Private Label Strategy Creates Customer Loyalty

Jake Kiviko: 0:00

So we’re very particular in the brands that we partner with. I think it’s very important for independent stores especially to partner with the right brands these days, and there’s not a lot of them that are truly good partners anymore.

Tina Smith: 0:18

Welcome to the Natural Products Marketer Podcast. I’m Tina and.

Amanda Ballard: 0:23

I’m Amanda and we’re here to make marketing easier for natural products businesses, so you can reach more people and change more lives. All right, welcome back to the Natural Products Marketer Podcast. We are super excited to be joined by Jake Kivico of Nature’s Finest in the Phoenix area. Thanks for joining us today, jake.

Jake Kiviko: 0:46

Thank you, guys. I’m glad to be here.

Amanda Ballard: 0:48

So we love to ask our guests um, because most people don’t grow up thinking I want to work in health food stores Um, what got you into the industry? And maybe, maybe, you did want to grow up and work in a health food store, so we’d love to hear your story.

Jake Kiviko: 1:04

Yeah, no, that’s it. That’s a great question. So I’m a third generation. My family started our business back in the 80s. My grandparents actually started the store, so then we moved to Arizona from the Illinois area.

Jake Kiviko: 1:19

My dad got involved and so I kind of grew up in these stores. You know helping price things, doing things as a little kid around the store and just seeing how my dad did his work and you know enjoying watching him do what he did. But I didn’t think I was going to work in these stores, and what happened was it was a little bit after the pandemic my dad was really adamant about, you know, retail is a demanding job, so he didn’t want to feel like he pushed any of us to do what he did. He knew that he lost a lot of time with his family doing retail and so he kind of wanted us to find our own way, and so that’s what I did.

Jake Kiviko: 2:01

I did a lot of different things and then, around 2021, I had a conversation with my dad and we were just kind of talking about the business and you know some of the challenges that he was facing today, you know, with the competition of Amazon after the pandemic, after the pandemic, and so I we started talking about what we could do with, you know, maybe getting online and becoming more omni-channel, and that’s kind of how I got involved. So I came to work full-time around 2021 and um started with the website uh, which we, you know, got a lot of products on there and started catering to our customers and allowing them to order online, but found out that that’s also a very challenging environment and it’s very competitive and so, you know, started there, but then really got involved in the store and really enjoyed the business side of things and negotiating things with brands and finding the right partners, and I’ve been here ever since.

Tina Smith: 3:12

Yeah, that’s amazing. We hear a lot of that the challenge of competing against Amazon online. And you’re right. Especially after the pandemic, it became really easy to just go to Amazon to get some of your supplements. So what do you think helps you guys? Stand out, your store, stand out so that people aren’t running to Amazon. They’re coming to you because they can’t find it on Amazon.

Jake Kiviko: 3:41

Yeah, so we’re very particular in the brands that we partner with. I think it’s very important for independent stores especially to partner with the right brands these days and there’s not a lot of them that are truly good partners anymore pricing is absolutely the first thing that we look at when we talk to a brand about bringing their products in. If there’s not a good map policy in place and then, most importantly, that’s actually policed, it’s not really something that we’re interested in getting our hands in. Just because how many times do you have a customer come and you show them this great product, you recommend it to them and then, the day that they don’t want to drive into the store, they go to Amazon and see that they can get it cheaper. It’s really disheartening and it’s hard to compete with that. So we work really hard to partner with the right brands, make sure that we can be at map and be the best price and then also just being a store that can educate and help customers find what they want to find and help inform them on things.

Amanda Ballard: 4:52

So, jake, we had a conversation before we started this recording where you were telling us about how you guys use private label to help differentiate from the product selection on Amazon. So I’d love to kind of just deep dive into your private label strategy because I think it’s really unique from what I’ve heard from stores around the country. So I’d love to kind of just hear from your side of things what your private label looks like and how you guys do that differently than other stores.

Jake Kiviko: 5:27

Yeah, so we’re really big into private label. There’s a couple of reasons that I like private label a lot. One of them is it creates customer loyalty right, if you have a product. So let me, let me start over. I can’t speak on other stores, but for us, most of the time when a customer comes into the store, they’re asking you for a particular uh supplement, but they don’t necessarily mention a brand name. They want vitamin c or magnesium, but they don’t really have a brand that they’re looking for.

