Kathy Andrew, director of marketing at Nutrition Smart, began working at the Florida-based retailer a little over five years ago, “after what felt like a lifetime in the publishing and finance industry,” she says. Though she was hired to manage and oversee marketing strategy for the then-six-store chain, she quickly realized that what the store needed was a radical marketing redo. Today, Andrew crafts omnichannel strategies, promotions and experiences for seven stores, in support of gaining and retaining loyal customers.

Here are three ways this marketing maven stands apart from the pack:

Fearlessness. “I’m fearless when it comes to pushing the needle for success and destroying the myth that because independents have less of a marketing budget, they must settle for a template approach to ideas and design,” Andrew says. “I’m not afraid to fail, and therefore encourage the same attitude in my team.” By measuring results in real time, Andrew knew to double down on mobile, specifically SMS, campaigns. “This was evident when tried and true campaigns were delivering an ROI of 122 percent and an average basket of $30, versus our SMS offers with an ROI of 284 percent and average basket of $58,” she says. “Our SMS database grew by almost 400 percent in one year and resulted in incremental revenue of over a million dollars in 2017.”

Partnership. “Nothing I accomplish either professionally or personally is because I did it alone,” she says. On a store level, she cultivates a strong marketing team, and their partnership with the corporate team’s strategy is crucial to in-store execution. “My partnership with the marketing team, front-end staff and store managers is the most important factor in Nutrition Smart’s marketing success,” she says.

Community. In 2017, Nutrition Smart stores participated in over 300 events, and expect to surpass that amount for 2018. Events include a give-back day, during which Nutrition Smart donates 10 percent of its sales to local Alzheimer’s Association Chapters (so far, the store has raised more than $12,000); donations to local food banks; serving as a drop-off location for Toys for Tots during the holidays; free cooking classes, demos and seminars; and more. “I’m so proud to say our communities can count on us,” Andrew says.

The other Retailer of the Year Inspiring Retail Woman finalists are:

Lisa de Lima
Danielle Vogel

The Natural Foods Merchandiser/Natural Products Expo winners will be announced Friday night at Natural Products Expo East 2018.