So you've finally turned that great idea you've had - into a real product! It took months, maybe years, from sketches to samples, even getting back to the drawing board a few times... but the final result is here. Congratulations! What now? How do you get your shelf-ready product onto actual shelves? How can you distribute a brand new product into the store fronts? You might have already heard that the convenience stores are the new "battleground for product launches". Only in the US, convenience stores serve 160 million customers every day. Why not tap into their supply chain? Convenience stores prefer to sell products that are compact and conveniently packed, so their customers can just grab them and go. Snacks, sweets, and especially pop-top drinks are a great example of an item that will do well on convenience stores' shelves. These stores are able to get your product to market faster than any other retail channel. Since they face stiff competition, they're always on the lookout for a new high demand product. That's an opportunity for you and your product! You can try to go to the stores directly, but that's usually not cost-effective if you have only one product. Do you really want to hire your own sales force? And trucks? It's actually cheaper (and easier) using the services of a middleman in this case. It's best to choose a merchandising or distribution company that will carry your product and sell it for you. They will use their network of contacts in the industry to get your product to the customers through convenience store channels. An experienced specialist can make a bestseller from an unknown brand by leveraging its insider knowledge. Who knows, maybe it's your product that will become the next hot item! There are two important things that need to be stressed, if you decide to distribute your product to convenience stores. First of all, you need to expect that the cost of delivery to these kinds of stores will be higher than what the cost of delivery to big chains would be. There are many points-of-sale, and they're all geographically dispersed. Since volume per site is lower, more frequent deliveries are required. And second, you will need to fight for your product's shelf space and position! Connect here! to know more.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
October 2015
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