Jake Kiviko: 5:58

It’s not very often that they want a specific brand. So so for us it became a good strategy to kind of have private label brands that we had to offer that we felt were really good products. We partnered with private labelers that we felt made an amazing product that competed with some of the bigger brands out there and this way when a customer comes in looking for something, we can offer them a private label product that we have and then it creates that customer loyalty that the customer likes it. They have no other place to get that product other than in your store. It allows you to kind of have control over the brand, because how many times do you spend countless hours and visits building a brand with customers and then you know, years down the road something happens with that brand and you have a lot of eggs in that basket and they’re no longer a good partner for you.

Jake Kiviko: 6:59

That happens a lot and it gets really discouraging. So with private label, you kind of a lot and it gets really discouraging. So with private label you kind of, um, don’t have that risk of those kinds of things happening, you have control over your brand and, uh, the products and the pricing and all those things. But, um, we use a couple different partners for that. I think a lot of stores usually have their private label brand that has their store name on it, and we also do that.

Jake Kiviko: 7:31

But there’s the three big private labelers that I think a lot of independent stores know, uh, which would be Vitality, reliance and Vitamer. Those ones are really easy to work with, they’re really good, they make great products and they’re just. They don’t have high order minimums or anything like that. So we work with those guys. But sometimes there’s overlap. You know all three of them might make the same product.

Jake Kiviko: 7:58

So for us we went ahead and did three different brands with each partner, and so that allows us to have our nature’s finest brand.

Jake Kiviko: 8:07

You know, that is usually what we’ll show people, um, but there’s also that misconception sometimes that a house brand isn’t really the highest quality product on the shelf, and so having those other brands that maybe aren’t tied to our name allows us to have other options for people that may, you know, be feeling that way, although I totally disagree with it.

Jake Kiviko: 8:33

I think our house brand is the one that we’ve felt was the best partner with the best trademark ingredients, and we try and inform customers of that. But there is that misconception out there sometimes, so we have other options for them, um, and so that’s kind of what we’ve done and it’s been a really good strategy for us. But, like I said, just creating that customer loyalty has been awesome, because they can’t go home if they really like that product and one day they don’t want to drive into the store and they go to search on Amazon, it’s not there, the only place they can’t go home if they really like that product. And one day they don’t want to drive into the store and they go to search on Amazon, it’s not there. The only place they can get it is in your store. So I think private label is something that other independent retailers should really be looking at, because it’s a really good strategy. It’s been beneficial for us.

Tina Smith: 9:22

And Jake, when did you guys start doing your private label?

Jake Kiviko: 9:27

That’s a good question. So, um, we started with Vitality long before I got here, and then Vitamer as well, but recently we did Reliance. And then we do have a couple other private label partners that are like more local, uh, smaller than you know, ones that we sought out but maybe that um have higher order minimums and things like that, uh, that other stores you know don’t have easy access to. But we’re always looking to expand private label if there’s a good option and a good partner. We enjoy doing that. People like variety. It’s not like you have one form of magnesium on the shelf, you have a couple options so that customers can pick one, and so why not have a couple of private label options where you do have that customer loyalty and control over the brand?

Tina Smith: 10:31

Yeah, and when you guys were getting into it, did you start with a few products, like you named vitamin C, vitamin D initially, or was it like, hey, we want all essential oils, all of these categories?

Jake Kiviko: 10:43

Yeah, good question. I think when we first started we did go pretty heavy with it and that one was Vitality Works which, if anybody’s familiar, they, I believe, have a high buy-in, like they want you to kind of really buy into it and they have a certain amount of products that they want you to start with, and so that can be scary to people. Um, again, I wasn’t involved in that decision but talking uh to my father about it, he did tell me that that was a concern of his at the time because they wanted you to to really get so many items on the shelf. And that was their first venture into private label. Um, and he went ahead and did that and we did the uh essential oils and they have all sorts of herbs and tinctures and we really bought into it.

