Slide share 10 keys to Building your Retail Presence
description
Transcript of Slide share 10 keys to Building your Retail Presence
WWW.REPSLY.COM
10 Keys to Building Retail Presence
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Maintaining a Brand
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Strategize
To many entrepreneurs and businesses, having a great product is a fantastic reality. What can be easily overlook however, is that building and maintaining a great brand around that product is a completely different animal. Bringing a product to market through the retail channel can be challenging, but by following the practices within this guide, it becomes much easier to both enter the market, and to achieve the expected results and revenue that the product deserves.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
1. Understanding Retailer Relationships
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Shelf Space.
Retailers Have Their Own Product
Make sure that when negotiating with retailers you have evidence such as product history to back-up your case. Showing retailers that you have a clear strategy and can bring in high returns will help you secure the in-store location you want.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Seek Out a Patent Attorney
Protect Your Product
If your product design is unique and not yet trademarked, is can be very easy for large retailers to take your product idea and sell it as their own. Protect your idea so that organizations with more resources can’t take it.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Get a Barcode.
Join the GS1 US
Pay a one-time fee and join the organizations which most retailers
will require you to be a part of before they consider stocking your
item.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
2. Building a Support Plan
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Put Retailer Minds at Ease
Have Backup Plans
Having clear plans for retailers gives them more confidence in stocking your product. Know what you will do to handle product returns, or stocking problems like shortages.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Look to Local Retailers
Start Out Small
Bring the product to trade shows, and sell in local boutiques or retailers to give your product exposure. Make sure you personalize as many interactions as possible, even sending thank-you notes if applicable.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
3. Packaging That Stands Out
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Be Exciting!
Only 11% of consumers worldwide are satisfied with packaging.
Retailers don’t want to stock products with boring packaging, and 64% of consumers who purchase new products do so because the packaging catches their eye.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
4. Fight for a Position
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Location is Everything.
Shelf Location is important! Studies show that placement closer to the center of an aisle generally brings in more sales than products on the edge of an aisle.
Additionally, products at eye-level usually sell much better than products on the bottom or top shelves.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
5. In-Store Promotion
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Make Consumers Choose You!
Window Posters
Drink Cooler Stickers
Floor Stickers
Hanging Signs
In-Store Radio ads
WWW.REPSLY.COM
6. Give Samples of the Product
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Give Consumers a TasteFor food and beverage products, there is even more options for promoting directly to potential customers. Having field representatives in-store to give out bites of a new candy bar or small cups of a new soda can help unknowing customers familiarize with the product.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
7. Formalize the Retailer Relationship
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Set Responsibilities Early
For new brands without as much footing in different retail channels, it will beneficial to set up specific guidelines for retailers which outlines the responsibilities and benefits of each party.
Some things to set in stone:
Advertising costs
Educating retail employees about the product
Who will handle returns
Promotional Materials and brand image
WWW.REPSLY.COM
8. Spend time in the Market
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Gather Data in the Field
Data could include compliance with agreements made regarding in-store placement, product sales, product consideration, or even looking at those metrics for competing brands. It may be that customers pay more attention to competing brands when they are displayed in locations that weren’t previously considered.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
9. Leverage Feet on the Street
WWW.REPSLY.COM
The More the Merrier
It can be very difficult for new brands to break into the retail market, and it will be even harder if that brand is only being promoted by one person. Teams of field representatives are a necessity for brands which want to create buzz and grow quickly. If it is not financially possible to hire a team of representatives, then brands should consider 3rd party brand ambassador services which offer street promotion.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
10. Measure, Analyze and Adjust
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Use the Right Tools
As the brand grows, and the product becomes more successful, data collected from field representatives will begin to show trends across different retail outlets. Using this data in conjunction with some form of field management software helps managers to create a “big picture” of what patterns are occurring within different types of retail outlets, different locations, and different consumer demographics.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
The Whole Package
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Execute Your Strategy
While each of the keys mentioned in this guide is useful in individual application, when businesses use all of them in unison, they should find it much easier to build retail presence. Although it is an uphill battle, learning from the experiences of entrepreneurs and small businesses that made their way into the Target’s and Wal-Mart’s of the world gives new business owners shoulders to stand upon when advancing their product.
WWW.REPSLY.COM
Thank you!