In the quest for health, look to a broader definition of seasonal wellness to best meet consumers’ needs.

Seasonal wellness has become a year-round challenge. Some suffer from runny nose and itchy, teary eyes while others suffer from coughing spells. Although allergies is likely the first thing that comes to mind, it is useful to expand the idea of seasonal wellness to incorporate a broader definition.

Seasonal wellness can encompass a variety of supplements, from cold and flu needs to allergies, so it is important to communicate what’s available for consumers. As you know, there are tons of products that fall into the category available on shelves. Collin Gow, a certified nutritional consultant at Florida-based retailer Abby’s Health Food, said it is human nature for customers to shop based on what they hear and encounter in their daily lives. “My experience with seasonal wellness customers is that people listen to TV, their doctor, their fitness instructor, their friend and Google reviews first and foremost. They come in looking for those things,” Gow said.

That’s why having the right knowledge to educate customers is key. Gow added, “It’s our job as vitamin associates to ask lots of questions and steer them to what they want if that’s what’s needed or to steer them in a different direction. Every customer and every conversation is unique.”

The bottom line is to meet customers where they are. “Customers with seasonal wellness issues are looking for products that work, that taste great, and are convenient to take,” said Adam Sutter, quality director of California-based ChildLife Essentials. “We strive to consistently provide all three of these attributes.”

Seasonal Wellness Breakdown

• Immune Support: Wellness has become a buzzy topic with good reason. Research shows overall wellness has so many potential benefits within our lives. The type of immune support that is best for each customer will vary. More consumers are turning to preventative measures to keep serious illness at bay. According to market research from SPINS, consumers spent $1.13 billion on cold and flu supplements in 2018. Given the imminent threat and spread of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, there will likely be added interest in immune health in the coming months.

• Allergies: According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, more than 50 million Americans have problems with allergies each year, and allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness in the U.S. As a result, more than $18 billion is spent annually in pursuit of allergy relief. It doesn’t help that each year pollen counts across the U.S. continue to rise and the allergy season gradually extends. Just as is the case with immune support, clearly there is no one-size-fits all solution when it comes to suggesting supplements, but there are a handful of ingredients that can help. These include products with vitamins C and D, probiotics and omega-3 fish oil. It’s also important to add, more customers are looking for natural supplements.

• Gut and Diet Support: Diet affects everything. That’s why gut and diet health are linked to overall health and wellness. Research shows 77 percent of adults in the U.S. take dietary supplements and an estimated 4 million use pre/probiotics. Of the variety of options out there, vitamins and minerals are among the top supplement choices according to a CRN (Council for Responsible Nutrition) Consumer Survey. In 2017, sales of digestive health products totaled an estimated $1.32 billion. While there are a variety of diet and gut issues that consumers face, one that stands out is sugar consumption. With people eating an average of 19 teaspoons a day, sugar consumption is at an alarming high. Gow of Abby’s Health Food noted he sees problems with sugar during a specific time of the year. “In January, people are all constipated or have gut issues from all the junk they eat around the holidays.” Gow added, “People also eat too much sugar or they are very afraid of carbs. Eating too much sugar is probably one of the bigger reasons they are sick all the time. They don’t understand the difference between healthy sugars/carbs and unhealthy sugars/carbs, generally.”

Special Considerations for Children

In addition to adults, retailers should also be thinking about which supplements work best for children and how to educate parents on their options. As consumers continue to focus on overall health and wellness and seek out natural products, they are looking for similar remedies for their children. As an example, when it comes to allergies, an estimated 40 percent of U.S. children have them. As for gut health, this is particularly important in children because it impacts so much, including their immune system and overall function and development as they age.