Jake Kiviko: 11:31

And then, uh, as we saw it succeed, we’ve kind of expanded it. And then with the other ones, uh no, we didn’t go go crazy with it, we just did a couple items, kind of tried to see how they crazy with it. We just did a couple items, kind of tried to see how they resonated with customers and once we saw that they were something that people were enjoying, then we continued to expand it. And once we saw that that strategy was working for us, we said why are we not offering everything in our label?

Amanda Ballard: 12:01

So are you with with those? I know you said you have your your nature’s finest brand, and then these other brands that are still private label, but are um not under your name. How have you found um customers receive those products? Um is, is it the same kind of reception that they they get towards your house brand or um are they like? Oh, maybe. I’ve never heard of this Kind of. What sort of feedback do you get from customers with the non-name brand items?

Jake Kiviko: 12:34

That’s a really good question. You know, I think a lot of times when a customer comes into your store, they’re looking for your advice and expertise already. Um, like I mentioned, I don’t have and I can’t speak for other stores, but there’s not a lot of people that come in and they want magnesium from a certain brand. It just isn’t something that happens with us a lot and if it does, it’s usually a brand that we recommended to them, you know, previously, and they’ve just continued to take it. So we haven’t seen any kind of, I guess, like pushback when we show them brands that we’ve created that they don’t really recognize. They sometimes ask questions about you know where it’s made and you know who is this brand, and we’re transparent with customers as well.

Jake Kiviko: 13:24

You don’t want to deceive them in any way, so we do tell them if they ask that, yeah, this is a brand that you know, we’ve partnered with this company to create and it’s one that we really stand behind and think is a great product and it would be a great option for you.

Tina Smith: 13:44

Yeah, I’m curious about the branding around this, because that is one thing that comes up. There’s so many decisions to be made whenever you go into private label and branding is a big piece of it, and especially if it’s not your house brand. So there really aren’t. There’s not a design already around the logo, and there’s a lot to create there. So I’m curious, when you guys were going into these multiple brands, was there a thought like this this brand should look high end and did you contract with a marketing firm to help you? Or were you guys just like, oh, we can do this, we can fix this, or the manufacturing partner was helpful? I’d love to hear more about that.

Jake Kiviko: 14:24

Yeah, it’s definitely the most difficult part of the process, especially for me. I hate creating labels. I’m not good at it, it’s not my forte, and so that process can be really lengthy for us. Sometimes, you know, we think, oh yeah, you know, let’s go with this color and and this brand name and this logo, and then we have the uh they’re. They’re usually really helpful. They have people in house that will listen to you and design the labels and they send it back and it’s like you had this vision and it comes back and it looks nothing like what you had hoped for, and a large part of the time it’s because of the way that we’re communicating it or you’re just seeing in your head and it’s. It’s a very difficult process. It’s my least favorite part, for sure.

Jake Kiviko: 15:13

But to answer your question about like higher end and things like that, yes, we have kind of done that with a couple of the brands. A couple of the brands, like one of the Vitamer makes all their stuff in glass bottles, which you know people tend to associate with a higher brand. That’s not plastic, and so for that one we really spent a lot of time kind of making it a higher end, luxury looking label and it turned out excellent and so, like that kind of, is that higher end brand for us, I guess? Um, and it’ll look a little bit more higher end to some of the other ones that are in plastic and and that kind of thing. And then other times it’s just you know what. It’s hard enough to come up with a name and another logo and and once you do you’re just happy with it and you go with it and um, but yeah, there is some differentiation between a couple of the manufacturers and and higher end and maybe house brand and that kind of thing.

Tina Smith: 16:18

Yeah, it’s nice to hear um some strategy around if you’re bringing in multiple brands that are kind of they there are house brands whenever you’re doing private label, in spite of the fact that they might not have your logo on it. So you know, a lot of times we hear in retail there’s um the three categories that you do high, medium, low and so I’m curious, like from a pricing perspective, where did you guys shake out? Is your house brand the cheapest, and then how does that affect your margin?

