From Fiber Maxxing to GLP-1: The Vitamin Shoppe CEO Sharon Leite on Wellness Retail’s Biggest Trends

0:00Over$1 billion in supplements have come just on TikTok in the last year. It is hands down the fastest growing channel in our category. And we recognize this fiber trend really, you know, very early on because of the consumers' interest in gut health and what we saw in terms of their online engagement, the kind of questions they were asking us and the products that they were searching for.

0:30Welcome back to Retail Remix. I'm Kate Robertson, Editor-in-Chief of Retail Touchpoints, and today I'm joined by Sharon Leidy, CEO of The Vitamin Shop. We'll be digging into the viral trends reshaping the category from fibromaxing to the massive uptake of GLP-1 drugs to the explosive rise in interest in liver health. Drawing on the company's 2026 Health and Wellness Trend Report, we'll explore why credibility and transparency have become the ultimate differentiators, how Gen Z and boomers split on health FOMO, and what makes shoppers choose the vitamin shop over big box and marketplace rivals.

1:08Let's get into it.

1:13Sharon, thanks so much for joining us. It's great to be with you, Kate. Let's dive into the Vitamin Shop 2026 Health and Wellness Trend Report. It found that 44 % of Americans want to simplify their wellness routines, while 21 % are chasing a more optimized lifestyle. How do you build a retail experience that's serving both types of customers? Well, I think for us, it's always about knowing who the customer is and how we can engage and educate the consumer through all of the channels that we have across our business. It's very important to us. So for example, over 90 % of the consumers that engage with us, they're part of our loyalty program.

1:56They're part of kind of how we engage with the consumer and what we know about them. And so what happens when you engage with us in a store or based on how you engage with us online, there's a level of information we already know about you. So it allows us to serve up content, help the consumer on whatever journey they are. We're very, very passionate about helping consumers help them with whatever their healthy choices are or what they're looking for in terms of their health goals and to meet them where they are. And so it's a big part of how we build our entire ecosystem in the company. Let's dig into some of the trends because there have been some very interesting ones that have emerged this year.

2:35Of course, fiber maxing. For anyone who's not familiar, fiber maxing is a TikTok trend that really emphasized the importance of getting as much fiber into your diet as you can. And how did you tap into the fiber maxing trend? Were you aware of it going into the year? And how did you respond to it? So we're really big around watching what happens in social, especially on TikTok. And it's really amazing how this particular channel has grown significantly in our category in the last year. In fact, over$1 billion in supplements have come just on TikTok in the last year. It is hands down the fastest growing channel in our category.

3:18And we recognize this fiber trend really, you know, very early on because of the consumer's interest in gut health and what we saw in terms of their online engagement, the kind of questions they were asking us and the products that they were searching for. And so we have expanded our assortment pretty significantly in our stores and online. We also have a third-party partner by the name of Momentus who really jumped on fibermaxing in a big way. In fact, Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the folks that's very engaged and involved in the organization Momentus. And Arnold himself was talking a lot about fibermaxing.

3:57And as you can imagine, he has a lot of followers, and so it certainly has become top of mind. But we have really looked at kind of how we show up online, the communication, the education that we provide online, what we provide our associates, and making sure that we're talking about that trend when the consumer comes into the store or engages with us so that they also understand that it's really a very important category and that it's really a big part of the conversation, especially when you look at the onset of what's happening with GLP-1 and the importance of nutrition and what that does with a consumer that's taking GLP.

4:31Yeah, that Arnold Schwarzenegger thing is so funny. Yeah, I can't stop picturing him saying Fibromaxing. I'm not going to do an accent. He does quite a bit. Yeah, he does quite a bit. So anyway, it's been a fun trend to watch and I do think it's here to stay. Liver health has moved from occasional detox to daily practice with searches up nearly 700%. Why are people so fixated on liver health right now? Well, historically, liver health was about maybe I had too much to drink or something over the weekend and it was about detoxing. And that's not what it's about today. It is absolutely about the importance of metabolic wellness, vitality, and healthy aging.

