2 years after pulling out of Target, menopause-care brand Womaness re-enters big box at Walmart
When menopause solutions brand Womaness entered Target in 2021, the founders of the newly launched brand had lofty plans to help establish the category. The brand, which sells products like vaginal moisturizers and skin-firming serums, first launched on its own e-commerce site and at Target, in about 200 doors and on the retailer’s website.
But in 2023, the startup decided to pull out of Target and focus on building out its direct-to-consumer business. The brand made the decision to leave Target after finding it a mismatch due to a lack of menopause-dedicated product sections.
But Sally Mueller and Michelle Jacobs say the interest in these products has grown so much in just a few short years, enough to rethink their big-box expansion approach. This month, Womaness launched in 1,400 Walmart stores with nine SKUs across skin care, supplements and sexual wellness.
According to the co-founders, a few years ago, menopause wasn’t having “the moment” it is now. But now, more influencers and celebrities are speaking out about the topic, aided by celebrity founders like Naomi Watts and Halle Berry.
Looking back, Mueller and Jacobs recalled the limitations of Womaness’s initial go-to-market strategy. Some of the challenges were due to the category’s then-nascent presence. But the retail industry’s approach to merchandising menopause and perimenopause care has also changed since then.
When Womaness first launched at Target, its products were in different sections, in the skin-care and feminine-care aisles . The products were also placed on bottom shelves and were far from customers’ sight line. This made it difficult to market and promote the brand’s availability to its followers.
“So we lost impact, and we didn’t have that billboard effect of the brand,” Mueller said. Mueller herself had worked for Target for 25 years, in marketing and merchandizing, and knows the challenges of standing out on big-box store shelves.
“The biggest shift that’s happening is that millennials are aging into perimenopause, and that’s a very different customer than previous generations,” Jacobs told Modern Retail. “But we feel we were very early in the conversation around menopause, midlife and perimenopause.”
After pulling out of Target, the founders decided to just focus on building the brand through its own channels, on the Womaness website and through Amazon. About two years ago, the brand was also approached to enter Ulta Beauty based on the retailer’s push to bring in young brands to fill out its wellness wall.
It was an early sign of how thoughts around wellness were changing. Women who are accustomed to buying from digitally-native brands are now aging into the perimenopause and menopause stage. “The consumer is actually ahead of the trend curve and in adoption of this category, and the retailers are following,” said Mueller. But the reason it was hard for retailers to champion menopause-focused products, she said, was because they were not sure how or where to merchandise this category in stores.
But now, merchandising has started to shift. “Ulta has created a whole section for women’s wellness, which has skin care, body, sexual wellness and supplements in one place,” she said. That dedicated space has been helpful for Womaness to showcase all of its products together. “The customers don’t always know what symptoms they’re experiencing are related to menopause,” Mueller said. “By seeing all the products together, it kind of triggers a thought of what they need,” ranging from supplements that can help with sleep to products that address their changing skin concerns.
It helps that it’s more common and less taboo for startup brands to part ways with a big retail partner if the product isn’t selling. That allowed Womaness to establish its brand before attempting another big retail launch. So when Walmart came knocking, Womaness would only agree to sign on if the retailer had a robust plan for merchandising menopause products.
“A lot has changed over those five years, so we were excited for this launch,” Jacobs said. “We have a strong Walmart buyer who came to us with the idea of speaking to this customer.” Walmart’s merchandising pitch was to sort products by life stages: period care, pregnancy, post-pregnancy, and perimenopause and menopause. “They wanted to pull together modern brands and not only have all the legacy products that are already out there,” she said.
Jacobs said, at first, the brand was concerned about its price points among Walmart’s demographics. In Walmart, the brand’s items are priced anywhere from $22-$46. “They reassured us that their customer is looking for a product like this,” she said. It’s also a great opportunity for the brand to reach many women where they already shop.
Investor interest has also grown alongside consumers and retailers. Anarghya Vardhana, a general partner at consumer health investment firm Maveron, said the timing seems finally ripe for retailers to embrace this category.
“The supplement stack is becoming a mainstream conversation, and you’re seeing a more mainstream consumer shift toward wellness,” she said. This is now spilling over into menopause care, in which the category has become more wellness-oriented. “Unlike previous generations, this age group is seeking holistic solutions on the internet,” Vardhana said. “And so it is becoming interesting to the Walmarts and Targets of the world.”
All of those factors are coming to head, which Vardhana said is helping brands like Womaness re-enter channels like big-box stores with more confidence.
“I think this launch came together because Walmart is really interested in approaching this space in a different way than where we were five years ago,” Jacobs said.