Jake Kiviko: 16:54

It’s a good question. I wouldn’t say it’s the cheapest, I would say it’s competitive, and that’s another thing. That’s important to us is, you know, we do know that customers are price sensitive, and so we really kind of evaluate whether or not we can be competitive with some of the pricing of, like, the bigger brands and and that kind of thing, and so we try and be as competitive as possible. And, um to your point, I do think that between manufacturers that we’re working with, there is kind of like a low, mid and high price point, and it just depends on what they’re offering as far as pricing and what you feel like you can offer the product at and still make your margin. So as far as that, I think we’re very competitive. I don’t think we’re the cheapest option, but there is, you know. Then we have a line that tends to be a little bit lower in price and that can be our low price option. It’s just it depends on which brand or private label product that we’re talking about.

Amanda Ballard: 18:02

Yeah, it’s interesting. I was just talking with a store we work with the other day and they were kind of frustrated by the fact that their private label they love it, it’s great quality but they were like we can’t compete with even our own products on the shelf because there are great brands that enforce map, but they just they’re cheaper and um, so they’re like, how do I, how do we navigate, having you know 50% of our herb wall being of this one brand and you know, we know the qualities there, but they’re like $7 cheaper for the same thing. Um, yeah, and so, yeah, just trying to figure out, you know, do you go, do you lean into that brand more? Because that’s what customers have always purchased and that’s what their you know, that’s what their wallets are liking is, you know, an $8 herb as opposed to a $14 herb, just things like that.

Amanda Ballard: 19:09

It’s an interesting thing to kind of. You always have to be evaluating what the needs of your customers are and the needs of your business and, you know, deciding whether or not you should scale back with certain brands that you do really well with and maybe push people more towards the private label. So it’s a really interesting kind of problem that I think retailers are having. That needs to be addressed.

Jake Kiviko: 19:31

Yeah, absolutely, and you’re absolutely right. It is a hard. It’s ever changing, right what you should do with certain brands, depending on what they’ve kind of done over time. And so for something like that, I guess what would be most important to me is how is that other brand as a partner and you know, if they’re a good partner and you feel like you’re getting good value from them and you don’t have any qualms about how things are being sold online or anything like that, then I, you know, I would show them my label and I would. I would use what I think every independent retailer should use, and that’s education and knowledge and informing other customers. That’s our best product.

Jake Kiviko: 20:16

That’s what sets us apart from you know big box stores and other major retailers, and if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. Um, but if that partner is not such a good partner, then I would maybe try and scale back and, you know, start with the things that you’re a little bit more competitive on. Scale back and just show people yeah, you know, we don’t really partner with that brand anymore. Here’s why we tell people why we don’t partner with brands and a lot of times, they love that transparency and they don’t have the same information that you have as a store. Um, what’s going on behind the scenes with some of these brands? And so we’re really, um, vocal about some of these things and the reasons why we choose not to, you know, really get behind a certain brand or they made these changes that you know we don’t feel great about selling them to you anymore.

Jake Kiviko: 21:12

And, uh, people love that, they love that transparency, and so they’re very receptive to it. They’re like, oh my gosh, I have no idea. Um, and those have been some of the best moments. It’s like showing people, or telling people that, and just how shocked they are, and immediately they’re like what? Yeah, I’m with you guys, I don’t want to support that brand either, if this is what they’re doing. So I’ll take this, you know, and yeah, so I think we should use that I think we found that a lot with different retailers that we work with.

Tina Smith: 21:44

The more transparent you are with your audience, the more they trust you around that and they rally around you because you’re a local business and they want to support you, and now you’re becoming their authority in this space, and so I’d love to hear I think I’m hearing from you map and map enforcement obviously is a key thing to look at, but also I’m betting that some of the things you’re talking about are changes in formulations, or formulations being different in a mass store versus yours and so losing confidence in that brand because it looks the same to the consumer but it’s not actually the same product to the consumer, but it’s not actually the same product.

Jake Kiviko: 22:30

Yeah, absolutely, and that’s something that people do not not realize, um, and so when you tell them that, it just really kind of I mean, what’s more, I guess, disheartening than kind of hearing that, um, it’s very deceptful, uh, and so you kind of lose trust in the brands that are doing that kind of thing, and customers feel the same way that you do, because they don’t want to feel deceived.

