Every entrepreneur dreams of having a consistent monthly income that fuels their cash flow and even business goals. However, with this day in age, that regular income may be hard to achieve; even more so if you’re in the fitness and or health industry.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about subscription services for supplements, how it can be done, and the best way to go about it. Ready to find out more? Lets jump right in!
Selling Supplements in the Health Industry
Industry insiders and observers know that the changes rocking the dietary supplement retail landscape are something similar to whiplash-inducing. Just when you thought that online purchasing and Amazon had shaken things up enough, a slew of new supplement subscription services are promising to bring personalized nutrition directly to consumers; right when they need it.
In addition, the founder of Persona (Snoqualmie, WA), has actually shared his thoughts on these new subscription services. While acknowledging the dramatic supplement retail shift, he says that “consumers want more than the cookie-cutter supplements found on retail shelves.”
Apparently, your customers want “personalized recommendations” that are “unique to their own bodies.” Additionally, your customers are also expecting their delivery almost every 28 days. According to Brown, the driving force behind this new demand comes from the consumer. And as the saying goes in customer service and retail, “the customer is always right.”
So, this would mean that retailers and brands might want to start considering and implementing a subscription model-at least; even if it’s for a trial run.
The Best Way to Make Money Selling Supplements Online
With so many people jumping on the bandwagon you might wonder if it’s even possible for you to carve out your own space and make money. You may even wonder if it is profitable to do so and maintain. Well, wonder no more. There are many available solutions you can choose from to get started; as well as many benefits to implementing this model.
In a nutshell, subscription services can offer online shoppers a convenient, personalized, and lower-cost way to buy what they want and need on a recurring basis. Meanwhile, companies can scale their business with predictable monthly recurring revenue (MRR). Ultimately, the best way fitness and health brands to go about this process is implementing subscription automation.
Subscription-based Business Model
The recurring nature of subscriptions creates a virtuous cycle; regular sales will offer deeper insights into your customers’ behavior. This then will allow you to continually improve the personalized experience you offer. Ultimately, you’ll be able to keep your customers coming back. If done successfully, subscription services create extremely loyal, repeat customers—and repeat customers spend 67% more than new customers.
In addition, one subscription-based business model is subscription boxes. It actually happens be all the rage right now. These boxes are unique in that they cater to all kinds of interests and there are over 2,000 brands already on the market. There are many benefits to leveraging subscription boxes. One of which is as a business tool. Using subscription boxes can provide a guaranteed steady stream of monthly revenue.
Additionally, these boxes will make it easier to see where your business is going and even allow you to predict the needs and wants of your customers more easily.
Selling Supplement Subscription Boxes
With subscription services becoming more and more competitive, customers are starting to expect personalized options. This is especially true to the supplement industry.
When considering to start using subscription boxes, there are three critical steps to follow
Making and Selling Your Own Supplements
There is no shortage of vitamin brands on the market. With that being said, if you haven’t already started selling supplements, you have to start considering where you will get your supply from.
One solution to this is manufacturing your own supplements. However, manufacturing your own supplements can require a great deal of research and investment. This is actually a leading reason as to why most companies will purchase supplements from a wholesaler or manufacturer, then put their own brand on it. By doing so, this is considered white-labeling or private labeling supplements.
White labeling supplements is actually a feasible option for health and wellness companies. Furthermore, white labeling is a great way to establish your own brand of dietary supplements that promote health, encourage compliance, while also improving your bottom line.
Identifying Your Customers
Identifying your core customer base is actually a critical step when getting started. If you haven’t done so yet, figure out who your customers will be. You can do so by having a niche and creating a client lead list.
In addition to identifying your customers, you will need to also consider how you will reach them. When it comes to finding customers, there is no right or wrong way, but there is a golden rule for choosing the method that’s best for you and your product: Pick the one you can do/work with best. This can include Pay-per-click ads, blogging, direct sales, starting your website, or opting into selling your supplements on e-commerce platforms like Amazon.
After you understand who your customers are, what they’re willing to spend, and how you’ll reach them, you can comfortably start selling your products.
Fulfilling Supplement Orders
Once you’re ready to start selling, the last thing you will need to do is establish your sales channel; basically, how you will receive and fulfill your orders.
Order fulfillment is the process of what occurs from when an item is purchased or ordered. This includes all the way to receiving that product. This covers booking the order, processing and packaging the product, and successfully delivering it to customers. To learn more about the order fulfillment process, you can have a look at our Order Fulfilment Guide and gain a better understanding.
Selling Subscription Box Supplements Made Easy with a 3PL
Selling supplements online can be very profitable but you need to know what you’re doing. So if you want to make money with supplements online then you need to be able to implement the above mentioned ways in your business.
Partnering with a third party logistics (3PL) company is a great way to do so. An expert 3PL partner will have the ability to handle order, inventory, and even warehousing management. Additionally, some 3PLs, like Print Bind Ship, will even process your customer returns.
As previously mentioned, selling supplements is a competitive industry that requires you to provide a more personalized experience to your customers. One way of doing this is the subscription boxes we mentioned. However, another way is to invest in custom packaging. Print Bind Ship is also a 3PL that has the ability to do all of these services and more; enabling you to create an overall engaging and unique customer experience.
Print Bind Ship: The Best Fulfillment Solution for Supplements
Print Bind Ship is one of the best 3PL partners in the fitness and health industry. They operate FDA certified warehousing and are experts in supplement shipping. While being in business for 60+ years, they always strive to offer expert advice on how to handle your brand and business needs in the most fast and cost-effective way.
If you’re wondering how Print Bind Ship can help you with your business, take advantage of their free consultations today and get in contact with an expert here.