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Retail & Innovation
Boosting health and immunity with Walgreens brand vitamins, minerals and supplements
From gummies to wellness blends, our owned brand vitamins offer innovation, quality and value.
By Steve Rausch
Walk down the vitamins aisle at Walgreens and you’ll quickly notice one thing: These aren’t your parents’ vitamins anymore. Today’s vitamins, minerals and supplements have evolved beyond the humble multivitamin to offer a multitude of options that address a wide variety of health and wellness needs.
And growth beyond category staples like multivitamins and Vitamin C isn’t all that’s changed. Customers also have choices beyond national brands. Walgreens-branded vitamins, minerals and supplements provide a host of innovative products, with the same active ingredients as national brands, but with costs that are up to 25 percent less. With higher prices on everything from gas to groceries encouraging many families to tighten the belt, paying less for the same quality is a smart move at a time when every penny counts.
“Walgreens brand vitamins, minerals and supplements have stayed atop the latest trends like blended formulations, eliminating unwanted ingredients, and offering dosage forms like gummies,” says Doug Oliphant, Walgreens senior owned brands commercialization manager for vitamins, minerals and supplements. “And yet they remain rooted in the company’s 120-plus years of health and wellness expertise that provides peace of mind that every product with the Walgreens name includes the promise of quality.”
It’s about trust: Every Walgreens-brand vitamin and supplement is independently tested and verified
Customers want to trust the products they’re taking, and look to manufacturers to provide that level of assurance to them. To that end, Walgreens has enlisted UL to serve as an independent third party to test every single vitamin and supplement under the Walgreens brand to ensure the ingredients that go into the products are the exact same ingredients listed on the box. Only then does the product earn the UL Verified symbol of approval, which is placed on each package.
It’s an extra step that invites more stringent oversight than is required, but the UL Verified label represents the highest level of quality and trust. With the rollout of new packaging in spring 2022, Walgreens will be the first and only store brand to have the mark on its vitamins and supplements.
Cleaner products that are free of unwanted ingredients
A major trend in the vitamins, minerals and supplements category is consumer demand for products free of unwanted ingredients. A recent survey conducted by Walgreens shows ingredients are the most important factor to shoppers, with nearly 60% saying it drives their purchase behavior.
Walgreens Free & Pure brand is leading the way with a line of products that come with the promise to be free of gluten, artificial flavors and preservatives, synthetic colors and be non-GMO. The guarantee is on every package with the Walgreens Free & Pure brand so customers can be sure they’re buying products that meet this promise. Customers can try Walgreens Free & Pure Melatonin Gummies to support better sleep, and Walgreens Free & Pure Vitamin D Softgels to promote better bone health.
”Walgreens Free & Pure is a great example of product innovation because this makes it the only store brand that can claim being free of those five ingredients across every single item within a portfolio,” says Oliphant. “Our customers have told us this is of paramount importance to them when selecting vitamins, minerals and supplements, so Walgreens Free & Pure is for them.”
Blended products do the mixing for you
In the past, if someone had a health issue like a sleep disorder or was experiencing joint pain or needed help managing stress, they had to cobble together multiple ingredients to address their condition, with no guarantee they were buying the right ones for maximum effectiveness. Now, Walgreens has its own line of blended products that combine perfect formulations in a single package.
“We created a line of blended products that are designed to work together to treat specific issues so customers don’t need to hunt down a cocktail of products that may or may not work for what’s impacting them,” says Oliphant. “Creating blended products like Walgreens Immune Booster Gummies to support a healthy immune system, and Walgreens Stress Support Gummies to support a sense of calm and well-being, makes the purchasing decision much easier for customers because we’ve included everything they need to address their conditions.”
Better brain health through better products
The pandemic not only had a huge impact on people turning to vitamins and supplements to boost their immunity and help fight off COVID, it spurred a new focus on keeping the brain’s functions sharp, and better managing stress and anxiety.
“The two-plus years of the pandemic caused increased levels of anxiety for people coping with their jobs as essential workers, social isolation and trying to stay healthy,” says Oliphant. “And with that came issues like sleep disorders, and just trying to be in the right mental space to perform their jobs.”
That’s why the focus on brain health has been so important, and why Walgreens has created products like Walgreens Brain Performance Original or Extra Strength, Walgreens Memory Support, and Walgreens Cognitive Health to help support cognitive function and assist people in feeling and performing their best.