5:10And there's a tremendous amount going on out there in research around the importance of longevity and how the liver is kind of the centerpiece of the long-term health. And I also think that we have a vendor partner by the name of Dose who has done an exceptional job educating the consumer in multiple channels about the importance of liver health. And so therefore, you know, when you have a vendor partner and you have a trend out there in the industry that's linked to longer term health, now all of a sudden becomes exceptionally important. And again, this is another trend that I think is here to stay.

5:44So many of these liver health shoppers are brand new customers to the vitamin shop. How are you turning that trending category into a loyal customer. So what we often do when we see trends and we see consumers come into our business, whether it's through our online channels or many of our digital channels and in stores, we try to thread that theme all the way through everything we do, whether it's in how we educate. We have a blog that comes out every Sunday. We'll talk about trends that are happening in the industry. It could be about partnerships so that we're driving awareness around a particular health trend.

6:19Again, and we'll bring it into our stores. We'll make sure that there is a special end cap or special area in the store to really talk about not just about selling the products, but the education of the entire category. We have three very important brand pillars that we talk about all the time and that we're obsessed with at the vitamin shop. And it's about quality, innovation, expertise. And, you know, for almost 50 years, the vitamin shop has been the place where people can trust that they can get information. And this is another example of a trend and information that we can provide our consumers to help them with their overall health.

6:54Tell me more about the GLP-1 impact at the vitamin shop. I feel like every conversation I have these days about retail, you know, whether it's apparel or grocery, we're seeing a lot of shifts happening with consumer behavior because of the enormous uptake of GLP-1 drugs. Is this something that you're noticing? Absolutely. It's everywhere. I think we're all seeing that in all of our retail businesses, whether you said just the same, you know, GLP-1 and the impact on the apparel industry, for example, because now people have to shop for new clothes. For us, we believe that we have a tremendous opportunity to be a GLP-1 partner for the consumer because while we don't sell GLP-1 drugs, we do sell all of the supplements that can support the consumer on that journey.

7:43And as you know, more and more information comes out about how GLP-1s are helping consumers with their overall health. And as a trusted health partner for almost 50 years, we're able to kind of help fill that gap around whether it's nutrition deficits through regular multivitamins, whether it's through fibromaxing, as we just talked about. One of the trends we haven't talked about is the importance of protein and proteinification that you're seeing in everything that you eat and consume or you drink. And so we are the place where we have a curated assortment of amazing products that we have vetted from a quality standpoint that can help that consumer on their GLP journey.

8:23Yeah, the protein thing is so interesting. I feel like it's getting to the stage where if I don't prioritize protein in a meal, I'm like having a little treat. Do you feel guilty? Maybe you feel a little guilty that you should have gotten a little bit more protein in today. I mean, I, you know, when I look at how I eat, you know, I'm always thinking about my macros and how much protein did I get that I get this particular day. So, yeah, it's kind of has become a little over, you know, all consuming just because of the way it's part of the conversation today. Totally.

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9:33I want to talk a little bit about branded ingredients versus private label, because I think, you know, especially with the power of social media and marketing and the conversations happening there, there are certain ingredients like Craya Pure or KSM 66 that become sort of purchase drivers with nearly two thirds of consumers saying they trust them more than generic alternatives. How do you think about that when you're developing your private label products? Well, we talk about it in all of our products, not just private labels. So we'll really, when we look with our third-party brand partners, we're actually vetting all of the quality standards because that's something that the vitamin shop has stood for for almost 50 years.

10:18It's been about, you know, the quality ingredients because this is a different type of, you know, what we sell and the way we engage with consumers, you're ingesting a product. So we take quality very, very seriously. I think with trademark ingredients, what's become very important in the category and in the industry today is the ability to trust those ingredients. Unfortunately, when you go to some online sources where you don't have necessarily the quality standards that the vitamin shop has, you don't sometimes know what you're getting. And so I think what a lot of consumers is that they're going back to these trademark ingredients and they're looking to see that if they've been truly vetted, if they have the scientific research, the claims are what they need to be.

