• by Sarah Mahoney , January 12, 2022

After nearly two years of home-based workouts and sourdough challenges, New Year's Resolutions just sound so…2019.

Whole Foods Market has a different idea. It just launched what it's calling the Resolution Renovator, enlisting key experts to help shoppers rediscover their self-improvement mojo.

To make it work, Whole Foods has teamed up with a trio of "well-being motivators" to help people turn rigid, big-picture goals into bite-sized possibilities. The chain says the idea stems from its research that this far into the pandemic, 65% of consumers think resolutions put them under too much pressure, and only 50% believe they'll be able to stick with them.

"We wanted to help shoppers feel inspired on their well-being journey this year by suggesting small, livable changes instead of dramatic and rigid resolutions," says Madhavi Reese, vice president of marketing at Whole Foods.

In an email to Marketing Daily, she said the effort keys off the "Be Healthy. Be Happy. Be Whole." brand campaign launched last fall, and helped "breathe fresh perspective into customers' goal-getting."

At this point, consumers are well beyond the usual "Lose fifteen pounds" or "Get more organized."

"Physical, mental, spiritual and emotional well-being will resonate more than ever as we enter year three of this 'new normal.' Our shoppers come to Whole Foods Market to discover high-quality products that make them feel good, whatever their well-being mission may be."

Each of the grocery chain's wellness motivators­ -- plant-based recipe developer and well-being enthusiast Radhi Devlukia-Shetty; Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby; and best-selling author Gabby Bernstein, (writer of self-help tomes like “The Universe Has Your Back”) -- offer curated affirmations and intentions, helping people live more mindfully.

Shoppers enter by filling out a questionnaire to choose whether they want to focus on mind, body or spirit. That enters them in a contest to win a 2022 Well-Being Bundle, made up of the motivators' favorite products, with 25 winners each day.

Three grand prize winners will also get an exclusive, personalized video from one of the Wellness Motivators with a message linked to their 2022 goals.

Reese says Whole Foods, owned by Amazon, will evaluate the effort's success by analyzing how consumers interact with its content. "We'll look at metrics like engagement on social media -- both on owned channels and the Motivators' channels -- and interaction with the Resolution Renovator and sweepstakes."