Retailer roundtable part V: consumer education
Natural health retailers remain the most reliable source of information for consumers
By Vibha Shukla
Natural retailers are facing new challenges and opportunities when it comes to educating their customers. In this final part of the retailer roundtable series from 2024, we will share insights on consumer education and its impact on natural health retailers.
At the 2024 CHFA NOW, held in Vancouver, 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 a pressing issue impacting the natural health retail industry—rent inflation, vendor relations, supply chain, ethical initiatives and sustainability practices, and consumer education. This issue’s summary is the last of those five discussions.
In the March-April 2025 issue of CNHR, we discussed the topic of “ethical practices and sustainability initiatives” in detail. In this final part of the retailer roundtable series, we will share insights on consumer education and its impact on natural health retailers.
Today, our shopping experience and how we seek information continues to be reshaped by new digital advances. As a result, natural health retailers are facing new challenges and opportunities when it comes to educating their customers.
Sifting for sources
Until a few years ago, consumers relied on health food stores when looking for natural health products—their local store was the go-to for information and guidance. But recently, that role has been taken over by the internet.
“Twenty years ago, when I opened my health food store, the internet was not as easily accessible. Today, a lot of consumers come into the store educated from what they have learned online,” says Lou Libertore, owner of the Healthy Bug.
Consumers now have all the information about any product they need and—with smartphones—that information is always at their fingertips. With a new health trend cropping up every other week, there is no shortage of online health gurus offering miracle cures and an endless list of life hacks to buy for their health needs.
This digital shift has been a blessing and a challenge for most retailers. As Frances Yi of Gingko Health Shop shares, “Consumers definitely have easier access to nutritional advice than ever before. Although this comes with many benefits—helping clients be more aware of supplements they could take to improve their health—it also leads to more risks to people’s health.”
Stephanie Skalic, from Fortinos, shares similar observations. “On one hand, positive effects can be found in organically growing sales, as consumers are redirecting their weekly shopping to include more natural, organic, preservative/dye/artificial-free consumables. However, there are also more companies and brands taking advantage of this change in consumer behaviour, misleading or misrepresenting the ‘health’ aspects of their brand.”
Now more than ever, consumers are at risk of misinformation and being misled by advice available online. “The internet has a tendency to have many infomercial-style advertisements. Clients come in with strong opinions and clear preferences for specific products they’ve seen online,” Frances says.
As she explains, “At times, we’re able to advise clients about products that would be more suitable, especially if the client has known us for some time and with whom we’ve built trust. Other times, the client is not open to listening to our science-based recommendations and would like to stick to the product that they researched on their own.”
Dennis Schroeder, from Good N Natural, says that he has also noticed an increasing number of consumers coming into the store looking for products they saw trending online. “Our ability to influence consumers has become diluted with the many platforms and voices trying to capture their short attention span.”
These consumers, Dennis says, aren’t looking to his staff for guidance, and are instead “more focused on either price, shopping experience, selection, or convenience. This changes the game for our product advisors and our management team, and we have to adapt to this new consumer trend,” he continues.
Adapting to trends
For Dennis, adapting to trends is not just about making sales—it’s about supporting customers. “Adapting is firstly about recognizing where we are and what is happening and then accepting that things have changed. We accept and learn to value today’s consumer the way that they are.” What sets natural health retailers apart from online sources is that they have always let the consumers define their own health goals.
Dennis encourages retailers to continue to do just that: “If they ask for our advice, we provide it with keeping the focus on what is best for them, not our sales goals, favourite brands, etc. If they are already informed, we focus on their shopping experience.” Dennis’s team also introduces consumers to their everyday low pricing model, loyalty points program, and mailing lists so that they can take advantage of upcoming sale events.
To meet the consumers where they are, most retailers have set up online stores, offer curbside pickup, and brought product advisors onboard to provide an exceptional shopping experience. Frances and her team at Gingko Health Shop, for example, have partnered with Digital Main Street’s ShopHERE program to create an online store.
“We also recently joined the Health First Network, who have been a huge support for us. They coordinate our flyer distribution and help us to get lower prices on the products we sell at our store,” Frances explains, adding that “Health First Network’s collective buying power helps us to have more competitive pricing in order to compete with the large chain stores.”
