BOCA RATON, FL, April 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COVID-19 is changing the way people are shopping.
Online sales have increased recently by 74 percent, and that trend is likely to continue as shoppers adapt to the “new normal.”
Companies, such as Amazon, are hiring more people throughout their companies, especially in warehouses and distribution centers, to handle the increased demand.
Amazon is looking for 200,000 workers to meet the increase from online sales.
“Online sales even before COVID-19 have steadily increased the past several years,” said Mitch Gould, CEO and founder of Nutritional Products International. “In 2019, brick-and-mortar sales dropped 6.2 percent on Black Friday while online shopping hit $7.4 billion, an all-time high.”
Gould said COVID-19 has accelerated that trend.
“COVID-19 has pushed more people to get comfortable with online shopping,” Gould said, adding that he and the NPI team are working with domestic and international health and wellness companies to expand in the U.S. or enter the American market.
“Now is the time for companies to expand their digital presence while brick-and-mortar stores are closed,” Gould said. “This 'new normal' is going to stay with us for the years to come. Companies that want to keep and expand their sales need to have robust online retail distribution points.”
Jeff Fernandez, president of NPI, understands online sales as well as anyone in the industry.
Fernandez was recruited from Walmart to head up a new category of health and wellness/sports nutrition products at Amazon.
Gould met Fernandez when he was a buyer at Amazon at that time.
Gould and NPI put together a one-stop turnkey solution for Fernandez by building a consortium of more than 200 health and wellness brands. Some of these brands included BSN, MuscleTech, Optimum Nutrition, Native Remedies, and Twinlab.
Today, these products translate into billions of dollars for Amazon.
“Look at how health and wellness products exploded on Amazon, and other online portals,” Gould added.
Fernandez agrees with Gould that companies need as many online points-of-sale as possible.
“Online sales were going to increase. Now, with the health crisis creating a new normal, more and more people will choose online sales where they don’t have to come into contact with other people.”
Gould, Fernandez, and NPI have been working with health and wellness companies for more than a decade.
The “Evolution of Distribution,” which Gould created, allows worldwide brands to penetrate the U. S. market in a turnkey, cost-effective, profitable manner. Gould said the “Evolution of Distribution,” a proprietary system, has a proven track record as clients continue to board from all five continents.
“Now is the time to expand your online sales while millions of consumers are using their computers to make more purchases than ever before,” Gould said. “The more online locations where consumers can find your products, the better.”
For more information on NPI and its marketing and distribution services, go to www.nutricompany.com, or call 561-544-0719.
MORE ON NPI AND ITS FOUNDER
NPI is a privately-held company that specializes in the retail distribution of nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, functional beverages, and skin-care products. NPI offers a unique, proven approach for product manufacturers worldwide seeking to launch or expand the distribution of their products in the U.S. retail market.
Mitch Gould, the founder of NPI, is a third-generation retail distribution and manufacturing professional. Gould, known as a global marketing guru, has represented icons from the sports and entertainment worlds such as Steven Seagal, Hulk Hogan, Ronnie Coleman, Roberto Clemente Jr., Chuck Liddell, and Wayne Gretzky.
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