In today’s business environment, leaders are finding that mission and margin must coexist. In a Retail Innovation Week panel moderated by James Harris, the founder and CEO of High Impact, executives from brands across retail, nutrition and healthcare shared how they leverage data, innovation and values to drive both performance and purpose.
Knowing What’s in the Data, Not Just Having Data
John Talencho Jr., VP of Innovation/Sales of Wellful, described the approach B&G Foods takes with acquired brands: preserve the founder’s idea while using insights to guide renovation and innovation. For example, with Skinny Girl salad dressings, analysis of generational shifts in consumer ideas about “better‑for‑you” meant moving from low‑fat to healthy fats like avocado oil.
By doing so, they introduced product lines that delivered value to Walmart shoppers via economies of scale. The lesson: insights must align with core mission and market realities.
Innovation & White Space: Timing Matters
In the wellness and supplement sectors, Tina Jackse, Chief Commercial Officer of Wellful/Adaptive Health, said innovation isn’t always about being first. It’s about knowing your brand’s role (disruptor, fast‑follower, etc.), reading micro‑signals and verifying whether a trend fills a real gap in the market.
Examples like Berberine or CBD show the risk of hype without delivering on consumer expectations. The moment you spot something promising, you assess where it comes from (science, culture, influencer momentum, etc.), whether it will stick and if it can solve something meaningful.
Purpose in Healthcare: Trust, Education, and Action
Ashley Caldwell, Senior Director of Embecta, shared a powerful story about a syringe and insulin needle manufacturer. Clinical data and retailer insights together revealed many patients were using overly long needles, which was both painful and medically unnecessary.
The company worked with Walmart and pharmacy teams to educate and gradually remove longer needles from shelves. The result was stronger trust with patients, better health outcomes and growth in category use.
Platform Scale & Consumer Feedback Loops
Adaptive Health’s model uses direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) insights, testing many message variations, then brings winning products/messages into retail. Their mission is to make efficacious nutritional supplements accessible and honest.
Sales leaders, including those in frozen vegetables (Green Giant), said omnichannel data uncovered strong growth in ecommerce. Investing in content and online search optimization yielded high omni‑penetration and category expansion.
Explore more insights from Retail Innovation Week and the future of omnichannel retail at dbbnwa.com.
