“In fact, 80 percent of shoppers are more likely to be loyal to a brand that provides more in-depth information beyond the physical label, and seven in 10 will switch from the brand they currently purchase to one that provides more information, according to a 2019 report from the Food Marketing Institute.” Natural Products Insider
We could not agree more with this story from Natural Products Insider on the importance of relationships that contribute to meeting consumers demands for product information and transparency.
Please enjoy the NPI story by Chris Holland vice president of sales at Barrington Nutritionals.
Consumers demand full transparency of the products they purchase, and this demand goes beyond a “clean label.” Consumers want to look back across the entire supply chain to understand how each ingredient was handled, where it was grown and how it was manufactured. They want to connect directly with the source of their food and supplements. The relationship between the ingredient manufacturer and the consumer product brand is a vital part of differentiation as brands seek to get ahead of the competition.
Innovative brands look beyond the ingredient manufacturer to investigate the source of the raw materials. This helps determine the impact the ingredient has on not only the consumer’s health (i.e., adulteration and potency), but the impact on the health of the community and farmers providing the raw material. Sharing these important and powerful stories with consumers holds significant value, and the ability to emotionally connect consumers to the food they eat and the supplements they take creates a stronger consumer-brand bond. An emotionally connected consumer is a loyal consumer. Forward-looking brands, ingredient manufacturers and distributors are joining forces to deliver better education and connection to their target consumers.
A brand must differentiate itself and its customers. Sometimes, this could mean reevaluating its mission and values statements to ensure they are more proactive and meaningful. Distributors that reevaluate can better align the company with its consumers’ desires and build stronger, more meaningful relationships between its supplier and finished products manufacturer. As those relationships improve, it facilitates discussion, which helps product quality, potency and supply chain transparency, making ingredient suppliers and finished products stand out from the competition.
See also the free FMI report, The Transparency Imperative: Product Labeling from the Consumer Perspective