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An ecommerce exit in the $150B+ supplements market

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An ecommerce exit in the $150B+ supplements market

 

The world saw during the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic how important it is to be healthy. The most popular choice is a healthy lifestyle coupled with dietary supplements that can boost the immune system. It has grown from an unregulated market to worth $150B today.

Ecommerce Supplements Market

Health awareness has grown exponentially over the years mainly because people are now more concerned about their health and wellness and focus on preventing themselves from being sick. Due to these factors, businesses online selling supplements experienced dominance in sales especially when the COVID-19 pandemic happened and people only had the option of buying from ecommerce stores.

The USA plays a major dominance in purchasing nutritional supplements with Europe and North America leading the race as well. China’s, Japan’s, and India’s supplement businesses are expanding fast.  There are several reasons why there is a shift towards this market today and they include the following:

  • Growing Popularity of Choosing Health & Wellness. More and more people today are health conscious and intentionally choose to improve their overall wellness. This leads to an increase in sales of dietary supplements and more.
     
  • Growing Population of the Elderly. People say age gracefully but this does not mean you should not prepare for it. Health-wise, vitamins and supplements help you address issues related to aging.
     
  • The Rise of the Fitness Culture. Sports and physical activities have become a hobby, especially for the younger generation. For their bodies to keep up with their activities, they turn to high-quality supplements and a balanced health food diet.

 

The growth of the supplements market has not reached its peak yet. With digital marketing, changing preferences of consumers, and the help of AI in providing personalized nutritional recommendations, the market’s growth is set to expand more.

Supplements Industry Exits

There are rewards and challenges when it comes to running your own business and running a supplement business is no different. While the supplements industry is a lucrative market, some entrepreneurs want to make an entry, and buying a business that already has a market presence is beneficial for them.

An industry exit does not only refer to a supplement business for sale. Exits can also refer to Acquisitions, IPO, Mergers, or Bankruptcy. Let’s discuss them below:

Acquisitions

Small businesses are typically acquired by bigger businesses that may not have entry into the supplements market just yet. They do this to diversify their investment portfolio and expand their market. 

Initial Public Offering (IPO)

Going public is an excellent way for businesses to raise capital and expand their operations. For founding owners, this is the perfect opportunity for them to exit. 

Mergers

This course of action is taken when two companies in the same or different industries combine to gain entry into new markets or position themselves competitively in their existing markets. 

Bankruptcy

Even with the growing trend of choosing wellness, the supplements market is not for everyone. Some operate at a loss due to many reasons – failure to create a competitive edge, poor company management, or lack of supply efficiency. 

Ecommerce Supplement Brand Acquisitions

It is not uncommon for large companies to acquire small supplements companies, especially if they show promise and are scalable. Now that D2C brands are made possible because of ecommerce websites, scaling the business is much easier.

When an ecommerce supplement business for sale gets acquired, it is because the acquirer is looking at growing their market share in the wellness market fast. A few examples of a large corporation purchasing small supplements commerce business are indicated below:

  • Vital Proteins acquired by Nestlé. Vital Proteins offers products that are collagen-based for health, beauty, and wellness. When it was acquired by Nestlé, it strengthened its market position in the beauty industry and expanded its direct-to-customer (D2C) strategy.
     
  • Apostrophe acquired by Hims & Hers Health. Apostrophe offers skin care supplements with a focus on skincare personalization. With Hims & Hers established market in the telehealth industry, acquiring Apostrophe has even expanded its market share in the skin care industry.
     
  • SmartyPants Vitamins & OLLY Nutrition acquired by Unilever. SmartyPants and OLLY Nutrition both offer gummy vitamins. When both supplement companies were acquired by Unilever, the market for gummy supplements was even more amplified through D2C.  

Selling An Online Supplement Business

One of the most lucrative ways to exit is to put your e-commerce supplement business for sale. But getting the most value out of your business will only be made possible if you have already established a strong presence and market position of your online business.

To sell your business, these steps are required:

  1. Preparing Your Business For Sale. 
  2. Obtaining Business Valuation. 
  3. Identifying Buyers. 
  4. Listing the Business For Sale. 
  5. Negotiating Terms of Sale. 
  6. Completing Due Diligence. 
  7. Closing the Sale. 
  8. Planning the Transition.