Jake Kiviko: 22:54

They want to feel like what they know what they’re buying and they know what they’re getting, and so that’s something that that they don’t like either, you know. Yeah, absolutely, Map enforcement too. Um, it’s huge for us, just because it has become such an online shopping world and, um, you know, you can offer things online as well, but if you can’t be competitive on price, then you’re going to lose those sales and and you may not realize it, but it happens, and a lot of times you’ll hear it. I mean, I can’t tell you how many times we’ve sold something to a customer and they come in like two months later and they’re like, yeah, don’t get mad, but I saw it was $6 cheaper on Amazon, so I bought it there last time, and so we’re just really working to get away from those brands because it’s just not beneficial to the longevity and health of your business.

Tina Smith: 23:55

Just as a follow-up, I just am curious are there other things that you guys are looking at that are outside of map enforcement and the formulation? I’m sure there’s a lit kind of a checklist that you go through and some of them have higher priority, like you’re talking about, but there are probably other things that you’re looking for in good partner brands as well.

Jake Kiviko: 24:16

Yeah, absolutely, and where the product’s being sold is huge. And also, you know what they’re kind of, I guess. Where are they trying to go with their brand? Do they really want to be in the independent stores? Is that a market that they value or, you know, is it somewhere where they’re just trying to get more products through the door, get their numbers up and potentially sell later on? And you can usually feel people out when you ask them questions and really get behind some of the deeper things a brand is offering.

Jake Kiviko: 24:58

Another thing that’s important to us is, you know, making sure that, if they have a map policy, that it’s something that you know we can be competitive on and still have enough margin to feel good about getting behind the brand. But yeah, those, those, those things. Mainly, you know maps huge. Where is the product being sold. What is your plan with this brand?

Jake Kiviko: 25:24

Is it something that you know you’re going to be getting our backs as a partner, like for me, if we’re going to create a partnership and our store has lots of traffic every day and we’re really pushing your brand and building your brand in our area, I want to know that you have our back as well when things you know, have our back as well. Um, when things you know maybe aren’t great for us or we get stuck with things, um, how are you going to help us if, if we’re doing all the legwork to really build your brand in our area? So just, I guess that that’s the best way I can put it is just making sure that I feel like the brand is somebody that’s going to really have your back and be in the independent market and not just kind of using the independent stores to really build their brand and then kind of jump ship and forget about us, because that happens a lot as well.

Amanda Ballard: 26:20

Sadly. Yeah, Jake. Do you guys price at MAP every day?

Jake Kiviko: 26:27

We do. Everything has to be a map Um and actually that’s a. That’s another good question. For me, the best partner that I could possibly have is one that I can price below map um and still have a decent margin. So that you know I our stores are the absolute best option for the customer as far as price goes, and I know that’s not always realistic. But you are seeing it with more brands and I love that some of the brands recently have started to do full retail map. I think that’s a great strategy if you really want to get behind the independent stores. I am not naive. I understand that Amazon isn’t just a place that you’re trying to sell product. It kind of gives your brand legitimacy. Nowadays, like, if you’re not on Amazon, people are like, well, who is?

Jake Kiviko: 27:23

this you know, um, and so I understand that, but I I really value the uh brands that are doing full retail map on amazon and really giving the stores a chance to be competitive, and so, um, yes, we price that map, but if we can be below map, even better.

Jake Kiviko: 27:42

And those are the brands that I really like to get behind, because then I know that when my customers can’t come into the store and they search on their phone or they’re in the aisle searching on the phone. They’re like, wow, nature’s Finest is really giving us the best price. They’re not ripping us off and this is a place that really is trying to be the best place to get my stuff be the best place to get my stuff.

Tina Smith: 28:13

Sometimes we find retailers a little hesitant to implement map pricing because it feels like a big decrease to them, and so the question becomes like, are we going to be able to make payroll and do the investments that we need to do to keep the store going? But something that we’ve found is when you do map pricing, the volume ends up turning into that a bigger number than if you had kept your margins. I’m just curious if that’s what you guys are seeing as well.

