Private brands innovating in the drug channel

Private brands in the drug space are on the rise, thanks to increased innovation in the categories, a feature in Drug Store News reports.

Thought leaders interviewed in the article said retailers in the channel are dedicating more money to private brands and that efficacy and value are driving the purchase of these items, not price. Research from Daymon in the article — focusing on the health, beauty and personal care categories — said shoppers are asking for clean label products and private brand items that promote more positive lifestyles and beliefs, such as vitamins for specific diet plans, hair care products that help with specific hair textures and sustainably harvested ingredients in products.

Looking at drugs: “People are looking for alternatives to traditional medicine to live healthier lives, but, at the same time, they also want it to be convenient and easy to take,” said Edgar Arrieta, business development manager at Unipharma, Tamarac, Fla., in the article. “The average baby boomer might take 10 to 15 different pills a day between dietary supplements and prescriptions. When people have problems swallowing pills, they do not take them as often as they need to.”

Another insight from the article is some innovation around packaging, doing away with the traditional copycat approach often seen in the medicine aisle. Pill pouching is a new packaging type that combines daily doses of medicines and nutritionals that are innovating the category.

Read the full article here. Like Store Brands, Drug Store News is a sister publication under the same company, EnsembleIQ.