From the Archives: August 15, 2019
It’s been just over 900 days since Amazon launched their first brand of supplements, Amazon Elements, with only four SKUs. Today, the brand carries 50. Amazon brands continue to advance in the marketplace in both size and strength. There are now almost 300 Amazon supplement SKUs across the various brands. Gummies are advancing at a rapid pace and occupy about 10% of the Amazon brands. Amazon is also advancing to new areas, such as pet treats, pet supplements, and pet food.
When launched in February 2017, Elements highlighted transparency in a manner still unequaled by any other brand in the industry. Every bottle has the term “Transparency” strategically centered on the label. To the right of Transparency is a QR Code. Underneath the word Transparency is the verbiage:
To learn about the quality, purity, and potency of your product, scan with your Amazon Mobile App.
Scan the QR code and you get a summary of test results associated with your product. Read further on the website and you get the country of origin for the ingredients used and the contract manufacturer:
Arizona Nutritional Supplements
Meet Our Manufacturer
We chose our manufacturer, Arizona Nutritional Supplements (ANS), because they have more than 20 years of experience in the world of dietary supplements. Located in Chandler, Arizona, ANS is known for their high-quality standards and thorough evaluation of products and ingredients at every stage. From raw materials to finished goods, their rigorous program ensures that you receive a high-quality, unadulterated product that you feel good about taking.
Apparently, not everyone craves transparency, because Amazon continues to create more private brands absent from that commitment. The largest Amazon owned brand, Solimo, was launched in March 2018. Solimo brand has approximately 100 supplement SKUs and provides over 20 gummies products and now also includes dog supplements and dog food.
While Elements contains no “gummie” products, Solimo provides about 20% of its line as gummies. Revly is another Amazon brand targeted to more of the active lifestyle crowd, and now has 57 SKUs with 14 gummies products.
Mama Bear, is an Amazon line devoted to kids that also sells gummies but it is not expanding as fast as the other brands listed.
The Amazon brand OWN PWR sports 39 SKUs all designed to support the health and muscle enthusiast.
Amazon brands are going to the dogs in full force:
It is clear the Amazon brands are on a mission to private label food and supplements in various manners and directions. And, while consumer migration to private-label brands has not been rampant, the pace is steady.
The question remains: does all this action raise the reputation and trust of our industry, or does it serve to commoditize the industry? To some, the sincerest form of flattery is imitation, to others, copying is theft. Which phrase do you think applies?
~Scott
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