VITY AWARDS A trade magazine called Vitamin Retailer had been running a survey for several years which tried to determine the best-selling brands among products in health food stores. This was an issue that was very exciting to employees at NOW because the results legitimized our efforts and showed how far the company had grown. The survey was sent to independent natural food stores across the country and the results were tabulated and announced in the magazine. In 1999, the results were so favorable to NOW that many joked that because we were near Chicago, we were the best at stuffing the ballot box. (Of course, Chicago is famous for such political tricks in the past only!) Anyway, I think the results did skew in NOW’s direction because the small, independent health food store is our primary customer, while other large firms sell more to national retail chains or mail order houses. Here are the results published in early 1999: First Place Gold Award Second Place Silver Award CoQ10 Ginkgo Biloba Grapeseed Extract Heart Support MSM Pycnogenol Respir-All™ (Allergy) Shark Cartilage Stevia Vitamin C Vitamin E Alpha Lipoic Acid Bovine Cartilage L-Carnitine Chromium Picolinate Evening Primrose Oil Goldenseal Root Joint Support Omega 3 1000 mg Omega 3-6-9 Phosphatidyl Serine Vitamin A Third Place Bronze Antioxidant Caps Bee Pollen CLA Echinacea Melatonin Panax Ginseng Saw Palmetto ext. Silymarin extract Super Enzymes St. John’s Wort During 1998, another slew of good-selling new products were introduced, the best ones being Whey Protein, CLA, Prostate Support, Glucosamine & MSM, Stevia Packets and a line of liposprays. Sometimes it’s obvious which new products will sell well, though other times our best guesses aren’t even close. Liposprays are, perhaps, the best example of a product line that should outsell traditional tablets and capsules, but don’t. Liposome technology is simply a scientific method for increasing the quality and speed of absorbing internal and external supplements. Liposomes have been used for several decades in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, mainly to increase the effectiveness of skin applications. Liposomes can increase the absorption of nutraceuticals by 50%, require less active potencies and can be slowly released over time for a more balanced effect. Given the above advantages of liposomes and liposprays, we decided to introduce a line of lipospray products that would offer the highest bioavailability of each product. Initial products included B-12, Echinacea, Ginseng, Kava, St. John’s Wort and Total Wellbeing, my favorite! Each of these sprays tasted great, was reasonably priced and gave a standardized dose in every spray. Each product had vast advantages over comparable products we sold in capsule or tablet forms. Yet, despite all these advantages, liposprays still haven’t caught on and seem destined for small sales long-term. As I see it, Americans love to pop pills and get some instant feeling, like one gets when taking aspirin for a headache. We love convenience and the perception is that powders, liquids and any other non-pill form is inconvenient and for “health nuts.” Years later only B-12 Lipospray remains in NOW’s line-up. 1997-2002 83
