Brands and companies that create products and wish to get a product on store shelves have a vast amount of work to accomplish to be successful. Getting a product on store shelves requires several steps that all have to be executed successfully to reach the objective.
Companies and brands that wish to successfully retail their products and acquire shelve space from retailers must have a comprehensive approach. Companies must create attractive packaging, reliable manufacturing, effective marketing, and proper sales and so on.
Many new brands and smaller companies can struggle with retailing their products and successfully getting a product on store shelves. Here are 5 steps and tips to help with the process.
5 Steps to Get a Product on Store Shelves
1. Keep in Mind Space
Retailers have the burden of expansive leases and cost of retailing. Space is everything with a retail business. When brands and companies create products and design packaging, space must be kept in mind. Brick and mortar stores are expansive that’s why it is important for packaging to take up as little real estate as possible in retail stores. Due diligence can be easily done by visiting the target stores and studying similar packaging and where they are located. How they are retailed and so on.
2. Know the Retailers
To successfully get store shelve space; brands and companies should get to know the retailers they wish to do business with. To ensure best possible chances at a successful distribution deal with a brick and mortar retailer, a brand should do their do diligence. Learning the layout of the sales floor, displays used, and how product categories have been setup is important. Gain an understanding of buying cycles, contacts for the specific product categories, store managers, and any other relevant information.
3. Packaging Design Quality
For retailers to entertain placing a new product on the shelve, it has to stand out, be attractive, and properly designed. A second chance often is not given, so brands must ensure that their packaging design is of quality. All the required information must be on the packaging such as expiration dates, industry symbols, UPC codes, and other relevant content. The design should make the brand and product stand out, but be clear to the consumer and store buyers.
4. Structuring Pricing Right
Often brands and companies do not structure their pricing correctly, when planning to retail them and gain store shelve space. Companies and brands must structure their suggested retail price of their products; keeping in mind wholesales price points, distribution fees, and other relevant cost. The key to success is knowing all costs involved in product design and development. This allows a brand to create the proper price points and ensure correct profit margins.
5. Learn the Sales Process
To gain store shelve space, a certain specific sales process is in place. Store buyers specify by product category and each have a certain process to receive products and from brands that wish a chance at retail store space. Buyers review the products for quality, branding, packaging, in-store competition, and market saturation. Brands that wish to have better success should learn the sale process of store buyers, local and national distributors.
To avoid costly mistakes, wasted time, and pitfalls, brands and companies can work with experts to expedite the process and ensure better chances at success. Consulting services are a great method to gain access to industry-experienced professionals that can assist. Consulting services are a great asset without long-term commitments.
Consultants can help brands and companies understand specific requirements and set expectations correctly. Often, consultants have existing contacts and can spearhead certain objectives for a brand. To have products sold and distributed through retail stores can be lucrative and very profitable for a brand, when done right and professionally.