Your vitamin purchase makes a difference. One percent of sales from select vitamin purchases at Walgreens goes to Vitamin Angels, supporting healthy pregnancies.
And growth beyond category staples like multivitamins and Vitamin C isn’t all that’s changed. Customers also have choices beyond national brands. Walgreens-branded vitamins, minerals and supplements provide a host of innovative products, with the same active ingredients as national brands, but with costs that are up to 25 percent less. With higher prices on everything from gas to groceries encouraging many families to tighten the belt, paying less for the same quality is a smart move at a time when every penny counts.
“Walgreens brand vitamins, minerals and supplements have stayed atop the latest trends like blended formulations, eliminating unwanted ingredients, and offering dosage forms like gummies,” says Doug Oliphant, Walgreens senior owned brands commercialization manager for vitamins, minerals and supplements. “And yet they remain rooted in the company’s 120-plus years of health and wellness expertise that provides peace of mind that every product with the Walgreens name includes the promise of quality.”
It’s about trust: Every Walgreens-brand vitamin and supplement is independently tested and verified
Customers want to trust the products they’re taking, and look to manufacturers to provide that level of assurance to them. To that end, Walgreens has enlisted UL to serve as an independent third party to test every single vitamin and supplement under the Walgreens brand to ensure the ingredients that go into the products are the exact same ingredients listed on the box. Only then does the product earn the UL Verified symbol of approval, which is placed on each package.
It’s an extra step that invites more stringent oversight than is required, but the UL Verified label represents the highest level of quality and trust. With the rollout of new packaging in spring 2022, Walgreens will be the first and only store brand to have the mark on its vitamins and supplements.
Cleaner products that are free of unwanted ingredients
A major trend in the vitamins, minerals and supplements category is consumer demand for products free of unwanted ingredients. A recent survey conducted by Walgreens shows ingredients are the most important factor to shoppers, with nearly 60% saying it drives their purchase behavior.
Walgreens Free & Pure brand is leading the way with a line of products that come with the promise to be free of gluten, artificial flavors and preservatives, synthetic colors and be non-GMO. The guarantee is on every package with the Walgreens Free & Pure brand so customers can be sure they’re buying products that meet this promise. Customers can try Walgreens Free & Pure Melatonin Gummies to support better sleep, and Walgreens Free & Pure Vitamin D Softgels to promote better bone health.
”Walgreens Free & Pure is a great example of product innovation because this makes it the only store brand that can claim being free of those five ingredients across every single item within a portfolio,” says Oliphant. “Our customers have told us this is of paramount importance to them when selecting vitamins, minerals and supplements, so Walgreens Free & Pure is for them.”
Blended products do the mixing for you
In the past, if someone had a health issue like a sleep disorder or was experiencing joint pain or needed help managing stress, they had to cobble together multiple ingredients to address their condition, with no guarantee they were buying the right ones for maximum effectiveness. Now, Walgreens has its own line of blended products that combine perfect formulations in a single package.
“We created a line of blended products that are designed to work together to treat specific issues so customers don’t need to hunt down a cocktail of products that may or may not work for what’s impacting them,” says Oliphant. “Creating blended products like Walgreens Immune Booster Gummies to support a healthy immune system, and Walgreens Stress Support Gummies to support a sense of calm and well-being, makes the purchasing decision much easier for customers because we’ve included everything they need to address their conditions.”
Better brain health through better products
The pandemic not only had a huge impact on people turning to vitamins and supplements to boost their immunity and help fight off COVID, it spurred a new focus on keeping the brain’s functions sharp, and better managing stress and anxiety.
“The two-plus years of the pandemic caused increased levels of anxiety for people coping with their jobs as essential workers, social isolation and trying to stay healthy,” says Oliphant. “And with that came issues like sleep disorders, and just trying to be in the right mental space to perform their jobs.”
That’s why the focus on brain health has been so important, and why Walgreens has created products like Walgreens Brain Performance Original or Extra Strength, Walgreens Memory Support, and Walgreens Cognitive Health to help support cognitive function and assist people in feeling and performing their best.
Your vitamin purchase makes a difference. One percent of sales from select vitamin purchases at Walgreens goes to Vitamin Angels, supporting healthy pregnancies.