over the past five years, there is still room for growth and change in the wellness movement.  That’s according to Greer Hughes, a consultant for WGSN, which has been tracking the trend since the early 2000s. “It’s not even at its peak. We still believe there’s longevity and evolution for the wellness movement,” she said at a recent WGSN event in Melbourne. “What we’ve seen most recently, and what’s really impacting the trend as it evolves in future, is the blurring of those categories, where we see such a crossover between beauty, health and fitness.” Hughes refers to this shift as ‘360 degree wellness’ and says wellness-oriented retailers and brands must take a similarly holistic approach to their offerings if they want to succeed. “Things aren’t as clear cut as they once were. There’s still a lot of opportunity, but looking at just one category is limiting your options and not reacting to the trend and consumers,” she said. Irene Falcone, CEO and founder of Nourished Life, can attest to the importance of taking a holistic approach to wellness. After starting with a range of natural and organic beauty products in 2012, she has expanded the business into skincare, hair care, apparel and household goods. Falcone recently sold Nourished Life for $20 million to BWX Limited, the company behind Sukin and other natural beauty brands. She tells IRW that customers who start using organic or natural products in one part of their lives tend to do so in other areas too. “People come into organic skincare and beauty through organic food. If they don’t come through the food angle, they come at it through the environmental angle. They don’t want to put parabens down their sinks, which could hurt wildlife,” she says. Falcone says her aim with Nourished Life is to give customers a natural or organic option for any mainstream product they typically buy. With thousands of SKUs across categories, she says the focus has now shifted to differentiating from the competition. “We have to think of new and better ways to stay ahead. For us, it’s about the information we provide and our customer service. There is an evolution happening, absolutely,” she says. The one-stop wellness shop Indeed, as brands and retailers in the wellness space move from niche players to one-stop-shops, differentiating through services and experiences is becoming a more important part of the offering.. One of the early backers of the wellness movement in Australia, activewear retailer Lorna Jane, agrees that consumers are looking for more of an all-encompassing solution than just something to wear to yoga class. “At Lorna Jane, we sell activewear, but it has always been about so much more than that,” says Lorna Jane Clarkson, founder of activewear and the creator of Active Living. “From the very beginning, we have talked about active living and encouraged our customers to make their wellness a priority.” The retailer operates a separate website that is dedicated to inspiring and motivating customers to put their health and wellbeing first, and has fitness studios and cafés in some of its stores in Australia and the US. Health food store, Healthy Life, has also expanded its offering from pantry basics to include workshops and free advice sessions from naturopaths and other health practitioners in its stores. Chief marketer Simon Cheng tells IRW these ‘wellness hubs’ will help the retail business differentiate as more players in the wellness space aim to become one-stop shops. “We have a vision to be the most-loved wellness destination for Australians. That means being a one-stop shop for all things wellness, not just certain aspects. Our customers are not just demanding natural things to put in their mouths, but products to put on their skin,” he says. “In the old days, a health store was very much about food and supplements. Health stores these days are stocking a lot more all-encompassing natural, organic and eco-friendly goods. “That’s where we come in by providing free advice. It’s apparent that customers want that knowledge.” The anti-wellness movement According to Hughes, one of the biggest shifts in the wellness movement will be a divergence between those who embrace it wholeheartedly and others who reject it outright. She says this is typical of major trends, which often suffer a backlash after becoming ubiquitous. “It’s in response to the Instagram vision of perfect wellness created through social media. There’s a real rejection of what wellness has become. It’s a victim of its own success in a way,” she said at the event in Melbourne. Hughes suggests one way brands and retailers can deal with this backlash is to adopt a more honest and ‘real’ tone in their marketing and communications. That’s what Healthy Life has done recently. Cheng says the retailer has shifted to using real people – its staff and practitioners – on social media over the last nine months. “We’re really conscious about taking a stand in making wellness more mainstream and accessible. The driver of the backlash is driven by these influencers who are inspiring but completely inaccessible,” he says. “At the core of our philosophy, it’s about making wellness accessible to everyday Australians. That has to permeate everything we do.”