| Can Enzymes Finally
Make a Consumer Impact? © VR |
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With information on the subject more readily available and the baby boomers having digestive problems, retailers should feel optimistic. |
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Considering that enzymes are the foundation of human bodily functions, the level of consumer interest surrounding these proteins is staggering. Or to put it more accurately, according to Troy Aupperle of Enzymology Research Center, “non-existent.” |
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| According to several executives, the Internet is the main factor in making consumers, practitioners, manufacturers, or whoever more aware of enzymes’ abilities. “The role of the Internet has made enzyme information very easy for most people to access; and if not there have been more books, booklets, and pamphlets published on enzymes than ever before,” Aupperle said. “A large part of our efforts lately have been directed toward our Website, www.enzymesinc.com,” Werner said. “We find that many consumers—especially younger ones—primarily turn to the Web as a source of information. But more and more ‘mature’ buyers are also becoming Internet-savvy as well. So we’ve recently revamped our Website. Plus, we’ve added a separate, education-only site (www.enzymeexperts.com) where our customers can learn about digestion, as well as other general health topics and news related to the nutraceutical industry.” Enzymes, Inc., whose biggest customers are healthcare professionals, offers three professional lines of enzyme-based products. Retailers can also get a more personal educational approach. Bohager said the staff at Enzymedica trains an average of 15 stores a week, and has 80 store demonstrations a month. In January, the company planned to launch a new training program that will certify a store’s staff as “Enzyme Experts” over a series of five trainings. “We are concentrating on three areas to increase awareness,” Aupperle said. “First, we work with our clients by educating their staff completely by offering specific courses designed for novices as well as experts. Two, we offer seminars to the public which are free and consist of a 45-minute lecture followed by a 15-minute demonstration. Third, we are creating marketing materials that will simplify enzymes so that the average person can understand them.” Enzyme supplier National Enzyme Company (NEC, Forsyth, MO) sponsors a Website of its own, www.enzymeuniversity.com, which marketing and communications director Scott Daniel said was created “to teach people the importance of enzymes.” The site features articles on digestive enzymes and a contact page where readers can ask questions. Results of other enzyme studies, Daniel said, are pending. Daniel attributes the growing awareness of digestive enzymes to the baby boomers, the key buyers in the natural products marketplace. As they age, she said, and suffer the negative effects of enzyme deficiencies (gas, bloating, constipation, etc.), enzymes become more important to them and the marketplace. “One important thing to remember is that the boomer population is serving as an educational source to those around them,” Daniel stressed. “As they learn the importance of enzymes, the generations that follow will also learn.” |
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| Also in enzymes’ favor: They’re “cause and effect” products, Rohde said. “People know that if they eat dairy, they have a gastric discomfort, but if they take lactase it will alleviate it,” he explained. For a country whose citizens have a hard time giving up foods that aren’t good for them, enzymes offer the ability to focus their worries elsewhere. “People don’t want to [be denied] the foods they like,” Rohde said. Gabrielle Sill, marketing director at Chino, CA-based Specialty Enzymes & Biochemicals, agreed with Daniel: “The population is aging and there are more people within society who have expendable income who are willing to spend it on their health, “ Sill said of the boomers. “Primarily, unless there’s something unusually the matter, the younger person doesn’t have that kind of problem with their health,” specifically digestive. Sill said the boomers’ interest in enzymes has been piqued by two sources: the Internet and retailers. What the Retailer Can Do What can retailers do to accelerate the category’s momentum? Daniel put it best: “Do your homework.” Take advantage of the available literature, Websites, and company services. “Retailers can play a role much like the pharmacist does with prescription medication,” Werner said. “The storeowners who have interactive kiosks or even just provide written educational materials act as a partner with their customers in addressing their supplement needs.” The education should not just extend to knowing factoids about amylase and lipase. Like any other product, a retailer needs to know what’s on the label, said Moodie of EDC, which has been involved in enzyme applications and formulations since the 1950s. A number of enzyme products “have everything in them, but the kitchen sink,” he said, and there’s no way that companies are doing assays to confirm the individual ingredients. “Another very big problem in this whole use of enzymes and getting the proper enzymes in the hands of the public is uneducated purchasing agents,” Moodie said. “To their credit, they’re given minimal instructions and specifications; they’re told, ‘Well, this is supposed to have 50 mg of pepsin.’ Milligrams and enzymes don’t go together; they’re meaningless.” Moodie said retailers looking to buy enzymes for their stores should go with manufacturers whose products have been reviewed by a certifying agency. “I can’t say which certifying agency might be better, but certainly certified vs. non-certified is a step up.” He also advised retailers to ask manufacturers if—and where—they test their products, and to ask for results. Retailers with extra money—and/or an overwhelming desire to achieve peace of mind—can test the product themselves. Tim Gamble, vice president, sales and marketing at Nutraceutix (Redmond, WA) said improper delivery systems also plague enzyme supplements. “For example, there are studies that indicate that the vast majority of porcine-derived pancreatic enzymes are denatured by stomach acid, significantly compromising [the] unprotected form’s effectiveness,” he said. “It’s also easy to find evidence that supplementation with enzymes (plant- or porcine-derived) can cause digestive upset.” Nutraceutix’s patent-pending delivery system, BIO-tract, is ideal for enzymes, Gamble said. “The tablet’s superior design allows for gastric acid bypass, buffering, and controlled release even if tablets are broken in half by the consumer, something coated products can not accomplish.” Marketing also matters, said Depretis of Wild Oats. “Many complex enzyme formulas help the consumer understand what a blend does usually from the product name—Candidase is an enzyme blend designed to overcome candida,” he said. “Some companies put their products into a box with more copy on the box or even an insert in the box to help explain the use of the enzyme blend in the bottle.” Away from the shelves, retailers can also get the word out about enzymes. Enzymedica’s Bohager thinks the exchange line is an ideal location. “One of the best things a retailer can do when a customer is unhappy with benefits of any nutritional supplement is to ask if they are taking a digestive enzyme,” he said. “We have seen time and time again that this one recommendation will make everything they take work better and reduce complaints dramatically.” VR |
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