Red Seal staff in the toothpaste department.
natural antibacterial protection from the Totara tree), but they are also constantly looking for innovative new ingredients in the international arena to make our products absolutely world class. How are your products progressing in New Zealand supermarkets? We had a great year last year with good sales growth in what many are finding to be a challenging business environment. As a New Zealand owned and operated company we have much in common with the retail trade in New Zealand and we enjoy strong relationships with the retailers throughout the country. Consumers are looking for ways they can live a healthier lifestyle and this means all our core categories are growing and, pleasingly, our share of the market is also growing. Your vision for Red Seal in the next two years is‌ We are looking for sustainable growth. The relaunch that is currently underway is the first step in a programme to strengthen the brand and prepare for some exciting new products and 34
FMCG june 2012
increased levels of support.The website and social media offer us a great opportunity to connect with consumers as we have never done before. My immediate goal is to increase top-of-mind awareness and to drive increased brand loyalty. Have you had any feedback on your new packaging? Yes, and it’s all good! We have been presenting to the trade and so far the reaction has been great. But the best test of all is when we asked consumers for their feedback using mockup packs in stores and that has been universally positive. We also are finding our own staff really embracing it, which is very important, as they have to own it. Why did you include QR codes? The use of QR codes came out of the frustration of trying to give people all the information they want on a very small supplement label. It was just never going to be 100 percent satisfactory. The supplement category is one where people crave information and they are very used to finding it on the internet. QR
codes give them the ability to find out what they need at point-of-sale. What are the biggest challenges for the NZ Health Products and Natural Products industry sectors? Competing with the plethora of products sold via the internet both locally and internationally. People do search for information online and there are many opportunities for them to purchase as they do so. Which consumer trends do you predict for the next year? People will continue to look for value-for-money products and will become increasingly educated about their needs. Top tip for NZ supermarkets? Supermarkets have the opportunity to take a greater share of the health and wellbeing categories as consumers see these products as an everyday part of their lives. The challenge will be in ensuring these categories are given enough space and promotion to capitalise upon this trend and to meet the consumer need for information in-store.