COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Oct. 5, 2015 – During the business session at the 2015 Health Beauty Wellness Conference (HBW15) hosted by Global Market Development Center (GMDC), executives from Johnson & Johnson and Wakefern Food Corp. discussed how the evolving health care landscape is driving consumer behavior – and how retailers are challenging manufacturers to think differently to impact a new shopping culture in the Affordable Care Act era.
Chris Jobes, director of health and wellness for Johnson & Johnson and Chris Skyers, vice president of health and beauty care for Wakefern Food Corp. presented “The World of Health and Wellness Today – A Retail Opportunity,” which revealed opportunities for retailers to rethink their approach to over-the-counter health care products and the expanding role of in-store pharmacies.
“The health care landscape is drastically changing, with skyrocketing costs, and all of us have a great opportunity to drive the market differently, to change patient behavior for better health and wellness choices,” said Jobes. “The consumer patient is helping swing the pendulum. We can help them change behavior, change mentality and stimulate a better health care culture.”
These retail leaders provided insights into the impact of health care legislation and how the shift towards more over-the-counter product sales is enabling manufacturers and retailers to view “patients” and “consumers” on the same continuum.
“The world is changing, and we must look at this new era holistically, in an environment that puts the patient and consumer first,” said Skyers. “We must find better ways to take care of our communities, and rethink how retailers and wholesalers work in this new culture, and we must pull health care providers further into the loop.”
“Next-practices” was a big focus of the discussion, and strategies were revealed about how stores can redesign their merchandising towards “how the shopper shops,” and where the consumer is commanding change – which can build a significant lift in sales.
“The rapidly evolving health care landscape is fueling a seismic shift in over-the-counter products and explosive growth of in-store pharmacies,” said Patrick Spear, president and CEO of GMDC. “This presentation should spark and inspire members to think about their current marketing process and determine how they should adjust future strategies in order to grow sales in this new environment.”
The conference is taking place in Phoenix until Oct. 5. The next Health Beauty Wellness Conference will be held Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2016 in San Antonio, Texas. GMDC will host its 2016 General Merchandise Marketing Conference June 10-14 at the JW Marriott in Orlando http://www.gmdc.org/conferences.