Sarah Super, Wellness Strategist
Creating a customer-centric wellness department is essential for meeting customer needs and maximizing sales potential. In this article, I’ll outline a few steps you can take to create a customer-centric wellness department, including improving the layout of your wellness section, addressing staffing challenges, and using brand blocking to your advantage. By taking these steps, you can help your customers feel heard while boosting your wellness department sales. Let’s get started!
Store Layout: Structure & Function vs. Brand Blocking
One key consideration is whether to layout your department by structure and function or by brand. When products are organized by structure and function, customers can navigate the space more easily. For instance, grouping supplements by health concern (e.g., digestive support, immune health, stress relief) creates an intuitive shopping experience. This type of layout also presents a great opportunity for educational initiatives, benefiting both customers and staff.
An example of Structure & Function Layout at Sunflower Market
Structure and function merchandising also supports staff development. Staffing challenges are unfortunately prevalent for many independent natural food and wellness stores, but by making the layout more intuitive, even newer team members can quickly familiarize themselves with product categories and offer customers better recommendations.
Brand blocking can also be an effective strategy in certain situations. For example, grouping similar products such as herbs, essential oils, or tinctures by brand can provide clarity for customers who may be loyal to a specific brand or are seeking consistency in their purchases. In these cases, brand blocking can create a more cohesive shopping experience.
Daily Department Walks
Lastly, implementing daily department walks is essential for maintaining standards. Ensure that shelves are stocked, clean, and inviting. It’s also beneficial to ask regular customers for their honest feedback. Are they able to find what they need easily? Do they feel supported in their shopping experience? This feedback can offer valuable insights into how your layout and product offerings could be improved to serve customer needs.
By implementing these small changes, you can create a customer-centric wellness department that truly serves your customers’ needs.
I hope that these suggestions have sparked ideas for improving your wellness department and perhaps inspired an upcoming reset or two. If you’d like to continue the conversation, don’t hesitate to reach out at ssuper@infretailers.com!
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