Natural Products Marketers Embrace the Traditional…and the Digital
Leading research firms SPINS and Pure Branding’s second Natural Products Marketing Benchmark Report provides quantified best practices for greatest ROI, identifies growth opportunities and latest trends such as supply chain transparency, the industry’s evolving definition of “natural,” and other hot button issues in the maturing natural products market.
NORTHAMPTON, MA — In addition to the top three tried and true, brick and mortar tactics – live demos, percent discounts and advertising circulars – natural and organic products marketers are employing an increasing number of online and digital strategies, in particular social media, search engine optimization and e-newsletters. These tactics help build sales and customer loyalty on limited marketing budgets, says a new report published by insights and analytics firm SPINS, in partnership with insights and brand strategy firm Pure Branding.
And while price sensitivity remains an issue, marketers see the greatest opportunities for growth in the grocery and supermarket retail channels, closely followed by traditional independent natural foods stores, and online sales that continue to gain market share.
SPINS, in partnership with Pure Branding, has published its second Natural Products Marketing Benchmark Report 2015 for the over $90 billion natural products industry. The report provides marketers with exclusive industry data for best practices and greatest ROI. With the report, marketers can determine which marketing tactics are most effective for their company, compare strategies used by different sized companies across different sectors of the market, develop annual budgets, and implement successful, well-integrated campaigns.
The marketing report is based on an in-depth survey of 301 natural products marketing decision makers and shows how the natural products industry as a whole is succeeding in its marketing efforts. Key findings include:
- How companies overcome their marketing challenges
- What makes rapid growth companies different from others
- How the industry feels about GMOs, the local food movement, the North American food system, and regulating the word “Natural”
- Which channels present the best growth opportunities
- The top online and traditional marketing tactics, both in terms of use and ROI
- The growth of social media in the natural products industry
- Marketing budgets for small, medium and large sized companies
- Marketing measurements and research
Natural, Organic Sales Maturing Across All Retail Channels
“The natural products industry continues to be diverse, made up of thousands of start-up, small, medium and large companies,” said Mary Ellen Lynch, Director of Consumer Insights and Strategic Partnerships for SPINS. “Growth is strong with sales up 11% in the natural channel, 12% in the specialty and gourmet channel, and 10% in the multi-outlet channel including food, drug and mass merchants.”
“The natural products industry is also maturing,” said Yadim Medore, founder and CEO of Pure Branding, a leading research, insights, brand strategy and marketing agency specializing in the natural and organic products market. “The 2015 benchmark shows that the sophistication of marketing natural products has increased significantly over the past three years. Also, there is greater emphasis on ROI, and marketing decisions are being made more and more based on data rather than intuition.”
Accompanying the report are retailer insights and three special reports that can be purchased separately or as part of the full benchmark, including:
- Special Report: “Natural,” GMOs, Local & The North American Food System
- Special Report: 8 Predictors of Rapid Growth Natural Products Companies
- Special Report: Social Media Success for Natural Products Marketers
The Natural Products Marketing Benchmark Report 2015 is now available for $495.00, and can be purchased from Pure Branding. A free excerpt of the report is also available. To purchase or download a free excerpt of the Natural Products Marketing Benchmark Report 2015, visit www.purebranding.com/benchmark.
About Pure Branding, Inc.
Pure Branding is a research, insights, brand strategy and marketing agency that transforms leading healthy food, beverage and wellness companies into powerhouse brands. Our proprietary Conscious Branding™ process and innovative research practices make us the strategic partner of choice for companies looking to grow the bottom line and drive cultural change. Pure Branding was founded in 1999 and is based in Northampton, MA. Visit www.purebranding.com.
About SPINS LLC
At SPINS, we are passionate about supporting the companies who have a positive impact on the world by helping increase the presence and accessibility of health and wellness products. The record-breaking growth in sales of natural, organic and specialty products continues to validate our collective efforts and attest to consumers’ growing demand for these higher quality products. By providing high-integrity brands with the dynamic data, actionable insights and transformative technology solutions they need to maximize their success, we are laying the foundation for the next generation of growth to contribute to a healthier and more vibrant America. Visit www.spins.com.