Natural Foods

It may seem simple, but it is not as easy as merely adding a few new product lines to the store shelves or setting up a separate natural foods section inside the store.

To draw this business and meet the needs of these customers, retailers need to become as knowledgeable about natural and organic foods and products as the people they hope to sell to. This segment of consumers knows more, and asks more, and the retailer who will enjoy the long-term benefits of these natural sales will be the one who can answer their questions.

Your naturals section will be most successful, and most profitable, if you follow a few basic guidelines to cater to the natural products customer.

First, when conceptualizing your naturals section, work with a knowledgeable natural products distributor who can assist you with product selection, competitive pricing, promotional strategies and merchandising. Working in partnership with a distributor who understands this industry will help you build a solid foundation for your own natural products section.

Second, realize the importance of product information and education for this new customer group. Natural products magazines, shelf talkers, product demos and other consumer information are vitally important to the success of your section.

Third, assign a natural products section manager who is knowledgeable about the products, knows how they differ from commercial brands, can answer customers’ questions, and is committed to your customers’ natural products education.

Most of all, associates and customers must be encouraged to take time to savor what those in the natural products industry have grown to love: the flavor, the quality, and the absolute uniqueness of natural foods. Knowledge of and enthusiasm for these products, perhaps more than anything else, will be a deciding factor in the success of your store’s natural products section.