1. Can you tell me a little about GNC - your brand, products and values?
John Learish, SVP of Marketing at GNC: GNC has a strong and proud heritage of providing innovative, high quality and efficacious supplements to help motivated consumers achieve their goals and live well.
We are on an unwavering quest to develop and source the most advanced and proven effective products to meet and exceed our customers’ needs. All GNC products have the highest quality ingredients and go through intensive testing that makes GNC the most trusted brand in the industry.
2. What are people's top needs when they come to you for health and wellness solutions?
John Learish: It’s not the casual vitamin shopper who is coming to GNC. GNC customers are motivated by a specific goal that requires them to seek out the best solutions.
Whether it’s a fitness goal, a newly diagnosed health condition or life stage that necessitates the highest quality supplements, our highly trained associates are experts at creating personalized supplement recommendations to meet each customer’s individual needs.
3. Where do you think the health and wellness sphere in Latin America is heading? What are the key opportunities?
Carl Seletz, Chief Global Officer of GNC: The health and wellness sphere is heading in a very positive direction in Latin America with key opportunities including regulations relaxing in the vitamins, minerals and supplements (VMS); performance; and diet and beauty categories, enabling us to target more condition-specific products and innovative formulas.
There is also more purchasing power for these types of products in Latin America as there has been significant growth in the middle class over the last decade in the region.
4. Are the current geopolitical and currency environments in Brazil supporting GNC and the health and wellness industry?
Carl Seletz: The most significant challenge will reside in any geopolitical and/or currency instability. Our partners are optimistic that the recent economic, political and regulatory market changes will be favorable to the business moving forward.
5. For consumers, what is it they are looking for in their health and wellness solutions? How do these demands differ depending on the goal of the consumer?
John Learish explains the three core areas of interest for health and wellness consumers:
- Performance: Consumers looking to enhance their performance are results-focused. These consumers want to get more out of their workouts to perform better and look better.
- Wellness: Consumers looking to improve their wellness are aiming to feel better, resulting in having more energy to do what they want.
- Diet: Consumers that are focused on their diet end up feeling and looking better.
6. What are consumers looking for in terms of personalization in nutritional supplements? How does GNC achieve it?
John Learish: Consumers are looking for personalization – made just for them, based on their specific needs. GNC associates are highly trained to work with customers to learn and understand their goals, and then recommend a very personalized regimen of products chosen just for them.
7. What do 'high-quality supplements’ mean to consumers? What do they expect from them?
John Learish: High quality is intrinsically tied to value. They can’t speak to one without the other. High quality to our consumers means that they can see or feel the product work. In some instances, you can’t see or feel a difference and in those instances, satisfaction guarantee acts as a proxy. Product claims also have a halo effect on quality, implying higher quality ingredients.