April 2, 2012

2 Min Read
Consumers young and old pursue healthy aging

Age really is just a number, which is why so many baby boomers passionately pursue products and information that will help them stay feeling and looking young as long as possible. But baby boomers are far from your only customers who are interested in solutions for healthy aging.

Take me, for example. Last year, as I was approaching my 39th birthday, I was feeling downright old—and afraid of how I would look and feel once the big 4-0 came around. I had good reason to be worried: I was overweight and stressed out, I wasn’t exercising as much as I knew I needed to, and I’d allowed myself to slip into some pretty unhealthy eating patterns.

Today, I feel completely different—and it’s all because I realized I had two choices: I could submit to an unhealthy lifestyle and accept its impact on my aging, or I could commit to making some real lifestyle changes that would put me on the road toward long-term health and vitality. I chose the latter and, although the changes weren’t easy, I am happy to report that I’m now 25 pounds thinner, working out five to six days a week, making time for daily meditation and eating five to 10 servings of vegetables a day.

As a natural products retailer, you likely serve many customers who are a lot like me. They’re too young to fall into the demographic most associated with healthy aging—the baby boomers—yet they are hungry for products and information that will help them remain vibrant, healthy and young.

The good news for all of us is that researchers are learning new things nearly every day that can help all people in their quest for healthy aging. In fact, the cover story for Natural Foods Merchandiser's April 2012 issue looks at the latest science on how our body ages at a cellular level and offers three research-backed approaches for slowing this process. We also offer tips on how to share this information with your shoppers.

One retailer that is proving to be particularly adept at offering healthy aging solutions for its customers is Super Supplements in the Pacific Northwest. As you will read in NFM's April Checkout Q&A, the 27-store chain has fueled its growth by catering to baby boomers with strong customer service, a vast array of healthy aging products and a new store format that better serves older shoppers. And yet—as Al Briscoe, the company’s director of buying and merchandising, told us—many of the products, services and ideals that attract baby boomers to Super Supplements also draw in everyone from “men pushing baby strollers to college kids.” The common denominator, Briscoe says, is a “passion for wellness.”

How do you cater to baby boomers and other shoppers looking for healthy aging solutions? Share your stories on the NFM Facebook page, leave a comment or send me an email to [email protected].

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