With all that in mind, it’s not surprising that retailers need to recommend supplements that work, plus ones that taste good and offer a delivery method that works well for children. Many companies offer wellness supplements specifically for children in order to meet these needs. For example, Florida-based Sovereign Silver offers Bio-active Silver Hydrosol for Kids Daily Immune Support and North American Herb and Spice, offers Orega-Cinn. Judy K. Gray, founder and CEO of Illinois-based North American Herb and Spice said children’s products specifically have changed over the years to better address new awareness around kids’ needs. “Even the children’s seasonal wellness section is seeing a shift in thinking,” Gray said, “as a growing number of Millennial parents, armed with more information than their predecessors, are looking to natural options to support their children’s immune systems with increasing concerns over natural ingredients and high amounts of sugars.”

What Are the Issues?

It is a blessing that there are so many options available for consumers as seasonal wellness encompasses a wider breadth of products. “The industry continues to grow,” said Ryan Cornett, project coordinator of nutrition science and educational content at Florida-based Garden of Life. “There are many exciting new herbs and natural ingredients that have great clinical evidence for supporting the immune system.”

But it can also be quite challenging. “The primary challenge is creating a product that is both innovative and efficacious,” said Sutter of ChildLife. “There are many trendy or fad ingredients which are too new and simply do not have the necessary data to back up the supplier’s claims regarding seasonal wellness.”

Gow of Abby’s Health Food said a big challenge he faces when interacting with customers is guaranteeing they are getting the right products. “Oftentimes a customer is coming in because their friend or doctor told them to get something for their ailment, but it’s a little off track for what they actually need,” Gow said. “Other challenges are that some people just want to pick your brain and then go buy the product online for cheaper. You have to be a discount store today and have very competitive prices compared to online if you want to survive.”

Another hurdle involves the challenge of working within the parameters of regulations on sales of supplements. “The U.S. regulatory framework for the manufacturer of dietary supplements is unique in its type, as these products do not require FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approval in order to be marketed,” explained Andreas Koch, who works in marketing for Sovereign Silver. “However, their manufacturer must comply with the stringent Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. Dietary supplement products may not claim that they can treat, cure, prevent or mitigate a disease as they are, by definition, only intended to supplement a diet and this greatly limits consumer education as for the health benefits of these products.”

This matters because you ultimately cannot guarantee to a customer that a product will work or cure any ailments. It’s important to remind customers of that very point, and encourage them to consult a doctor if they feel the issue is serious enough. What retailers can promote is immune support. “The FDA does however authorize ‘immune support’ claims as a structure/function claim, or a claim that a product ‘supports the immune system’ as in the case of Sovereign Silver,” Koch added. “Effectively, such a claim is not specific enough to imply prevention of disease because the immune system has both structure/function and disease-fighting roles. A general claim of this type doesn’t specifically focus the intended use of the product on the disease aspect of the system’s function.”

In addition to regulations, another major challenge is price. Gray said it can be hard to convince consumers that products that are made from high quality and/or natural ingredients are worth it. “Compare this to a synthetic ascorbic acid which can be sourced at much cheaper prices in China,” Gray noted. Despite this obstacle, it reiterates the need to know your stuff and educate consumers. Gray added, “We have been focused on doing a better job in communicating these value points to the customer through enhanced social media marketing, a brand-new website Northamericanherbandspice.com, and articles such as this one.”

Merchandising Tips and Support

When it comes to seasonal wellness, retailers have options on how to display products. As was mentioned, seasonal wellness has become a year-round focus that can take many forms and focuses. “I would say the most important merchandising tip I have is to put the product in the right category where the conversation about the ailment is going to occur,” said Gow of Abby’s Health Food. “For instance, don’t put a CBD liquid that’s not marketed for kids in a kids section and between kids multivitamins. Put CBD in its own section, or put it in an area that makes sense, like anxiety/stress or sleep or joints/pain/inflammation.”

Don’t forget, manufacturers typically offer a variety of resources to help educate, promote and sell their products. Two examples are:

• “We send single-dose sample packets of Breathe Free with most retailer orders so they can introduce the product to their shoppers,” said Simar Singh, founder and CEO of Ohio-based Rootology. “We have also partnered with ExpertVoice to provide online staff training, and send any staff member who completes our five-minute product course a gratis bottle.”

