Retailer Roundtable: What draws traffic to your supplement department?Retailer Roundtable: What draws traffic to your supplement department?

Quality is the main reason. If they want “average” products with limited effectiveness, they can find those anywhere these days. Shoppers also come to us because they have questions about the differences between similar products. They want a trusted explanation as to how or why particular supplements are effective and how the items we carry differ from other option s.

-Wendy Sinko, Owner of Bee Natural Health Food Store in Coopersburg, Pa.          

I am finding that customers are drawn to our supplements shelves because they don’t like the way they feel. Every day we see new shoppers, and they’ll ask how they can have more energy or lose weight. Also, many of our customers seek top-quality vitamins that they can trust—and they know we’ve done the research to provide the best of what’s out there.

-Mylese Tucker (on right),Owner of Nature’s Cupboard in Michigan City and Chesterton, Ind. 

We are well-known for our product integrity and selection and our knowledgeable, friendly staff. We carry more than 400 herbal extracts, 350 local items and lots of bulk supplements and body care, all of which meet our own ingredients standards. Our staff members stay educated on the latest trends and products and take the time to help each shopper individually.

-Megan Jones, Nourish manager at Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market in Richmond, Va.

I think one of the big reasons customers love our supplements department is we carry many high-quality product lines at fair prices, and we feature them prominently on endcaps. Our supplement buyers are very diligent about keeping up with current trends, so we’re quick to have the best and most sought-after products. Training is a big factor for our wellness staff, and we think we have the best-trained employees in town.

-Kathy Dittenbir, Wellness manager at Oryana Natural Foods Market in Traverse City, Mich.