Rethink your product offerings: Growing your millennial basket size - Part II

Millennials are all about personality: yours, theirs, that Instagram celebrity they follow religiously, it doesn’t matter. This love affair with individuality means two things: They want to see what you’re all about (really) and they want the opportunity to be seen. These foodies want to add their own unique twist to the mix. How can the supplement industry give this generation what it's looking for? It’s time to start thinking outside of the box.

What millennials want

Last month we explored the millennial shopper as a species. This is a group driven by personality, quality and the desire, above all, to flout the traditional. As such millennials can be a tricky bunch to target—but they don’t have to be.

Millennials are yearning to be understood

The trick to deciphering millennials is to look beyond their language. This is a visual generation, after all. Spend a few minutes on Instagram and you’ll soon discover that a picture is, indeed, worth a thousand words. Common sights include smoothie bowls bedecked with berries, bliss balls decadently rolled in coconut shreds and overnight oats oozing from the top of jars.

To make a long story short: millennials like to play with their food.

Not only is this take-charge generation eager to proactively fortify their health due to the increasing cost of health care, but they want to do it on their own terms. If this seems like a tall order, that just means it’s time to start thinking outside of the box (or, rather, outside of the capsule…)

Edibles

No, not the kind you’re thinking of—but somehow just as controversial. Nutritional supplements in the form of powders instead of capsules.

The internet is filled to the brim with inventive, one-of-a-kind recipes—likely thousands a day. With health and wellness quickly becoming a coveted way of life and dietary restrictions on the uptick it’s no wonder that so many 20-somethings are eager to flex their culinary muscles.

After all, a pill will only ever be a pill, but a powder could become a vegan cheesecake when placed in the right hands.

Taste coupled with aesthetics

Creating a picture worthy of Bon Appétit magazine isn’t the only thing this demographic cares about. Tastiness rules the day and everyone has an opinion.

This is the generation of personalization. Maybe we have those monogrammed L.L.Bean backpacks of our youth to thank, or perhaps it’s because our parents told us we were special, but it’s useless denying that millennials like to put their own spin on things. Food is no exception.

By providing millennials with supplements in the form of tasty powders and elixirs, we not only satisfy their desire to take care of their bodies but also give them the tools to do it themselves. Double win.

Create a product that’s sustainable and planet friendly? Triple header.

To recap it all:

1. Brand personality is key

As a brand: Show them you’re human, get a little funky and find the tribe that resonates with your style. Most importantly, don’t fake it. Authenticity is the golden ticket.

As a retailer: Align yourself with brands that are walking the walk. Support companies that value the environment, practice transparency with ingredients and insist on unwavering quality. In doing so you demonstrate an understanding for what this generation expects from its products.

2. Aesthetics

As a brand: Keep it clean. Minimalism is more than a trend.

As a retailer: Keep families together. Shelves that are cluttered with like-products competing for attention are counterproductive. These shoppers already know what they’re buying before they step foot in your store, and separating same-brand products just makes the item more difficult to find.

3. Get creative with your offerings

As a brand: Think outside the capsule. Create a product that gets the customer involved. They’ll feel more ownership in what they’re consuming and likely be more invested in what you’re selling them. Give them the control.

As a retailer: Consider revisiting those brands that are revolutionizing the industry. Just as millennials aren’t keen to adopt the cure-all multivitamin, they’re just as likely to shun the classic products created for their parents.

Millennials are eager to prove themselves capable. They value their own individuality and respect it in the brands they purchase from. Creating a product that gives them the freedom to add their own spin is truly the final step in winning their hearts.

With love from the millennials at Ora Organic