From internal inputs to consumer proof: How Nature’s Way brought confidence to gummies
When it came to the launch of their Kids Smart Magnesium Gummies, the first kids’ magnesium supplement in a gummy format in Australia, the team knew they were venturing into uncharted territory.
“We did have a lot of assumptions, especially with magnesium, because magnesium is already an established supplement, an ingredient in the adult space,” said Michael Zhou, Brand Manager at PharmaCare Laboratories.
Through Ideally, Nature’s Way conducted consumer testing on both the Kids Smart Magnesium Gummies and another soon-to-launch format. The goal was clear: validate internal hypotheses with real consumer feedback before going to market, without waiting months for traditional research.
“We just wanted to confirm that what we saw in our small sample size did really reflect the entire market, which is why we went external,” Michael explained. “It led to the assumptions we expected... It definitely gave us a bit more confidence when we approached retailers as well.”
The external validation became an asset for Nature’s Way, helping to de-risk the launch and provide hard evidence to support conversations with retail buyers. It wasn’t just about proving the product would work; it was about showing there was a clear market demand.
For Nature’s Way, moving from internal anecdote to external consumer validation with Ideally wasn’t just about one product, it was about building a more confident, insight-led process across the business.
