What Retailers Need to Know About Pregnant Customers

One of my favorite supplements is the daily multivitamin. It’s an ideal solution to fill the common nutrient gaps that occur between what a typical diet provides and what the body really needs. Savvy retailers welcome customers looking for a high-quality multi with open arms. After all, it’s the foundation of a sensible supplement program that’s likely to expand to include additional condition-specific products for optimal health. But, when the customer is a pregnant woman, paying extra attention to her special needs is the really smart move for retailers.

Manufacturers, use this in your dealings with retailers!

A baby bump with a bonus

Why should pregnant customers shopping for supplements garner special attention? Yes, proper nutrition during pregnancy is critical to the health and wellbeing of both mom and baby. Yes, a high-quality product that best addresses her needs typically commands a premium price. Good for mom, and good for retailer. But, there’s one important bonus with much broader benefits. When her experience with a prenatal multi is a good one, it’s likely to shape a healthy supplement habit for years to come—for herself and her growing family.

A little retail therapy

What can a retailer do to improve a customer’s experience with her prenatal multi? Learn how to combat the common reasons that discourage women from taking them in the first place. Here are my top four:

1. Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Eight out of 10 women experience nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP), including the mislabeled “morning sickness” that can occur any time of day. Unfortunately, a prenatal multi can trigger the dreaded NVP in some sensitive women. Retailers that stock a variety of products allow a pregnant customer to experiment, if needed, to find one suitable for her tolerance. A quality brand that includes ginger in amounts that can help stifle those queasy feelings may be especially helpful.

2. Gagging. For some sensitive women, larger tablets can be difficult to swallow. Be sure your retail selection of prenatal multis includes smaller easy-to-swallow tablets. For women with this issue, it’s all about the gag factor, and two tiny tabs are more appealing than one larger tablet that can feel like a horse pill. In addition, consider stocking other delivery forms such as liquids, powders, softgels or capsules that may go down a bit easier.
 

3. Constipation. Quality prenatal multis typically include high-dose iron and calcium to meet the nutrient demands of pregnancy, but the amounts can also contribute to constipation in some sensitive women. Consider recommending a fiber supplement as part of your customer’s daily supplement program to help promote regularity.
 

4. Diarrhea. Some prenatal multis provide high-dose vitamin C that can lead to diarrhea in sensitive women. For these women, retailers should consider recommending a prenatal multi that provides enough vitamin C to nourish her pregnancy but not so much that she experiences loose stools. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for pregnant women is 80 milligrams (teenagers) and 85 milligrams (women). The upper safety limit for pregnant women is 1,800 milligrams (teenagers) and 2,000 milligrams (women).

The Doctor Talk

As with all customers, encourage your prenatal shoppers to discuss their supplement choices with their physician or other licensed healthcare professional prior to use.