Whole Foods’ holistic approach to merchandising and customer service

Whole Foods places its whole focus on serving and nourishing its shoppers. Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, chief merchandising and marketing officer for Whole Foods Market, joins us to talk about how Whole Foods stays ahead of food trends, builds trust with its customers and leads the industry in high-quality sourcing. She also shares her career journey, what she loves most about working in merchandising and marketing, and her approach to problem solving in the retail industry. 

“I love the work that we're able to do at Whole Foods in terms of delivering on our higher purpose,” Oblisk says, “which is to nourish people and the planet and ensure that we are bringing the highest quality, natural and organic products to our customers so we can help them to realize all of their aspirations around living well.”

Serving up industry-leading quality standards

At the core of Whole Foods’ mission is quality control — whether that’s offering the best organic produce, grass-fed and animal welfare-rated meats, or sustainable seafood. 

“I often describe our quality standards as the nucleus of our brand,” Oblisk says. “All things begin with that as our point of difference. We ban over 550 ingredients. We've built an incredible trust with our customers. I often say it's what we don't sell that matters as much as what we do sell. When our customers come into Whole Foods to fulfill their weekly shop or grab a meal, we have done the work for them and they can feel great about what they're buying.”

Getting to know the Whole Foods customer

In order to best serve its customers, the Whole Foods team first focuses on learning about them through quantitative and qualitative data, speaking directly with consumers and working closely with in-store employees to understand what resonates with shoppers. 

“One insight I love about the Whole Foods shopper is that they want to learn and do better and that shows up in many areas of their life, including how they shop and eat,” Oblisk says. “We tend to have a lot of folks that are not only food-aware, but also love to cook. Being able to serve all of these folks that love to experiment with new cuisines is something that we do exceptionally well. We're really proud of our assortment that we're able to offer a broad array of everyday staples as well as these really unique and special items.”

Making everyone winners

Whole Foods looks at the holistic picture — serving not only its customers, but all its stakeholders. 

“One thing you'll hear us talk about internally all the time is finding the win-win-win,” Oblisk explains. “There is always a solution to a problem where the company can win, the customer can win, the supplier can win and the community can win. And really working from a stakeholder model has served me well. Learning that is a bit of an art and sometimes it takes a lot of work to get to the win-win-win, but you can almost always find that.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more of Oblisk’s career advice, plus how Whole Foods stays ahead of trends and connects with its customers through storytelling and trust-building. 

Episode chapters

(00:01:31) Oblisk’s career journey 

• How Oblisk got into retail 

• What she learned about relating to customers 

• Oblisk’s role at Whole Foods 

(00:05:45) Why Oblisk loves merchandising and marketing 

• The industry’s dynamic nature

• Storytelling about Whole Foods’ quality standards 

• How Whole Foods builds trust with its customers

(00:08:11) Getting to know the Whole Foods customer 

• How Whole Foods collects quantitative and qualitative data 

• How Whole Foods tracks trends

• Translating data into insights 

• The Whole Foods customer persona 

(00:11:10) Leading in trends and quality control 

• Programs that set Whole Foods apart

• How the sourcing team ensures the highest quality products 

• Whole Foods’ mission and higher purpose 

(00:13:11) What’s next for Whole Foods in 2025 

• 2025 food trends

• Focusing on value and promotion 

• Offering simple meal solutions 

• Exciting exclusive produce programs

(00:19:45) Oblisk’s best career advice

• Finding the win-win-win solution to a problem 

• Serving all stakeholders in decision-making 

• What Oblisk wants to learn more about