11:03They feel that it's another opportunity and an own way to trust what they're ingesting on whatever their supplement and health and wellness journey is. For the vitamin shop, it's everything we think about. So it's not just only about what we do with our private brand assortment and how we think about what we develop and what we bring to the consumer. But it's also making sure that the third-party brands that we have and the partners that we have hold the exact same standard. So for us, it's not anything really new. It's just been about the way we've gone to market since we've been around since 1977.

11:38The report also talks a lot about how informed consumers are and how discerning they are. Where do you think that comes from? Is this aided by like AI research or what tools do consumers have now that maybe they didn't have? Or are they just more curious than they used to be about these ingredients and what they're putting in their bodies? I think since COVID, when you look at how consumers have taken care and taken control of their health, The information that is available to consumers today and the awareness that consumers have and the access to places, information that consumers have is much more than even just five or six years ago.

12:23And we haven't had a conversation about AI yet. But, you know, the reality is, is that AI, LLMs, kind of where people get their information, that is transcending Google and where consumers went to get information. And the information that they're able to gain from these different platforms, whether it's ChatGPT, Claude, et cetera, is quite telling about how you can get information, whether it's about ingredients, whether it's about a particular product and the benefits that that product has. there's just a level of information that's available. But more importantly, I think health and wellness and people taking control of who they are, how they live, longevity, et cetera, is now just kind of become part of mainstream, you know, being part of the conversation.

13:14And so, I mean, I don't know about you, Kate, but, you know, there are so many times where I have, you know, I'm out with friends or meet colleagues. And, you know, when did we normally in the past 10 years just randomly always talk about the latest health and wellness trend. I mean, it is a very different place where we are today. I think you're seeing it generationally. You're seeing whether it's boomers wanting to stay healthy longer, whether it's younger generations making sure that they're keeping up with all the latest and greatest trends. You have this variety of generations where health has become and wellness has become such a part of life and has truly become a lifestyle.

13:54So I think that's a big part of it. And there's no question that with the onset of additional apps and places you can get qualified information that people can trust, that the information that's out there and consumers making sure that they take charge of their health just has become part of how we live today. For sure. Is there like a journey that you have observed? Like while you were responding to my question, I was just thinking about the other day when I, I think I saw on social media, a couple of times people were talking about NMN supplements as like a healthy aging aid. And I'd never heard of them before.

14:30And so I thought, oh, is this something I should consider doing? And I went to probably an AI search engine, discovered that there could be some risks to people who have had cancer in the past or are at risk of cancer. So I thought, okay, nevermind. I'm not going to, I'm not going to go down this path. And then I think if I had thought it was interesting, then I might end up at a vitamin shop talking to a customer associate or something like that. I'm curious when it comes to educating your staff who are, I would think, taking on a pretty big responsibility a lot of the time in helping customers navigate this.

15:06How are you equipping them and making sure that they're really well-informed and able to have those conversations? Well, we spend a tremendous amount of time educating our teams because, again, we take this very seriously when we're having a conversation with the consumer about how they can improve their health. We always make sure that the information that we provide our associates is based in science and based on practical application of the product for the consumer. I'm very excited about the fact that we have launched what we call Shop Advisor. And it is an AI tool that is actually, we are using to help our associates get even additional information based on, you know, clinical trials and, you know, scientific research that can provide information to help our associates, again, to help with the consumer.

15:58And that continues to give them another aid to help them, you know, again, educate the consumer. We also have nutritionists on staff that also help. And we have a strong scientific advisory board and people that we engage with that infer information to help our health enthusiasts. But we take education extremely, you know, it's very important to us. It's a big part of who we are and what we do. And the amount of trust we have out there with the consumer is a lot about the way our associates engage with the consumer. But we take it, again, we take it very, very seriously. It's a big part of what we do.