Jake Kiviko: 28:43

Absolutely 100% agree with that is you. You know, whether you realize it or not, if you’re pricing at full retail, you will be losing sales. Um, no matter where you’re located, it is so easy to shop online and people are price sensitive, you know. You got to understand that. I mean, think I I as a small business owner and I there’s nothing more than I love than supporting other small businesses. But if I’m going to save 25 percent on something and I don’t have to drive 20 minutes to get it, sometimes I’m going to choose that option. But if I know that that store is pricing it the same way, I will take the time to drive there. And and that says somebody who really values small, local business A lot of people. It doesn’t mean much to them, they just want the best price. So, yes, I absolutely agree with what you’re saying, tina. I think you’re going to see an uptick in volume if you can price that map.

Jake Kiviko: 29:45

But then also, I think it’s really imperative to create the perception for a lot of consumers that stores are not the. A lot of times they think they can’t get anything at a good price in a store. Everything’s cheaper online, and so when other stores are pricing at retail. I think you’re helping to really drive that home for consumers and it hurts the other stores that are trying to be competitive. It’s kind of business 101 to sell the best products at the best possible prices. No-transcript. So I get it, I totally understand, but I I don’t think that we would even just even consider pricing above. Map it just. It wouldn’t work for us, I don’t. I don’t think there’s just too many times that we’re losing sales if we do.

Amanda Ballard: 31:18

Yeah, well, I think it kind of brings it back to that conversation we were having about transparency where, you know, I I actually just saw this post on LinkedIn the other day and it was, uh, this company ran a test to see it was they were advertising their chicken noodle soup, and one of them was just a picture of a beautiful bowl of soup and it was just you know, here you go, this is the soup. And then the other one. They listed out the price of all of their cost of goods and you know the labor and all of that, and it was like one had the price of you know $7.99,. But then the other one was like here’s really what it’s costing us, not just what we’re getting from you. And the interesting thing was that the ad that had the prices listed out line by line the chicken costs this, the carrots cost this, and then it’s like, oh, you’re left with next to nothing to pay your staff after you’ve sold us this bowl of soup, and so I think it was just a really interesting lesson of people appreciate transparency and are able to be the same price as Amazon or better, and yet we still offer you all of these things.

Amanda Ballard: 32:33

Like having that conversation, I think, is really, really powerful, and it’s something that I don’t think that retailers should shy away from. Do it in a tactful way, of course, but just do everything that you can to show your value over and over again. Oh and, by the way, amazon can’t beat our prices. They’re worth the exact same, so why not support local?

Jake Kiviko: 32:55

Absolutely, and we are very vocal about that and we’ll let people know that, because I do think it’s important, like you said, and that transparency is something. I mean you don’t know what businesses costs are behind the scenes, and so that ad is really interesting because nobody knows what goes into making a bowl of soup, right, and so to kind of see it and realize what they’re being left with at the end of the day, like that transparency means something to the consumer and so I love that and we’re very vocal about what we offer above and beyond Amazon or other big box retailers.

Tina Smith: 33:36

Jake, I want to go back to something you were talking about earlier, which was just this branding might take the longest amount of time, and moving from hey, you guys decided to move forward and then it’s actually on your shelves. But there are a lot of other activities that go into that as well. So I’m curious, like once you guys decided with some of these other manufacturers, like we’re ready, how long should a retailer expect that this process is going to take before they have something on their shelves?

Jake Kiviko: 34:05

Great question. It depends on how quickly the label design process goes, and if you have, you know, a logo and design, they’re pretty quick. You know this is what they do, and so it depends. There are some manufacturers that want to order the labels and then that takes time, and then there’s others that uh do them in house. So, depending on which, you know, uh, what their process is, I would say anywhere from. If you have your label, it can take. You know they can. They could have it to your store in a week and other times it could be three, four weeks, but it’s not just terribly long process, as long as the label design doesn’t take you forever, like it does for me. My label design takes a month sometimes just because I can’t. It’s hard, you’re your, you’re your biggest critic and you get labeled back and maybe other people like it, but there’s something about it that just you don’t like and you want to redesign and, uh, I’m sure that I’ve been a pain for some of these companies as far as the label design process has gone.

