Probiotics can offer something most functional foods don’t, says GoodBelly: Instant gratification

While the probiotic strain used in GoodBelly under license from Swedish firm Probi (Lactobacillus plantarum 299V) may provide long-term benefits to the immune system, it also addresses more immediate symptoms of digestive discomfort (abdominal pain bloating etc) – so offers consumer an immediate bang for their buck , he says.

“The entire vitamin industry has been built around the ‘you better believe it’ principle. You know they are good for you, but you don’t feel any immediate difference.

“With GoodBelly, it’s very much a ‘feel the effect’ product. Our research consistently shows that about 80% of people feel the benefit they expect.”

Why do people buy GoodBelly products?

 He adds: “Now I am not going to say that is the case for all probiotics, but that is the case for the patented strain that we use [the benefits of LP299V are supported by 17 human clinical studies]. We have a very loyal customer base, and that is particularly the case when customers come to us via our 12-day belly reboot program. Retail accounts that work with us to promote the belly reboot also see greater loyalty.

“I’d say about a third of our consumers buy GoodBelly because they have a digestive issue; another third because they believe there is a preventive element; and another third are just experimenting because they’ve heard about it.”

Habit-forming

GoodBelly – which is now in 6,000+ stores nationwide from Sprouts and Whole Foods to Safeway and Kroger - has also made it easy for consumers to build regular consumption of its products into their lifestyles by putting LP299V in a format (a juice beverage) that many people already consume on a daily basis, he says.

It has also introduced non-dairy shots, which can be harder for consumers to incorporate into their routines, but can become extremely habit-forming once established.

"Many people like juice but they are worried about the sugar and the calories,” says Murray. “With GoodBelly we are offering a health benefit above and beyond what you get from juice, so people feel that the calories are worth it. It also tastes delicious.”

“We’ve also noticed, however, that consumers of the shots are more loyal than the quart [32oz juice] customers, because they have created a new habit or routine. They buy more and they are more valuable. It took a long time for the shots to take root, but a lot of consumers start with the quarts, then move to the shots, and never move off.

“There is very little overlap as well. You are a quart buyer or you are a shot buyer.”

Do we need probiotics?

For cynics suspecting our guts can function perfectly well without the ingestion of a daily dose of ‘good’ bacteria, brands such as GoodBelly say that this may have been the case a few decades ago, but that several factors have combined in the last 50+ years to upset the delicate balance of our internal microflora:

• We don’t consume the wide range of lactic acid bacteria that we used to;
• We take antibiotics, which wipe out good and bad bacteria alike;
• We live longer;
• We have a poor diet.
• Basically, we are not very nice to our guts.

When Americans finally latch onto something, they do it in a big way

For a brand that’s been around for almost a decade now, the fact that it is still generating 20-30% growth year-on-year is encouraging, says Murray, who says the growth is coming from a combination of new accounts, good velocity/organic growth in existing accounts, and the addition of new skus, including a 15oz grab & go bottle [$2.99] and protein shakes [$3.49] containing LP299V plus chickpea and pea protein.

As for consumer awareness of probiotics, it’s growing all the time, says Murray, although the level of engagement and understanding varies. “Some people will go away and research the science behind a particular strain, others will pick something up because they’ve heard about probiotics on Dr Oz, and others are looking at numbers [is there an efficacious dose]?

Americans lag behind other countries when it comes to awareness of probiotics

“I’d say that Americans are way behind Japan and Europe when it comes to awareness, but when Americans finally latch onto something, they do it in a big way, so when Americans get it, we’ll be off to the races.”

As for claims, a string of high-profile false advertising lawsuits against companies from Dannon to Yakult, serves as a reminder of just how careful you have to be when it comes to talking about ‘good bacteria’, says Murray.

“In general I’d say don’t go into the grey zone with your language, stick to tried and tested language or you are just inviting trouble.”