• “We have a national educator, Steven Harkins, who sets up staff training via conference call, video webinar and at times in person,” said Gray. “The goal is to empower the staff through education and strong selling points that will connect the consumer to the value points of our goods. Each training is different, as each store is unique, and it is designed to meet the specific set of products carried, health concerns in the area, regional dynamics and other important details. Any store carrying our product can request a training from Steven. We have also recently hired a nationwide demo team who are knowledgeable of our products; they are standing by in each territory to help the stores introduce and share the brand to the community, answering questions and guiding consumers to making informed purchases. Also, we love to partner with stores for special events like anniversaries, and we offer periodic line drives and cooperative advertising upon request.”

Product Spotlight

Here are a few highlights of the seasonal wellness supplements offered by the manufacturers contacted for this article:

ChildLife Essentials

ChildLife Essentials offers a full line of products to aid with immune support. One example is the Aller-Care, a seasonal support supplement for children. This grape flavored product includes nutrients to regulate hyper-immune response, antioxidants to reduce environmental irritation and herbs to support the immune system. Elderberry, amla, vitamin C and zinc are among the power-packed list of ingredients.

Garden of Life

Garden of Life’s mykind Organics was born out of a collaboration with actress and wellness advocate Alicia Silverstone. The product is both organic and non-GMO (genetically modifed organism). “This is the first-ever fully organic and non-GMO line of herbals in the industry,” said Cornett. “We have formulas that target multiple areas of wellness including: inflammation, stress, sleep, energy and of course, the immune system. With the help of Clinical Herbalist Dr. Terry Willard, Garden of Life has developed this herbal line ensuring that we offer clean, effective supplements that are also good for the planet. When we developed these products, we started with certified organic and non-GMO Verified whole food ingredients, and we created supply chains with sustainability in mind.”

North American Herb and Spice

North American Herb and Spice has introduced three new seasonal wellness products for children: Orega-Cinn, Orega-Cinn Throat Spray and OregaWell soft gels. Gray elaborated on how each of these products works: “The Orega-Cinn is a liquid essential oil providing a small dose of the Oreganol P-73 along with Goldenberry syrup, Yacon syrup and cinnamon to help support a healthy immune function for children. The Orega-Cinn Spray naturally soothes sore throats with wild cherry bark and Oreganol P-73. The OregaWell is a product formulation of the same respiratory and immune supporting ingredients as OregaResp, but with an olive oil carrier that provides a gentler experience for children. Another successful innovation we have done just in the past half year is the new SinuOrega 1-oz. injection pump spray. It’s the same great natural sea salt and spice oil rinse as our 2-oz. size, but now you can simply spray this mist right into the nose for a more direct delivery. The spice oils in the rinse are bay leaf, oregano p-73, clove bud and sage.”

Rootology

Rootology’s top product for seasonal wellness is the Breathe Free which supports nasal, sinus and eye health. A combination of 13 herbal extracts including magnolia flower, angelica root, cinnamon twig, anemarrhena and licorice root, Breathe Free is fast-acting, non-drowsy and all natural. “Breathe Free is the best formula we know for seasonal wellness,” said Simar Singh, founder and CEO. “It works for most users and it works fast, so we’re focused on continuing to introduce it to more and more consumers!”

Sovereign Silver Sovereign Silver’s newest products include Bio-active Silver Hydrosol for Kids Daily Immune Support and also an immune support pet line. “We teach about proactive supplementation and being prepared beforehand versus going into panic symptom control after coming down with an immune challenge,” said Koch. “It’s strong common sense to take Silver at the higher daily immune-building dose (3 teaspoons per day) in order to keep the immune system at peak performance all season long”. VR

For More Information:

ChildLife Essentials, https://childlifenutrition.com
Garden of Life, www.gardenoflife.com
North American Herb and Spice, www.northamericanherbandspice.com
Rootology,www.rootologyhealth.com
Sovereign Silver, https://sovereignsilver.com

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