Retailers stress innovation at NACDS Marketplace

SAN DIEGO Retailers at Saturday’s fifth annual Meet the Market stressed innovation, that overall sense of newness in a product, as one of the more significant factors marking potential hot products.

Following are a few of the products that piqued the interest of buyers, according to a score of retailers who shared with Drug Store News their top product picks in between meetings with manufacturers:

• Two companies that are not necessarily new to the trade, but introduced some innovation nonetheless, are Atkins and Salonpas, one retailer noted. Both enter the market with plenty of built-in brand equity, he said. Atkins is relaunching its bar with a fiber and protein combination that’s not replicated in the marketplace. And Salonpas has introduced a pain-relief patch constructed of a thin, flexible fabric that can be used on joints.
• Fascinations had on hand its AntWorks TvQuarium, which brings back yesteryear’s fascination with ant farms and brings it up to speed for today’s techno-savvy children. The aquarium is filled with a colored nutrient gel through which the ants tunnel, creating a shelf display. Retail display includes instruction booklet and ant order coupon.
• A&D’s wireless pedometer piqued the interest of two retailers, who both thought the pedometer would appeal to the tech-savvy consumer. The pedometer tracks a person’s steps and uploads them to that person’s personal computer.
• Equilibra USA’s new line of Italian supplements was identified by another retailer as innovative. The line includes four SKUs of liquid topical supplements—Q10, vitamin C and two retinol anti-aging creams (one for the eye, the other for the face)—that are positioned against the beauty consumer with the tagline “Beauty made simple.”
• Navajo Manufacturing featured its new cell phone charger program, which includes its Cell-Tech Try Me charger products merchandising—a tool that allows consumers to match cell phone charger compatibility at the shelf.