Consumer Confidence Increased in December
BOCA RATON, FL, UNITED STATES, December 23, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — COVID-19, Delta, and now Omicron can’t keep Americans down.
Despite the pandemic, American consumer confidence increased to 115.8 in December from 111.9 in November.
“People are learning to live with the ups and downs of COVID-19,” said Mitch Gould, founder and CEO of Nutritional Products International, a global brand management firm based in Boca Raton, FL. “We are adjusting to the ‘new normal.’”
This is welcome news to retailers who are hoping the National Retail Federation's projection for holiday sales numbers is accurate. The NRF estimated that 2021 holiday sales could increase 11.5 percent from 2020, which would be a record season.
“Consumers are spending money, but in different ways,” Gould said. “CNBC reported that online sales skyrocketed during the pandemic. In-store purchases may have slowed because of Omicron, but brick-and-mortar traffic has still increased 19.4 percent this year.
“American consumers have adapted,” Gould said, referring to same-day and curbside deliveries. “People are conscious about COVID-19 variants, which is why CNBC reported that shoppers recently gravitated to open-air shopping centers and outlet malls. Both retailers and consumers have proven their resourcefulness.”
Businesses have also changed the way they do business.
“Just like other companies, the NPI team works remotely and stays in contact through Zoom meetings,” Gould said. “Before the pandemic, our clients would visit us. Now, we accomplish everything through phone calls, emails, and Zoom.”
NPI and its sister company, InHealth Media, guide health and wellness brands through product launches in the U.S.
“I developed the ‘Evolution of Distribution’ platform to centralize the professional services that are needed to break into the U.S. market,” Gould said. “NPI handles sales, logistics, warehousing, and regulatory compliance while IHM specializes in marketing health and wellness brands.”
Because of COVID-19, NPI has increased its focus on e-commerce.
“NPI has long realized the importance of online sales,” Gould said. “In the early 2000s, I was part of a ‘Powerhouse Trifecta’ that placed more than 150 products on Amazon’s new health and wellness category.”
Gould led a “Powerhouse Trifecta,” which included Jeff Fernandez, who was on the Amazon team stocking the new category with products, and Kenneth E. Collin, who was vice president of operations for Muscle Foods.
“Ken and I had contacts with product manufacturers,” Gould said. “Jeff needed products, so we supplied them. It was a great experience.”
Today, Fernandez is NPI’s president, and Collins is the company’s executive vice president.
“Just like everyone, we have adapted,” Gould said. “We are looking forward to the new year because nothing can break the American spirit.”
For more information, visit www.nutricompany.com.
MORE ON NPI AND ITS FOUNDER
NPI is a privately-held company specializing 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 their products' distribution in the U.S. retail market.
Mitch Gould, the founder of NPI, is a third-generation retail distribution and manufacturing professional. Gould developed the "Evolution of Distribution" platform, which provides domestic and international product manufacturers with the sales, marketing, and product distribution expertise required to succeed in the world's largest market — the United States. In the early 2000s, Gould was part of a “Powerhouse Trifecta” that placed more than 150 products on Amazon’s new health and wellness category.
Gould, known as a global marketing guru, also 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.
Andrew Polin
Nutritional Products International
+1 561-421-3045
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