Inside the CVS Brand Redesign Effort
CVS is in the process of a significant overhaul of its CVS Brand private label assortment, focused on new packaging designs to enhance the presence of its products on shelves while further boosting shopper confidence in those items.
With some 3,000 SKUs as part of the drugstore chain's largest private-label assortment, the task is challenging but imperative as the retailer works to further expand sales of its own brand products.
The efforts by CVS to update its CVS Brand assortment were first reported by Store Brands in May, following a presentation by Mike Wier, vice president of Store Brands at CVS Health, at the Velocity Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Wier spoke with Store Brands to shed more light on the initiative, the motivating factors driving the redesign, and what's next for the retailer's private-label assortment.
STORE BRANDS: What were the motivating forces behind the rebranding efforts of the CVS brand?
MIKE WIER: We had a lot of success with the Well Market launch (in 2024), and with that, we knew there was an opportunity to modernize our brands and speak to customers differently from a packaging perspective. We know how much packaging matters on shelves, and we had not touched the CVS brand, which is our biggest own brand, in well over a decade. Our data shows that 92% of consumers trust the CVS Health brand, and it's our biggest store brand with nearly 3,000 products, so we needed to be thoughtful about our approach. But we knew that our current brand was kind of subdued and hidden on shelves. Plus, our packaging can be overwhelming from a language perspective, with all the words and characters on the front of the packaging. We also wanted to use our packaging to convey the quality of the product we know is inside the packaging.
SB: How does the packaging redesign fit with the broader strategic goals at CVS?
MW: CVS is synonymous with health and wellness for consumers across the country, and I think the new look and feel of the largest brand in-store reflects that. We continuously look to innovate with our brands, and I think this brand in particular aligns with CVS's broader strategic goals. It helps reinforce the care and quality that we put into every CVS product and really the entire CVS experience.
SB: What were the goals set when working to redesign the product packaging for CVS-branded products?
MW: The ultimate goal was to build on a great brand, and that meant we had to take it higher and extend the trust and value perception consumers already have with the products. We want our shoppers to have even more confidence in the items they purchase. And we had three tenets to meet this goal. The first was to elevate the brand and make sure (consumers) understand the brand and it stands loud and proud on shelves. Two, we wanted to simplify the packaging and make the products easy to understand. And three, was to elevate the quality perception of the products.
SB: As the rebranded products roll into stores, how do you anticipate the refresh impacting consumer perceptions of the CVS brand?
MW: In our initial testing, in which we use eye-tracking studies along with qualitative and quantitative studies, we know that customers see our brand more on shelves. They find the imagery to be more elevating, which gives them more trust and confidence in the products. It also shows that we are listening to our customers' needs and that we're delivering on our promise of providing high-quality and affordable health care. We believe this is going to facilitate a seamless shopping experience for busy customers and deliver on convenience as well.
SB: Did consumers play a role in the design effort?
MW: Yes, 100%. We have the luxury of having a very loyal customer base, and we're able to tap into them and ask questions. We engaged them throughout the process and shared with them many different concepts through the selection of the final design. We received feedback from thousands of consumers.
SB: What drove the idea of putting a ladybug character on some of the children's products?
MW: What we know with children's product lines is that there are two customers involved in the purchase. We have the caregiver who is looking to make the best choice for their child, and then there is the child who will ultimately be taking the product. We felt that creating a consistent, cohesive look and feel across our lineup of children's products and adding some playful elements would give the products the broadest appeal possible.
SB: With this brand refresh, it is ultimately going to touch nearly 3,000 items. How challenging was it to strike a balance and maintain consistency across all these products?
MW: It was no easy task. But we did say it is not going to be 20 different styles, and it can't be one style because we need the flexibility to meet customers where they are in the aisle and how they're feeling for different products. We created pillars of group categories that have some form of shared consumer values, while also creating visual shifts within each pillar. We also created several style guides by product category that gave us some flexibility and consistency with things such as typography and font selection.
SB: How will this refresh improve the positioning of CVS and its private label products in what has become a more competitive marketplace?
MW: My vision is to deliver extraordinarily high-quality and affordable health care items within the CVS brand. My aspiration with the brand is to be one of the leading consumer health care brands in the U.S. I would love it if I could compare that to the national brands. I think about where we stand today and how our brand is already highly trusted and ranks with some of the national brands.
SB: Beyond what is a major project with the CVS brand, what else is happening within the private-label segment at CVS?
MW: This is certainly a capstone project as we think about store brands for the next few years. Additionally, we are going to continue to expand Well Market and innovate elsewhere, and look to expand our grocery offerings with premade meals and coffee. So we have a lot going on with our private label assortment in the coming years.