Tina Smith: 35:13

Yeah, I mean two to three months feels from the minute that you’re like, ok, we want to do something, because you’ve got to select the products and do the brand and get everything in order before it starts going on your shelves, which can be intimidating because you’re going to make an investment before you start to see a return and, at the same time, I think it gives you a really nice long runway to start talking about things and getting people excited about it.

Tina Smith: 35:42

And when I say start talking about things, I mean socializing it with people that are coming in the door and also making plans for, okay, we’re going to have email blasts and do some advertising around it and put some posters up, because all of that will take you time as well to get that going. So, even though I’m sure the label design and everything is going to keep some of those activities from actually being executed, the planning and the copy and all of that can go into effect before and then you start putting the design into place right there as you’re getting ready to put the things on your shelves. So it feels like, even though you might want it to happen faster, it’s probably the right timeline in order to get a really good plan laid out for communication and execution.

Jake Kiviko: 36:38

Absolutely. And this is you know if you’re going to get it, if private label is going to be what it should be to you and the brand that you really get behind, and that you know when your customer is coming and looking for something, you want to show them your brand and your label, so that you know you create that customer loyalty and it becomes a really great brand in your store. Then you shouldn’t rush things. You want to take your time with it, you want to make sure things are done right and, yes, it’s exciting to know that you’re going to be taking that step. But take the time to make sure that you know you’re not making any mistakes along the way, and I think you’ve made a great point.

Jake Kiviko: 37:16

Um, you know, once you kind of know that you’re going to be moving forward with that, tell your customers you know they’re looking for something. Oh, by the way, I’ve got a really awesome magnesium glycinate we’re working on that’s going to be coming in. Um, you know, pretty shortly. I’d love to show it to you next time, but you know here’s an option for now, or or whatever. But, yeah, definitely use the time to to build awareness and build excitement behind the brands.

Tina Smith: 37:42

Yeah, and there’s a story that goes behind that too. So whether you’re doing a brand replacement or this is just an addition to your current lineup, there’s a reason why you’re doing it that you can communicate to your consumer ahead of time so that they’re excited about this launch and release, and I’m going to bet that will make all the difference in how quickly this takes off and people start to use that brand versus something else. So it could be the story of this is a better formulation than anything we’ve got in the store. Or it could be the story of this is a better formulation than anything we’ve got in the store. Or it could be a story of we’re moving away from this partner for the following reasons, and so we just decided, if we’re going to trust it and put our name behind it, that we were going to research it and find the best thing and bring it to you, and there’s a lot of ways to message that in a story format that people can gravitate to and really become part of that with you and rally around that.

Jake Kiviko: 38:37

Absolutely, and I like how you just said that, because I do think that it’s important to vocalize that to your customers that you know this wasn’t just something that we threw our name on and put on the shelf. That we threw our name on and put on the shelf, we took the time to really make sure that, if we were going to put our name on something, that it was something that we felt really, really good about, um, and that we think is going to be the best option for you. Um, it’s not just a cheap house brand. This is something that we took the time and we, you know we’ve been in business 43 years, but we just put our name on something. And you know, maybe’ve been in business 43 years, but we just put our name on something and you know, maybe use that if you had longevity and say the reason is is because you know we didn’t find the right partner until right now and we feel really good about this and it’s something that we’re super excited about and we can’t wait to show you guys.

Amanda Ballard: 39:27

Yeah, and I think, whether it’s private label or just any brand that you’re bringing in to the for the first time, it’s like every square inch of your store is valuable and so if you think enough about a product to give it, you know, three inches on the shelf, it’s like that’s something that’s worth talking about and communicating to your customers. That, hey, like we do our homework around here and we’re not just going to let any other product just get on the shelf, like we genuinely take the time to look at every single product and make sure that it’s the best thing that we can possibly offer you. So, yeah, like I said, whether it’s whether it’s a private label or another brand that you believe in, like communicate it. Um, because that’s what’s going to make, again, differentiate you from from your competition.