Combatting misinformation
While many customers are turning to the internet, a significant number still rely on natural health retailers for personalized guidance. Hiring knowledgeable staff and keeping up with the trends is the key aspect of combatting misinformation. To address their needs, Choices Markets hires registered holistic nutrition consultants at all locations and keeps a team of registered dietitians.
“What we find is that consumers really want to connect with the products and manufacturers, and want to get the story behind the brand as well,” explains Neelum Shahi of Choices Market. “We need to ensure that we are on top of the trends, and that our team interacting with consumers are informed and knowledgeable.”
Similarly, Fortinos requires that their managers and full-time staff are certified as holistic nutritionists. “It’s important—you can almost say, a duty—to ensure that our consumers are getting the most accurate information about natural food and supplements,” says Stephanie. “Our on-site nutritionists, who are constantly learning, take a training course with a different selected brand weekly to ensure their product knowledge is up to date.”
Additionally, Fortinos partners with organizations like the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) and alive Academy to develop informational brochures. These in-store resources focus on specific health ailments, informing patrons and catching the eye of people interested in pursuing a career in health food through alive Academy’s certification courses.
Choices Market also works with all the brands available in store. “The brands, especially local brands, work with each store team in person and virtually so that our teams are prepared to support the consumers in their health journey,” says Neelum. “To further support our consumers, Choices also offers educational seminars on a range of health-related topics, as well as cooking demonstrations.”
These efforts are supported by Choices Market hosting speakers, who come in and address the consumers directly to build personal connection and share knowledge. Choices nutritionists also liaise with the communities around each store location and provide free, personalized, in-store nutrition tours. “Overall, our approach is very much hands on! Being versed on a trend is one thing, but being able to debunk misinformation is another,” explains Neelum.
Providing alternatives
Natural health retailers, Neelum believes, have a commitment to offering accurate, science-driven advice. Dennis agrees, adding that knowing what specific misinformation is trending can help anticipate conversations and actually build trust through disagreement. “If we can present ourselves as both knowledgeable and rejecting a misguided trend, we establish more credibility—if they later do want our opinion.”
For their part, Nutters Everyday Naturals has published weekly articles to increase consumer education since 1995. Those articles have helped them build trust and a reputation for integrity among consumers, according to Janine Favreau, who has been running the Prince Albert Nutters store for over 40 years.
Misinformation often comes from customers not knowing whether a product is good for them. “Just because a product is heavily advertised online doesn’t mean that it’s the optimal recommendation to be a part of that client’s supplement regimen,” says Frances. “When it comes to natural health products, people need to keep in mind that each of our needs and health concerns are different. We try to manage our client’s expectations and give them solutions that are custom created to address their personal needs.”
Another challenge that retailers often face, according to Stephanie, is “trying to satisfy every consumer with the availability of product they require for their own unique wellness journey, while simultaneously trying to guide consumers away from the ‘false narratives.’” As she explains, it’s a difficult balance to strike.
Guiding gently
When faced with misinformation, natural health retailers should focus on education rather than confrontation. By gently redirecting misinformed customers, retailers are building communities of well-informed, discerning, and health-conscious consumers.
“I always approach them in a non-judgemental way, and I explain that the product they like may be good, but I have a suggestion that I know is very good and would be a better fit for them,” explains Frances. “It’s important that we’re responsive with all of the people that walk into our store.”
Health is a very personal topic, and every customer is on their own unique health journey, so it’s important for retailers to handle disagreements with grace and sensitivity. Frances believes it’s “essential to create a positive atmosphere in the store, along with providing our customers with a variety of options with the potential to significantly improve their health.” Gaining trust of your customers is crucial to helping them lean into the right information.
Lou believes that, despite the wealth of information available online, the key to a successful retail strategy is helping customers navigate their health concerns with care and understanding. By asking thoughtful questions about their health needs and offering personalized recommendations, retailers can create a space where customers feel heard and supported—something they can’t find online.
Lou also believes that acknowledging the consumer’s ability to discern information before guiding them toward accurate sources yields better results. “By fully understanding the health concern of the customer [and] complimenting that they have educated themselves online, we can increase the probability that we have the correct product for them. Thus, we have a happy customer when they leave the store.”
As Frances Pope, wellness manager at Nutters’ Lethbridge store, recommends, “listen first and then follow up with informed sources.” She explains: “Having a genuine openness and interest in people’s needs and wants should be our goal in the industry. Helping customers find good, informed answers, in my books, is one of the most rewarding feelings ever.”