Retailer roundtable part 2: Natural health retailers are driving sales by enhancing customer experience
By Samuel Davis
Following a successful debut at CHFA NOW Vancouver last year, the Retailer Roundtable—hosted by Bruce W. Cole, editor and founder of CNHR—returned to this year’s trade show and was met with an overwhelming response from retailers.
At the 2025 CHFA NOW show, retailers were encouraged to participate and share their experiences in an idea exchange during a retailer roundtable. Attending retailers were split into five groups and each group was asked a question about the following pressing issues impacting the natural health retail industry: navigating tariffs and supply chain challenges, enhancing customer experience to drive sales, building and motivating high-performing teams, creating collaborative partnerships to boost growth, and innovating and adapting in a changing market.
In this second part of the retailer roundtable series from 2025, we will share insights on how retailers are driving sales by enhancing customer experience. With continued rises in cost of living and belt-tightening across the country, retailers are choosing to do what they can to provide customers with clarity and choice.
Customer retention begins with your why
“People do go back to things that they like,” said Nina Karpoff, co-founder at Good Goods Company. While it is true that many customers are choosing to avoid newly expensive items or spending money altogether, it’s also true that this pattern may only be temporary. While retailers can’t control external factors like increased cost of living or unstable supply chains, they can focus on giving customers a good reason to return. As Nina explains, “I think what it filters down to is having a strong why.”
So, what is that “why?” Why should customers want to return to a certain brand, product, or store? The answer to these questions will depend on the specifics, but examples might include providing customers with something they can’t find elsewhere, whether that’s a service, a product, or a community. Products can offer clarity and reliability when it comes to their ingredients and production, while retailers can highlight their expertise and their positive impact on the local community.
It can also be helpful to earn customer trust by focusing on the sector’s esteemed history. “We are the authorities on Canadian brands and business practices—always have been and always will be,” says Nina. While many retailers and products are jumping on the anti-tariff or Canadian-supporting bandwagon, Canadian natural health retailers and natural health products have been focused on these issues long before the current conversation. “So, when you’re shopping with us, you can come knowing you’ll have that experience no matter what.”
One example that Nina uses in her own business is a Founder Feature on Fridays—a weekly opportunity to help products articulate their whys by focusing on sharing information about a particular brand and its story—to which her customers have responded positively. Another example is supporting informed shopping, providing curious customers with information about products that match their values—whether that’s a list of local Albertan products or a shelf with products from BIPOC-owned businesses.
“People like to feel good about their purchases,” Nina adds, so it helps to curate spaces where customers feel comfortable asking questions and empowered to create their own shopping goals. This can create an opportunity for customers to pursue their values in their purchases—looking to spend money based on the whys of a product or retailer.
“Meet the customer where they’re at”
For Nathan Froese, grocery and bulk category manager for Community Natural Foods, it’s all about ensuring that customers can get what they need from your team. Whether they’re interacting with an online retailer, a brick-and-mortar store, or a product in multiple locations, some customers are looking for extra opportunities to learn and engage, while others are busy and will go elsewhere if answers and good service aren’t prompt. “It’s just being open with your team and caring to have that space to meet the customer where they’re at,” Nathan explains.
This dual focus—on both creating a space and staffing it—is how retailers can add value to the customer experience. It's important to note that everyone will be at a different stage along the path of natural health, so spaces and teams should be trained to recognize the customer’s situation and needs first, then tailor their approach from there. Due to the isolation and disruption that came with the pandemic, a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer relevant: any number of customers might be anxious, curious, overwhelmed, or lonely.
With trends shifting toward automation and deep oceans of online information, retailers also shouldn’t discount the intimidation factor. Whether you’re a small market or a ginormous store, customers may be wondering how to engage—or whether they’re even welcome in the space. “We want them to come back; we want to open up the barriers of ‘what is this?’”
For staff, teams need to be practiced and comfortable at engaging customers. Nathan says it could be as simple as saying hello and making eye contact, or as complex as approaching customers and offering to help them navigate the store and find what they’re looking for. Nathan says that “having the time, labour, expertise, and training for your team to meet your customer wherever they are is what really drives success, that conviction.”