A Return to Health

Vitacost recognizes that mobile is a huge growth opportunity for the company and is spending time and money to make that a reality. So far the progress has been promising — mobile engagement and revenues are both up year-over-year — if not slow paced.

"Shopping for the products we sell on a website is hard, and it's not easier on a smaller-screen device," Zucker notes. "We're continually thinking about what's the best experience for a consumer as the screen gets smaller."

Seemingly tied in with mobile in a lot of ways for Vitacost is social media. The retailer currently has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+, and is making a concerted effort to incorporate video into its website and social pages. Yet like with its mobile efforts, Vitacost is finding it challenging to drive sales through social media.

"We've committed to making videos of our products," says Zucker. "Taking those videos and posting them on our social platforms is a way to create additional engagement with our customers."

In addition to getting better at driving sales via mobile and social media, Zucker believes that for Vitacost to not only maintain its success but grow its website must become faster and more efficient at delivering value to consumers. Lastly, the company is hard at work on upgrading the shipping experience.