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Personalized products in retail: made-to-measure for online shops and shelves

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 15 October 2026 · Reading time: 10 min

Personalization works through a screen, too

Does personal nutrition advice change anything when it arrives over the internet instead of in a consulting room? That is exactly what the European Food4Me study tested. Adults from seven countries received either general dietary recommendations or personalized advice online – depending on the group, based on their diet, additionally on their body measurements and blood values, and in one group also on their genes. 1,269 participants completed the study.

After six months, the participants with personalized advice ate less red meat, salt and saturated fat, took in more folate and reached a higher score on the Healthy Eating Index than the control group (Celis-Morales et al., International Journal of Epidemiology, 2017). The researchers’ conclusion: personalized advice delivered over the internet changed eating behavior more than the conventional approach.

That is good news for retail. The logical conclusion: personalization does not necessarily need someone sitting across the table. It also works when it is explained well in the shop, in the customer portal and in the report. And that is exactly where your strength as a retailer lies.

What convinces people: a clear benefit and protected data

Why do people choose personalized nutrition? A survey of 9,381 people from nine European countries, including Germany, explored this question. Perceived benefit had the strongest influence: the greater the benefit people saw, the more positive their attitude and the more likely they were to want personalized nutrition. Trust in effective rules that protect consumers, for example on data protection, also strengthened positive attitudes. Perceived risks weighed less than the benefit (Poínhos et al., PLoS One, 2014).

The researchers conclude that transparent information about the potential benefits and the protection of personal data are important for people to adopt personalized nutrition. In practical terms, that means for your shop:

• Show the journey: What does the analysis show, what does the customer hold in her hands afterwards, and how does it become a product? A clear step-by-step explanation on the product page says more than any slogan.
• Make data protection visible: Explain in plain words who sees which data, where the analysis takes place and what the consent covers. How to keep shop data and genetic data cleanly apart is described in Shop data protection.
• Set the right expectations: The benefit only convinces if it is described honestly. What you can promise is explained further down.

Made-to-measure instead of off-the-rack

A shelf holds off-the-rack goods: the same product for everyone, in a few variants. Personalized products work like a tailored suit. First the measurements are taken, then the suit is made. Here, the tape measure is the saliva sample, and the tailor’s workshop is the lab and factory in Eugendorf near Salzburg.

For personalized supplements, the formula is based on about 50 genes with three possible variants each, a questionnaire and, if available, blood values; where blood values are available, they take precedence. Each nutrient is dosed between one third and three times the reference intake, capped at the tolerable upper intake level set by EFSA (How minimum and maximum doses are set). The nutrients come in Microtransporter pellets from 1.6 mm in diameter, packed in daily sachets. For BeautyMe, the genetic result determines which active ingredients go into the day serum, night serum and body lotion, and at what dosage.

For you as a retailer, this has two consequences. First, a tailored suit has no identical product next to it for price comparison: something made for one person has no counterpart on the neighboring shelf. Second, it is not kept in stock – it is only made once the measurements have been taken.

What Novogenia supplies for your shop and your shelf

Genetic analysis, supplements and cosmetics come from the same partner and are coordinated with each other. You decide how much of it should carry your brand – the three routes are described in Building your own online brand. Medical analyses do not belong in retail: sales partners offer exclusively non-medical analyses.

What fits on the shelf – and what ships straight home

For your concept to work, keep two flows of goods cleanly apart:

• Goods for everyone: the saliva collection kit and non-personalized products of your own brand. They can sit in a warehouse, be shipped from your shop or be sold off the shelf.
• Goods for one person: personalized supplements and BeautyMe. Here, direct shipping is almost a must: every box is produced for a specific person, so an intermediate warehouse offers no advantage. As your fulfillment partner, Novogenia ships directly to your customers, under your brand if you use white label.

From your customer’s point of view, the two flows become one journey:

1. Purchase: She buys the kit in your shop or off the shelf.
2. Registration and consent: Before the sample, she registers and gives her consent. How this works technically is something you set up with Novogenia.
3. Saliva sample: She collects the sample according to the instructions and sends it to the lab. The unique labeling in the kit links the sample to exactly one person.
4. Analysis and report: The lab needs 4 days; after that, the report is available in the secure portal.
5. Product: The personalized supplement or BeautyMe is made for her and shipped directly.
6. Next delivery: One supplement delivery lasts 90 days; with a subscription, the next one follows automatically.

Each station is described in detail in The customer journey: from kit to subscription, and shipping and returns in Fulfillment, shipping and returns. In Switzerland, this journey does not work for lifestyle analyses: there, certain health professionals order the analysis, and the sample is collected in their presence (Art. 34 GUMG). What that means for retail is shown in Drugstores and supermarkets: test kits on the shelf.

From one-time purchase to repeat purchase

A genetic test is bought once. A personalized supplement is consumed and reordered. That is the core of the model: a single sale turns into a customer relationship in a 90-day rhythm.

And the formula does not stand still. It is recalculated with every new production run – age from the date of birth, plus, where applicable, an updated questionnaire or new blood or genetic analyses. So explain to your customers from the start that the composition may change. That way, a change does not raise a question mark but shows that the product keeps pace with them.

For you, every delivery is a good reason to get in touch – with a reminder before shipping, an explanation of the new box or the option to postpone a delivery. How to build a fair subscription from this is described in Subscription model and retention.

Selling honestly: what you can promise

A product that needs explaining is only as good as its explanation. These principles belong on every product page and in every training for your team:

• Genes are one factor among many: They show tendencies, not destiny. Diet, exercise and lifestyle count just as much.
• A logical conclusion, not proof: The genetic traits are well documented – each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies. The recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven.
• A report, not a diagnosis: Lifestyle analyses do not constitute a diagnosis or medical advice and do not replace a medical examination.
• No healing promises: Health claims for supplements are only allowed if they are authorized and included in the list of permitted claims (Art. 10(1) Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006); cosmetics care for the skin. More in Marketing personalized products.
• For adults: Under Novogenia’s terms, customers confirm that they are of legal age. For minors, there are exclusively non-medical analyses, and only with the written consent of their legal guardians.

A simple rule of thumb helps when writing copy: describe what the analysis shows, and do not promise results.

Checklist: do personalized products fit your business?

• Your customers are interested in nutrition, sport, skin or well-being – not in diagnoses.
• Your product page or shelf has room to explain the journey from kit to product.
• You keep goods for everyone (kit, own brand) separate from goods for one person (direct shipping).
• You can explain registration, consent and data protection clearly.
• You want a customer relationship in a 90-day rhythm rather than a single sale.
• You know the rules of your markets, especially if you sell to Switzerland.
• You know whether you start with the partner shop, with white label or with your own product idea.

Frequently asked questions

Related: Offer for e-commerce and online shops · White label: personalized supplements and cosmetics from genetic data · Personalized products in direct selling

Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace medical or legal advice. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.