer to winning in today’s market is adding more product features than you’re in trouble.

The often-cited low barriers to entry within the supplement industry are starting to disappear, as the cost of starting a brand, growing a brand, and sustaining brand equity have increased substantially in the last few years.

With margin being squeezed in every direction, something must give to satisfy Americans that have been drunk on low prices for decades. I believe that contract manufacturers are peering through a massive window of opportunity. The internet provides them with the ability to go direct-to-consumer and remove various intermediaries (or middlemen). Toss in the power of celebrities and the consumer-to-manufacturer (C2M) model could be extremely special.

As more customer cohorts shop at dollar stores, trade downs will naturally happen across a broader range of CPG categories. This will show that not all aspects of the “race to the bottom” is negative across the functional food, functional beverage, and nutritional supplement categories. Brands positioned in each of those functional CPG categories should explore dollar stores in their sales channel strategy as consumers shift spending with the upcoming recession. So, if consumers are breaking down dated channel beliefs, why shouldn’t your functional CPG brand?

Wellness is a modern word with ancient roots. As a modern concept, wellness gained popularity beginning in the 1950s, when subject matter experts largely shaped the way we conceptualize and talk about wellness today. Throughout the past seven decades, wellness has morphed into a multi-dimensional trillion dollar market…one that could unlock immense opportunities for functional CPG brands.