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Search It’s not necessary to redo everything you already have to have health and wellness presence in your store. Allow your mission and vision as an organization to guide you, looking at what your stores already offer and how you can tweak it to truly speak to health and wellness. Listen to your customers and employees on what would resonate with them, and don’t forget to celebrate better choices every day while honoring culture, tradition and celebrations.
- Small steps mean something in health and in wellness programs. Defining health and wellness for thousands of individuals may feel daunting, so start with the basics. Remind people of easy ways to take care of ourselves every day—like hand washing. Many people know this simple act can help prevent the spread of germs and reduce the risk of foodborne illness, but many still don’t do it. Calling attention to this action is one way to show our customers how much we care, and even those who wash their hands regularly will appreciate your effort. One way to incorporate the tip? Make this message part of the ad/in store display when soap is on sale and have signage visible in employee and public places as a gentle but important reminder.
- Base your message in science in a way that is easy-to-understand. The combination of social and traditional media means information is accessible at a tremendous pace, and they need help knowing what is important to their family and what is supported by research. As a dietitian, it’s my job to translate current research into steps people can take daily to help ensure they are making educated choices that align with their tastes and preferences as well as the science.
- Remain true to who you are while you meet your customers where they are. We know that we can’t be everything to everyone. Make it simple to find new items to try that may be a step in the right direction. Walk through the store and think how the products you sell can speak to health and wellness. Create enticing displays that offer multiple choices for people to select what’s best for them on that day.
As a dietitian, it’s inspiring to work in collaboration everywhere there is a food and nutrition conversation, whether in a one on one consultation with a patient, during a TV interview, or talking with business and health professional peers like you on how we can work together to help our audiences meet their health and wellness goals. It’s a pleasure to work on the Health and Wellness Pillar of The Consumer Goods Forum where we discuss how to bring these topics to life and some of what we thought of as we developed our newly launched toolkit. We’ll also expand on these ideas during my presentation at the Future Leaders Programme this October.
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Kim will be speaking at FLP 2015 RIO – celebrating its 60th birthday – in October to discuss how retailers and manufacturers can empower consumers to make better choices and adopt healthier lifestyles. And, for those interested in learning more about how taking steps towards implementing your health and wellness goals visit our Health & Wellness Toolkit.