Jake Kiviko: 40:22

Absolutely. I mean, you got to feel good about what’s on your shelves and what you’re offering to people and if you do and you take that time, you should be absolutely telling people about it and and they trust you. You know, I listened to another one of your guys shows where somebody said like we need to be the influencers in our communities, and I think that’s exactly what the independent retailer should be and what we already are without realizing it, Because most of the time, the customers that come through your doors are there because they trust what you have to say and what you have to tell them. So definitely make sure that you are doing your homework and that you feel good behind the brands that you’re representing and that you know that you’re offering the best options for the people that you serve.

Tina Smith: 41:10

Okay, we’re coming to the end of our time here, but I do want to ask one other question, because, just to set expectations, once you do roll out a new brand, even if you’re doing all the right things leading up to it, there is a time period in which it’s new and you’re transitioning, and it might not be successful in two days or five days or 10 days. So I’m curious, like for you guys how long did you give it before you started saying, wow, this is really working.

Jake Kiviko: 41:42

Great question. So, first and foremost, we haven’t touched on make sure that all of your staff understand why it is that you’re doing this and that this should be, you know, theoretically, the first thing that we show customers, and this is why, and so that will help. And the times that you can’t do it and you know everybody in your store is really getting behind the brand, then I think it’s going to be a little bit more beneficial and quicker for you. But I think we noticed, you know, fairly, you know, our most recent one was fairly quick that we were like, wow, this is, this is really taking off. We made, we made sure to give the most recent one very good product placement as well. We put it right at the front of the store. We wanted it to be the first thing that people saw. So I think that’s another great strategy when you’re going to take this jump, to maybe make sure that you place it well so that people see it and they ask questions about it.

Jake Kiviko: 42:43

But, um, some of the other ones take time and I would just say hang in there, you know, do everything you can and, um, I don’t think that we’ve ever had one that we had to say, ok, we’re not going to do this anymore, but some of them do take longer than others and I think you just want to make sure that you do everything you can on your part as far as product placement, staff education and just getting the entire store and behind the brand. But it just depends. Just hang in there and and have faith. If you really believe in the products and you’re conveying that to customers, it will most likely work out for you.

Tina Smith: 43:27

So lots of ways to make this faster, a faster ROI for you. One is making sure that you’re taking the time to do things right. Another thing is you’re training your staff on why are we doing this and that they can believe in the product good product placement and you have a great messaging strategy going in that you’re communicating to customers as well, and I think if you do those four things, you’re going to succeed faster than if you don’t do them, even though the private label should generate an ROI within a time period if you stick with it. So if you’re launching today and you haven’t done all those things, start doing them, it will make it better for you. I don’t think that it won’t succeed if you haven’t done them before, but if you do them before, I think it’s going to be just a smoother and faster transition.

Jake Kiviko: 44:25

Yeah, I a hundred percent agree with that. And you, another thing you need to realize with your brand or private labels that you don’t have, like the marketing team and budget that some of these brands do to, um, you know, do advertising and get their name out there. It it falls on you and your staff and that’s okay. I mean you’re spending time building other brands anyways, why not put that time into your own? And those four things you mentioned, tina um, absolutely, what you, what you need to do and, um, you will see a good return on it. I wouldn’t. I would tell people that are worried or scared about jumping into private label to not be um, it can be a really good thing for your store and if you put in the work and you start to see the returns, there’s no better brand to represent than your own.

Amanda Ballard: 45:19

Awesome. Well, Jake, thank you so much for your time with us today. If listeners want to learn more about your store, how can they find you?

Jake Kiviko: 45:28

Yeah, you can find us online at naturesfinestaz.com or on Instagram at naturesfinestaz. We do a lot on there as well, so I want to thank you guys too for having me. It’s a lot of fun.

Amanda Ballard: 45:42

Thanks so much for listening to the Natural Products Marketer Podcast. We hope you found this episode to be super helpful. Make sure you check out the show notes for any of those valuable resources that we mentioned on today’s episode.

Tina Smith: 45:53

And, before you go, we would love for you to give us a review. Follow, like and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you’re listening today, and make sure you join us for our next episode, where we give you more marketing tips so that you can reach more people and change more lives.