In an overview, six categories of retail health and wellness are identified:
- health
- fitness
- wellness-oriented nutrition
- wellness-oriented appearance (Twinings Glow Tea that ‘promotes healthy glowing skin’ recently caught my eye),
- sleep and
- mindfulness.
All six categories have some link to food and nutrition (https://rethink.industries/article/the-rise-of-health-and-wellness-market-trends-in-2022/). Grocers continue supermarket nutrition education, shelf tags and other efforts – note the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ retail nutrition programs scoping review (https://www.andeal.org/files/files/Retail/JAND_2021_Retail-Nutrition_EAC_Scoping-Review.pdf) as well as Food as Medicine strategies (https://www.fmi.org/blog/view/fmi-blog/2021/05/19/food-as-medicine-in-food-retail-where-the-rubber-meets-the-road), yet retailers in this space, as well as new ones, are ramping up their health and wellness approaches.
Retail examples to watch…
The next retail competition, both in-store and online?
Health and wellness with Amazon, Walmart and Dollar General expanding their products and services…Dollar General has hired its first chief medical officer, Walmart is expanding in-store clinics – both have large rural users and other retailers such as CVS and Walgreen are expanding in-store clinics (https://www.forbes.com/sites/warrenshoulberg/2021/07/11/walmart-amazon-and-even-dollar-general-see-health-care-as-next-retail-battleground/); Walmart Health Centers expand in Florida (https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2022/04/05/walmart-health-expands-to-florida-with-five-new-health-centers).
Retailers see health care as a post-pandemic trend as many consumers cite interest in wellness and consumers see these locations as places they already visit for health-related items; recently Target added vitamin supplement/gummies (https://www.modernretail.co/retailers/why-retailers-see-health-care-offerings-as-a-post-pandemic-booster/).
Personalized health at retail grocers include an Ohio retailer offering diagnostic tests tied to nutrition counseling. Other efforts include Schnuck Markets’ Good For You program which tallies shopper healthy items, provides perks for purchase and recommends alternative healthy options (https://www.grocerydive.com/news/heinens-grocery-personalized-health-programs/622442/).
Tying food to health and wellness at H-E-B includes dietitian services at company-run in-store clinics; plans are to add meal planning and other services (https://www.grocerydive.com/news/h-e-b-launches-health-and-wellness-platform/623725/).