Many manufacturers and distributors establish successful businesses by offering their products through local and regional retailers. At some point, it may become desirable to take the next step. Establishing a skin care retail distribution channel through a national retail chain can be difficult but it is not impossible. Follow tips from the experts to make your skin care products household names throughout the country.
Begin by developing a list of national retail stores to approach based on the products offered. Visit these stores, review what they carry, and identify where your skin care products will fit within this merchandise. Consider both product placement and marketing. Use this information to develop a marketing pitch that illustrates how the skin care products will address a gap in retail merchandise. Show the retailer how to fit these products into the current merchandising plan.
Use LinkedIn and other social media platforms to identify the appropriate retail contacts and begin networking with them. National retailers provide limited time for sales pitches so make the presentation concise and to-the-point. Include important data such as manufacturing capabilities, price points, consumer statistics, and product guarantees. Provide a press kit with an introductory letter and samples of the skin care products.
When necessary, use the help of a salesperson with proven results who has established relationships with national retailers. This will make the “sell” an easier process, getting the skin care products into national retail stores faster than otherwise possible. However, there are no guarantees so be persistent in the face of rejection. Continue to network because this is proven to pay off in the end. Rewards come to those who are not deterred by setbacks. Make it easy for national retailers to say yes by providing a sales guarantee.
If your company works through distributors, use these to develop relationships with retailers that operate on a nationwide level. Many distributors have established connections with the largest retailers so let them work for the skin care business. Large retailers prefer to work with parties that understand the system, making an established distributor the perfect choice.
Offering unique skin care products is one way to fast track to the national level with skin care retail distribution. By identifying market needs and developing products that meet them in original ways, a skin care entrepreneur can differentiate the business. National retailers will take notice and deal exclusively with this company, allowing it to corner the market.
