Leading vitamin and supplements brand GNC will be rolling out a series of new offerings as part of its One New GNC rebrand, including a social media campaign, a new loyalty program, and a new GNC application.

All GNC corporate stores will close on December 28 and reopen on December 29, when GNC will be providing customers a “dramatically improved experience” with the launch of One New GNC, which is being supported with the hashtag #OneNewGNC. The rebrand comes right before many attempt to implement their resolutions for the new year, which often include fitness goals.

“We built the New GNC around our customers’ wants, their needs and their aspirations,” said Jeffrey R. Hennion, ecommerce officer at GNC.  “Our customers rely on us for solutions and to find innovative products at a great price.  Our new model meets those needs and gives customers an exceptional, rewarding experience at lower prices so they can Live Well.”

One New GNC
The company will offer a single price both in store and on GNC.com, replacing multiple pricing structures across channels and membership levels and introducing more cohesion between the brand’s ecommerce and bricks-and-mortar presences.

New POS terminals will be rolling out across the chain, speeding the checkout process, helping guide customer decisions based on purchase history and managing loyalty programs.  Associates will be armed with tablets that support their training and empower them to answer customers’ questions and recommend products and wellness regimens.

GNC is also introducing a new royalty rewards program, which will be rolled out with assistance from the new app. The new loyalty program will be named My GNC Rewards, and is designed to give consumers an easy to use incentive to shop GNC.

The app will feature an updated design and user experience to make the experience across GNC’s channels more cohesive.

Stores will celebrate the One New GNC throughout the month of January with a 1 Million Point Giveaway contest.  Customers who enroll in the free My GNC Rewards program gain an entry into the sweepstakes with each transaction.

In addition, stores will be offering sampling and giveaways each Saturday throughout the month.

Retail advancement
GNC was one of the first vitamin and supplements retailers to look to mobile solutions: years ago, it saw some of its QR code campaigns within its app and mobile client result in more than a 40 percent redemption rate, showing how the channel can be effective for retailers when there is a high value attached in exchange for scanning (see story).

The fitness sector is no stranger to ecommerce innovation. Under Armour is bulking up on mobile by adding a shopping application to the brand’s array of fitness titles, providing more than 170 million users with a personalized experience based on their workout history (see story).

“As we said on our last conference call, we’re making these investments because we believe in this business, its future and our ability to return to growth and deliver shareholder value,” Mr. Hennion said. “The New GNC leaves the old, broken model behind.  We’re confident it will have a positive impact on the business, but it will take time for the changes to take hold and translate to improved financial results.”