 

There is a method to prepare your business before making your intention to sell public. By following the steps, you will be able to ensure that you get the maximum value in the sale of your supplements business. 

Ecommerce Supplement Business For Sale, Where to Find One

Business owners who want to list their supplement manufacturing business for sale typically hire brokers to help them sell their business faster. Additionally, these brokers also provide guidance on what to look for, assess the selling price, and negotiate the transaction on your behalf.

What To Look For

Potential buyers consider a myriad of factors before they pin down the type of business they want to acquire such as the following:

  • Strong revenue streams. 
  • Brand loyalty and high customer retention. 
  • Strong e-commerce presence. 
  • Organic website traffic. 
  • Effective digital marketing strategy. 
  • Efficient supply chain management. 
  • Automated operational processes.

Where To Find One

E-commerce businesses for sale are often listed on the following popular platforms:

  • Flippa
  • Empire Flippers
  • Quiet Light Brokerage
  • BizBuySell
  • FE International
  • Microacquire

Online Supplement Business For Sale

The trend now when it comes to running a supplements business is selling it directly to the customers rather than offering it to the traditional brick and mortar retailers who then sell it to the consumers. The presence of e-commerce platforms has made it possible for many online entrepreneurs to scale their businesses without a physical store. 

Potential buyers who are looking for a supplements business for sale need to check the due diligence of the e-commerce business looking to sell before deciding to acquire it. The checklist below will help you know what to look for:  

  • Complete and Accurate Financial Statements.
  • Verified Sales and Traffic Data. 
  • Updated Customers List. 
  • Transferability of Intellectual Properties. 
  • Verified Inventory Levels. 
  • Efficiency of Supply Chain Management. 
  • Effectiveness of the Operational Procedures. 
  • Unresolved Legal Issues.

Having complete information especially when it comes to financial and compliance requirements can make or break a deal. Knowing this early on can help you make a sound financial investment decision.

Exit Strategies For Supplement Companies

The right strategies to implement vary based on several factors such as the goals of the supplement company, their financial well-being, market position, etc. The common exit strategies used by supplement businesses for sale include these:

  • Sell to a Strategic Buyer
  • Sell to a Private Equity
  • Sell to a Competitor
  • Initial Public Offering (IPO)
  • Management Buyout
  • Liquidate the Business
  • Mergers
  • Succession of Family Members

Making it known that you are selling your business is made even easier through the use of social media, even if there are platforms that focus only on the listing for ecommerce businesses. 

Valuation of Supplement Ecommerce Brands

There are three popular valuation methods when a business sells its supplements company. However, different factors still influence the valuation methods to be used such as profit margins, revenue, customer retention, brand recognition and differentiation, scalability, digital marketing, supply chain efficiency, IP transferability, and compliance, among others.

Once these factors have been identified, experts can ascertain the right valuation method to use. The top three methods are the following:

  • EBITDA Multiple. The valuation is computed by multiplying the EBITDA by the valuation multiple, with the valuation multiplier computed by dividing the Enterprise Value (EV) by the EBITDA. This type of method is usually used for profitable businesses.
     
  • Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Method. Mostly used by companies on a larger scale, they take into consideration the future cash flows of the business by taking into account its growth potential and future sales. The future cash flow will then be discounted to its present value to get the DCF.
     
  • Revenue Multiple. The method of computation for the valuation multiplier is the same as the EBITDA multiplier, changing EBITDA to Revenue. Companies with recurring revenue prefer to use this method.

Is A Supplement Business Profitable?

The focus on the profitability of a supplement business is not on the net profit at the end of each taxable year but rather on its Profit Margin. Is a supplement business profitable? We know that the trends in the market look promising for this industry but the profitabilities vary depending on several factors.

To determine whether your business is considered profitable, the Gross Margin should be between 50% – 70% and the Net Margin should be between 10% – 25%.

Some areas can reduce the profitability of your business and this could be due to market saturation, negative product reviews, or high customer acquisition costs. But when you have a consistent marketing, branding, and product strategy, paired with low production and operating costs, you have a better chance of hitting higher margins.

Food Supplements Business Plan

A food supplement business plan provides a clear outline of the overall direction of your business and answers the why, what, who, and how of the business. When you have provided detailed information for all of these, you will be ready to launch, operate, scale, and even plan for the exit strategy, much like how other businesses for sale do even before they start to launch.

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