Mixing It Up (continued) group that roams his store each week to UPS and FedEx drivers. In suburban Chicago, Dan O’Keefe, the nutrition buyer at Naperville Running Co., has pulled in additional products from the likes of Hammer and Infinit. The latter’s Mud meal supplement has become a popular go-to for those who prioritize a morning workout over a full breakfast. “Our philosophy is to carry mixes so we have something for everyone,” O’Keefe says. “When we’re able to fulfill the solutions that people look to us for, they come back.”
From old-school electrolyte-packed mixes to meal supplement powders, the Naperville Running Co. in suburban Chicago stocks an assortment of drink mix options from brands like Hammer Nutrition, Skratch Labs and PowerBar.
opportunity for run shops. No longer limited to drink mixes exclusively tied to strenuous physical activity, these retailers a re i nvesti ng i n products designed for regular, if not daily, use — such as Mantra Labs’ Super Greens and Rest, Hammer Nutrition’s Whey Protein and the Immunity, Vitamins and Rest tablets from Nuun. While stores must be prudent about the drink mixes they carry given space and financial considerations, many see clear benefits to stepping outside the traditional silos of electrolyte and recovery mixes. For one, these additional products help expand their customer base beyond the fitness enthusiasts. Henderlong says she regularly sells Nuun Immunity and Vitamins to steel workers, hospital staff, landscapers and 16
runninginsight.com
others seeking vitamins or natural products for a healthier jolt of energy. “With these products we’ve been able to expand our market to anyone who’s moving and could use a boost,” she says, adding that there’s another appealing reason to car r y assorted drink mixes. “As a run specialty shop, I want to sell stuff that goes in water because then I can sell bottles and packs, too.” Mea nwh i le, Rya n Hess, co-owner of The Loop Running Supply Co. in Austin, TX, views the influx of new drink mixes as a promising conversion opportunity. “Once customers start buying these types of items regularly from us, it’s a path to bigger purchases,” says Hess, who regularly sells drink mixes
and even Floyd’s of Leadville Stage 17 Dark Roast Coffee to customers from the 150-person Gilbert’s Gazelles training
While stores must be prudent about the drink mixes they carry given space and financial considerations, many see clear benefits to stepping outside the traditional silos of electrolyte and recovery mixes.
7 Drink Mix-Moving Sales Tips After adding these additional SKUs to their showrooms run shops then need to move the product. Retailers share these sales-driving strategies. 1. Keep staff in the loop. O’Keefe provides information on nutrition products to all Na p e r v i l l e Ru n n i ng C o. staff members, highlighting e a ch p r o duct’s p oi nt s of differentiation and why it’s worth introducing to customers. “People rely on our staff for valid insights and we want to com mu n icat e as much information as we can,” says O’Keefe, who also encourages staff to rely on their own firsthand experiences with a product as well as customer feedback to inform discussions with customers. 2. Empower advocates. Allowing staff, fun run leaders, coaches and other store-level “influencers” to trial product is a sure-fire way to increase k nowle dge about va r ious products and generate advocates. © 2022 Diversified Communications