Tahitian Noni has been a direct seller of nutritional juices and other health and wellness products for 10 years, relying on home parties as its principal sales channel. But the company has now expanded into another direct channel: print catalogs.
Provo, UT-based Tahitian Noni mailed its initial catalog in early September, with follow-up mailings in November. The holiday-themed book was sent to 60,000 names from the company’s house file.
For its second catalog, scheduled to mail in January, it plans to test rented names as well. In all, the second book will mail to 600,000 names, says senior manager of global publications Mieka Barlow.
“Our company is only 10 years old,” Barlow says, “so there is plenty of room for added growth, and this was one of those avenues where we knew we could be successful.”
The direct-to-consumer catalog features only a portion of the Tahitian Noni product line, which includes skincare and haircare products, teas, and supplements as well as juices. The catalog used by its “brand ambassadors” at home parties features the entire product line.
The company is learning that the direct catalog needs to provide more product and company information than the version used at the home parties, Barlow says, to compensate for the absence of the brand ambassadors to elaborate on the merchandise. To that end, the direct catalog includes “Noni Nuggets,” information about the ingredients and the unique features of the products. “This will do the explaining that one of our distributors would normally provide to a retail customer,” Barlow says.
The company’s average home-party order size is $135. Products include 500-ml. bottles of Tahitian Noni juice for $42, body wash for $20, and weight-loss supplements starting at $170.