One Company's Retailer Education Game Plan

Education has always been a priority in our industry – it’s how we all sell products.  Today, online education is an ideal way to educate retailers and consumers about dietary supplements, health and wellness at their own pace.

In 2006 we launched NOW University,a virtual classroom designed to educate retailers and their staff about dietary supplements and some of today’s most prevalent health concerns to better assist customers in the aisle.  The virtual classroom setting offers a variety of courses designated for general admission or for NOW retailers only.  Courses offer online audio & video lessons as well as online and book-reading assignments with study sheets and chapter tests, in a presentation style that embraces both auditory and visual learning. 

Retailers learn about supplying the body’s nutritional needs through dietary supplementation and food choices.  The Sports Nutrition course covers nutrition and dietary supplements to support a physically active body.  Retailers also learn about NOW products when they enroll RETAILER ONLY courses, which address common health concerns such as aging or digestive support and the applicable products.

In the 7 Syndrome Healing course over 130 dietary supplements are discussed as they relate to various “syndromes” of the body.  Other topics include Cognitive Health, Digestive Health, Nutrition & Aging, Essential Oils & Aromatherapy, and Benefits and Sources of Vitamin C.  Most course content is available for download online in PDF format.  Tests promote learning with full explanations of both right and wrong answers.  Upon successful completion of each course, students print a completion certificate, and receive a congratulatory letter and token gift.

The relationship between NOW and its retailer customers is enhanced through the full line of courses addressing both NOW-brand product education as well as education on a variety of dietary supplements that is not partial to a specific brand.

Setting up a university style learning environment takes only a commitment to education and organizing the information you likely already have on hand into a lesson style format.  How little or how much information is offered will determine the resources needed.  NOW University was created by one driven employee with the assistance of web site developers.  Now is the right time for a company to set up its educational programs and it’s time to think about the next stage of education through social media.