Library Features
Each month, as many as 6,000 new items are researched, coded and added to the SPINS Product Library, making it the most complete and up-to-date resource of its kind in the Natural Products Industry. Today, our Product Library provides information on over 190,000 individual products segmented into our industry-standard hierarchy of 92 categories, 469 subcategories and 575 primary ingredients. The library features coding for 38 different attributes, including NOP Organic, Gluten-free, Primary Ingredient, Fair Trade Certified, Non-GMO Verified, Whole Grain Council Certified and many more. Additionally, vitamins, supplements and herbs are mapped to 23 Health Focus attributes.
In addition to coding for attributes observable on a label (size, flavor, packaging, etc.), the SPINS Product Library includes information regarding a product’s natural positioning. Decision criteria for inclusion in the SPINS-defined natural product universe is based upon natural consumer bias with label content as a secondary consideration.
Using five contributing factors, the SPINS-defined universe of natural and organic products has four distinct segments: natural standards, naturally perceived, conventional natural, and specialty natural.
To discern a product’s brand positioning, five factors are considered:
Brand Intention
What positioning does a brand intend to project? How does the brand see itself?
Consumer Perception
How does the natural consumer see the company’s/brand’s position?
Quality Standards
What are the company’s/brand’s quality standards?
Channel Distribution
How does channel distribution reflect or skew positioning?
Category Standards
How do individual product categories affect positioning (ie. milk v. vitamins)?