It starts with a good product—so really, it starts with the supply chain. In a Fireside Chat with Entrepreneur and New York Times Best-selling Author Naomi Whittel, Whittel told attendees: “We went on a very deep journey to launch collagen in the U.S., because I wasn’t comfortable importing peptides from China.” She saw that journey as a necessity: “Around the age of 18, the body’s production of collagen declines. And at peri-menopause, it declines at the same rate as estrogen. And different peptides are necessary for different things—there are upwards of 28 different types of collagen—so I would take a different type of collagen for skin versus joints versus for exercise versus for bone density. It’s such an essential protein for our bodies. We really need to be using collagen. It needs to be part of our daily regimen.”
Along those lines, Whittel discussed what brands she takes and why, the importance of doing research into collagen, and the work she did to not only get a quality product into the U.S., but to educate key players in the market in order to get her products into consumers’ hands. The full session is available for free on-demand—just register at www.NaturallyInformed.netto get access to recordings of every session from this event.
Once the products are available, brands may want to consider working with health care professionals to get products into shopping carts. Christine Horner, M.D., presented the keynote speech on Day 2 of the event, titled “Secrets to Radiant Health and Ageless Beauty.” What convinced her to start working in natural health: First, breast cancer patients who were getting younger and younger; and second, three days at an Ayurvedic spa. “48 hours in, I looked 10 years younger and had never felt better in my life,” she explained. “I learned nothing in my medical training about how to create health, and Ayurveda is all about how to create health. And the other thing I really noticed is that when I looked in the mirror, I was glowing. And I thought, this is the look my patients want, and I’m not providing that just by repositioning the skin and doing topical treatments. So it was this ‘aha’ moment about how radiant beauty really starts within.”
Horner went on to delve into what causes aging, how Ayurveda works to help counter that, and what lifestyle strategies and supplements she recommends to her patients. Working with doctors to help them understand how to create health for their patients may provide opportunities for brands, local retailers, and patients alike.
Related: Science in the Spotlight at Nutri-Beauty: Mastering the Market Connecting with Customers: 3 Keys to Social Media Engagement Beauty Begins Within: Oral Health and the Microbiome
And once those products are on-shelf, retailers can implement some of the advice shared by Jennifer Norman, Founder & Chief Human Officer of The Human Beauty Movement, PBC & Humanist Beauty, in “Winning Strategies: Connecting with Consumers.” “It’s never been cheaper to be able to connect with consumers, with solid brand understanding and the right kind of creativity,” Norman told attendees. Lesson 1: phrasing. “Let me share a story with you,” Norman said, opening with insight on how to make a personal connection with consumers, how to grab their attention, and how she has used these tactics herself to reimagine complex topics to make them consumer-oriented and easier to follow. She discussed the many levels on which a customer may make choices, and how these different levels can be catered to.Norman also went looking for opportunities for retailers. She walked into several of her local natural product stores. “I went to about 10 different retail stores. At the drugstores and Target and Trader Joe’s, I was either ignored or it was mad busy. At other stores, I was assisted, but I want to elaborate on some of my experiences, to share some opportunities. Now more than ever, attention down to the individual matters.” Asking if a customer needs anything, she said, is the least that retail employees can do—enthusiasm would be a huge step up. And a major perk of in-store shopping, Norman says, is the knowledge and experience of employees—while many of the employees she spoke to didn’t have that knowledge or experience. She provided examples, and further opportunities that retailers could take to set their store apart from the crowd, get products into customers’ hands, and keep those customers coming back.
Want more? Just like all previous #NaturallyInformed events,Nutri-Beauty: Mastering the Marketis available for free on-demand. Watch the sessions at your leisure and share them with employees and coworkers by registering atwww.NaturallyInformed.net.