16:36It's continuous. And that is one of the major points of differentiation between engaging with us and somebody else that might be out there. No one today takes education at scale the way the vitamin shop does. Super interesting. So Gen Z feels a real pressure to keep up with 70 % in your report saying they're experiencing health FOMO or fear of missing out, while just 31 % of boomers have this health FOMO. Tell me more about that. Why do you think the older generation isn't as concerned with that fear? And what's Gen Z experiencing? Well, I think it's a lot around what their goals are and making sure that again, And going back to what we said earlier about being part of the conversation, it's really become this lifestyle that the younger consumers have embraced.

17:27Again, whether it's the latest trend in nutritional supplements, whether it's the latest gym craze that's out there, they've really embraced it as a part of their lifestyles. For, you know, I feel that, again, based on where they're getting their information, it's all over social, which is a huge part of how they engage with brands. And so, again, it's really a big part of the conversation in areas that they engage with. So while I still do think that boomers care, what we see in boomers is to focus on, again, overall longevity and how they can live a fuller, healthier life as they age. So different goals for different generations and ones that we take very seriously at the vitamin shop.

18:11And we absolutely want to make sure that we can provide the tools, the education, the information, the products for multi-generations. Yes. It is so interesting to observe. I have a group of friends who are significantly younger than me and it is wild, like what they're willing to put money towards. Like I'm like, you're still paying off your student loans and you're getting Botox injections and investing in all kinds of supplements. They're investing in themselves and their health. And I think, again, I go back to kind of how I think most of us looked at health coming out of COVID and how, first of all, how personal it was to how you navigated through that period of time and how important it is in everything that you do and quality of life and how you want to live your life.

18:59And to your point about where does the discretionary spend go to, you see that just in the way consumers are engaging with category. Again, whether it's gyms to supplements to anything in between really becomes to how they're investing, I think, in themselves. How has your time at the vitamin shop changed your own approach to your health? And how do you think about navigating all of these supplements? Is this something that you're engaged in? Tell us more about your own personal journey. Definitely. Yeah, so I have always cared about my health. But when I joined the business in 2018, I really took a hard look as we were educating our teams and talking about the products and what we were trying to do for consumers to take stock of my own health and to think about what I was doing.

19:43And so I went on a pretty, gone on my own health journey and just in terms of kind of how I eat, what I eat, how much I eat, and then how I link that with movement. So you'll often find me in the gym. I think strength training is very important. I find that for mindfulness, a good yoga class does a lot for me just in terms of centering me and kind of quieting my mind and making sure that where I do have nutritional gaps that I take supplements to fill those gaps. So it's a big part of how I live my life and it's certainly made a meaningful difference in my own health. Okay, my last question is, beyond your more than 640 stores and associates, what's the single thing that you believe makes a customer choose the vitamin shop over a big box retailer or a Marclays?

20:32Well, there's a lot of things that I think separates us. The first is our curated assortment and the fact that we've done all of the hard work and the homework to make sure that the products that we sell are the best products on the market. Number two is absolutely our team, our associates, the fact that you can get qualified information from an educated health enthusiast on how we can support you on your journey. I think those are two really important things that separate us from everyone else. we do truly care about the consumers that we serve and helping them on their journeys. And then the last thing is, I would say, is the fact that we have been around and that we are a trusted source and have been for almost 50 years.

21:15It's an important part of the legacy of who we are at the vitamin shop and the importance of as we position ourselves for the next 50 years of growth, how we fit into this current conversation and the importance of building a true lifestyle brand for the consumers of the future. Great. Well, thank you so much, Sharon, for joining us today and sharing so much about the Vitamin Shop. Well, thanks for having me. It's great to be here with you, Kate. Thanks so much. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Retail Remix. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a future episode. You can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app.

21:53Until next time, keep mixing it up.