In-store nutrition experts boost natural retailers’ health positioningIn-store nutrition experts boost natural retailers’ health positioning

Independent natural and organic retailers may have opportunities to drive incremental sales and profits, while also enhancing their reputations as health and wellness destinations, by adding nutrition experts to their staffs.

“There’s a lot of opportunity in this space,” says Michael Chase, a co-owner of Chase’s Market, a third-generation health food store in Ontario, Oregon.

He was referring specifically to the nutritional supplements department, which he says can be transformed into a point of differentiation with the addition of a credentialed expert to help guide customers through their nutrition journeys.

Independent retailers can also benefit from having other credentialed nutrition experts on staff, such as dietitians, to help customers make the right food choices for their own individual health needs.

The opportunity in the vitamins and supplements department might be especially critical given the trend toward online purchases of such items, Chase says. Many stores seem to be scaling back their supplement assortments, ceding those sales to online sellers, he says.

“Maybe it’s just too expensive for them to hire credential people at a certain education level to manage that department, to vet the products, to educate the consumers, and educate the employees,” says Chase.

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As an owner of the store who is also a certified nutritional therapy practitioner, Chase has led his store to become a well-known destination for solutions around its customers’ nutritional needs.

Few consumers are likely getting the nutrition information they need from their doctors, and it’s hard for most people to sort through all the claims that can be found online, Chase says. This presents a big opportunity for independent natural and organic retailers that might be willing to invest in the expertise required to operate a successful supplement department.

“I really do think that it requires an educated staff,” he says. “You can have thousands of SKUs, but if you don’t have someone there that can assist people in making the right decisions, and talking with them about their health issues, and explaining to them the benefits of nutrition, then it’s no different than going online.”

His job also involves educating staff about nutrition so that they can also help customers find solutions for their nutritional concerns. In addition to Chase himself, the staff also includes his wife, who is a co-owner and is also a certified nutritional therapy practitioner, and other employees who have wellness-related certifications.

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“We want to make sure that our employees have the knowledge to be able to give accurate information consistently,” he says.

Chase conducts educational sessions with employees on a different topic each week and has also created a trove of written training materials that staff can refer to.

“I can tell you with 100% accuracy that my presence here and the fact that we have an educated staff has made a huge difference in the success of our supplement department,” says Chase. “That’s what we're known for.”

Top left: Michael Chase, a co-owner of Chase’s Market. Bottom right: Andrew Akhaphong, staff dietician, Mackenthun’s Fine Foods

Dietitian provides enhanced services at Mackenthun’s

For many retailers, having a dietitian on staff helps add an aura of authority, while providing an additional service for customers in need of nutritional advice. Large chains such as Hy-Vee and Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage have long employed dietitians in their stores, but some smaller retailers have also found success with these professionals.

Mackenthun’s Fine Foods, for example, which operates three stores in Minnesota, has a staff dietitian who seeks to help customers tailor their diets to align with their food preferences, while at the same time meeting their specific health needs.

Andrew Akhaphong says he draws on his family’s background and his own collegiate training to empathize with customers and provide dietary solutions for their needs. He grew up as the child of refugees from Vietnam, who survived extraordinarily difficult circumstances, including food scarcity while living in refugee camps.

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He sees his primary role as a dietitian as helping customers navigate the aisles to find foods that not only meet their health needs but also fit into their lifestyle and food preferences. His family history has given him a passion for his job, he says. It also helps him empathize with customers, including those from non-traditional backgrounds.

Akhaphong described a recent consultation with a customer of Nigerian descent who was recently diagnosed with diabetes and had only been in the U.S. for a few years. He was able to establish a rapport with her through his own understanding of the foods she was accustomed to, he says.

“If you’re not liking what you are eating, we’re not going to be able to help you achieve the goals you have for your health and well-being,” he says.

In addition to consulting directly with Mackenthun’s customers, Akhaphong is also active in several other ways that promote the retailer’s positioning around health and wellness. He writes frequent columns about nutrition for the retailer’s website and organizes events that seek to promote living a healthy lifestyle.

He says he seeks to include all store departments in such events, such Allergy Awareness Month, which takes place in May and was expanded from its original incarnation as Celiac Disease Awareness Month. The event involves sampling stations that showcase items from around the store that meet specific dietary preferences, such as dairy-free or gluten-free. He puts together fact sheets to help food demonstrators talk about the benefits of the products, and he sometimes gets referrals for customers seeking further dietary counseling.

Akhaphong also seeks stay on top of the latest products that may provide solutions for customers, such as brands that reformulate products to have reduced sugars or to be gluten-free, for example.

In addition, he maintains connections with several community health organizations, such as local clinics and other local healthcare providers.

“One of my biggest roles, which I am very proud of, is bridging the gap between healthcare and the retailer as an option to get that healthcare,” says Akhaphong.

He says he gets a lot of referrals from providers who want their patients to make changes to their diet.

“Where else can these patients go to get help about eating a low-sodium diet, or what to eat if they have diabetes? That is where I come in as a dietitian in the retail store,” says Akhaphong. “I do a 30- or 60-minute consult with them and then we go shopping together so they can help apply the skills and knowledge we learned in the private session.”