How to get a retail listing for your product

You’ve decided that you want to pursue retail listings as a way to sell your product. Let’s talk about how to get you there.

Before we get into it, the first thing I always recommend is to make sure you want this for the right reasons and that it’s the right time for you, your business and product. I explore this more in my post on product / market fit. If you haven’t already read this, I recommend heading over there first.

Assuming you have and you’re ready to steamroller this shiz, let’s go.

Understand the retail landscape

The first thing you want to do is understand the different categories of retailer. I consider retailers under these headings: online (Amazon, delivery apps, Ocado), major (Tesco, Sainsburys, Walmart, etc), convenience (Budgens, Co-op, Spar, 7/11), independent (farm shops and independently-owned groups of 1-3 stores)  and speciality (4-50 stores under one brand, such as Whole Foords and Planet Organic).

Each type of retailer operates in a different way and has a different focus. On top of that, the customer walking into each different type of store has a different mindset; for example, in a major retail store they’re shopping for a whole week with a focus on essentials and are conscious of how much that weekly shop will cost. In a convenience store they’re short on time, hungry and don’t care so much about price as long as they can get what they need. In an independent or speciality store they’re generally treating themselves; looking for something unique or more premium to complement the food they bought in their supermarket shop.

In terms of how the retailer operates, the main differentiator comes down to whether they’re centralised, regional, franchised or independent. This dictates who does the buying, how they buy, what’s driving buying decisions, where your products can be placed if you get the green light, how connected to the end customer you can be, what promotions you can run, how much marketing budget is required and the level of data you’ll be able to see about sales of your product over time.

Choose your retailer category

There are 2 things to consider when choosing which retailers to aim for. The first is your product / market fit, as this could narrow down the most suitable angle to approach stepping into retail. The second is how you want to grow your business. Are you going for slower, steadier growth with stronger foundations or are you shooting straight for big numbers and mass market pentration.

Personally I wouldn’t recommend the latter unless you’re backed by a lot of cash and experience. The most ‘normal’ route is to start at the smaller end and work your way up to play with the big dogs. By then you’ll have learned a lot, likely the hard way, but in a less risky setting. You’ll also have more clout to take to the table.

Mixing retailer types

Of course it’s possible to go for different types of retailer at the same time, but just be aware that some mix better than others. For example, independent stores build their name on offering differentiation. So, they aren’t going to like it if you suddenly also launch your product in the supermarket 3 doors down. It’s possible to be everywhere, but you need to think about how to do this strategically, while keeping all your retail partners happy.

Things to do before you approach the retailer

We spoke about research in product/market fit, but it’s key to revisit it here. To have the best shot at a listing, you need to build out a proposal for your target retailer, and they will be far more likely to give it the time of day if it’s actually about their store/business, not a generic presentation.

What do they currently sell and where does your product fit in? How do you know it will sell to their customer? How are you going to support the launch with marketing?

Next, you need to add in your commercial proposal. Commercials can be firmed up through the process, once you get a meeting in the bag, but you still want to go in with something in the right ballpark. Find out (from others in your industry) what margin the retailer expects, what level of annual marketing support and then put this together with your costs and the RSP (based on in-store research) to see how the commercials look. Can you offer them the margin they want without destroying your own?

Once you have a clear proposition that includes commercials, you’re ready to get that meeting.

Getting a meeting with the right buyer

First, you need to find out who the buyer is. This can often be one of the hardest parts and is made evermore tricky by the fact that they tend to move around quite a lot. So someone might share a contact with you and it’ll turn out to be the wrong person already.

I recommend starting with LinkedIn and asking peers in your network. Sometimes it can work if you find another buyer’s contact details and ask them. It really just depends on what mood they’re in that day.

Now that you’ve got the right details, let’s talk about the approach. What you mostly need to have in mind is that buyer are busy. Very busy and time poor. They are always overloaded with work; juggling running the actual category while navigating hundreds of approaches about new potential products. This means it’s not unusual if your 1st, 2nd or even 10th email doesn’t get you a response.

Patience is the name of the game here cats. If you haven’t received a no, take it as a sign to keep trying. 

You don’t want to reach out too frequently and become known as Pestering Peter but you do want to keep popping up on their radar. Make sure you have something new and interesting to say each time you try again.

Keep your emails short and to the point. Let them know you’ve done your research and why you’re confident your product would be great for their business. Which is what they really care about. Not your product. Sorry.

Trade shows are also a great way to build on this. You don’t need a big flashy stand to be noticed, you just need a simple set up that showcases your product. Buyers come to find new things and it’s often a great way to get your brand/product/self in front of the right person.

It takes time

The faster you align your expectations with the ‘normal’ time it takes to get a listing, the better. Yes, we’ve all heard the stories and know it can be possible to get a listing in the first month, bla bla. Please don’t focus on the exceptions. Hope for them sure, but plan for the marathon while you’re at it.

For example, it took 2 years of ups and downs to get my range listed in Whole Foods Market. This isn’t uncommon. Take time nurturing your retail sales pipeline and have faith that those listing will eventually come.

The meeting

All buyers are different, so how the meeting will run is often down to them. Try and get an understanding of what they want to cover ahead of time so you can be prepared.

At the least, you want to have your brand story, product and commercials ready to present, including any necessary product demonstrations. It’s also worth having your customer avatar in your back pocket to talk about how they are such a good fit for the store.

If you’re in a new and growing category, be prepared to bolster their knowledge of it and why it’s the future. While they’re juggling 101 products, they don’t have time to have their finger on every pulse. If your product seems too ‘new’ for the market but you know it’s about to explode then show them how.

Expect the unexpected

After the meeting, expect the unexpected. What follows can range all the way from not answering any of your emails and calls for weeks to wanting to list your product in 200 stores and ‘oh, can you be ready in 4 weeks?’. No kidding.

Retailers can make a fast decision to list and then it still takes another year to get on the shelf. Or a slow decision to list and then want your product next week. They can also go AWOL for weeks, sometimes months, after what you thought was a great meeting.

If you had a good meeting then be happy about it but don’t go crazy. By that I mean don’t pin all your cashflow hopes on this new listing coming in soon, or start ordering tonnes of product in anticipation of the launch. Similarly, if you thought it went not-so-ok, don’t be down about it. Wait to see what comes afterwards and just stick at it. Dealing with retailers is one of the key times to work on your mindset and stay in the chill zone.

What if they say yes?

Congratulations! You have a new listing! This is an exciting 1st step and now the real hard work begins. Yup, I do mean that!

In reality, whilst getting a listing is a win, it’s keeping the listing that’s the real win. That starts with a strong launch plan and a great follow up strategy. Focus on building a really good relationship with your buyer and other key contacts in the business; get them everything they need, when they need it and only bother them when you really need to, i.e. make yourself irresistible to work with.

At the same time, make sure you have what you need too - get an idea of the go live timeline, expected sales volume and any marketing you can run to support the launch.

What if they say no?

As I always say; no doesn’t always mean no, it often means not yet. Any form of no you receive should be treated as follows: 1. what can I learn from this no  - is there a theme appearing about my product or the market fit? 2. what’s my follow up plan?

In both cases it’s important to try and get some detail as to why it’s a no. Is it price, quality, form, timing, brand awareness, business size? There are so many reasons why a buyer could decide not to take the chance on a new product.

If they have strict timelines for range reviews then you also want to find out when they are next reviewing the category.

Politely get as much info as you can, thank them for it profusely and start thinking about your next steps. Write them up, diarise them and then move on to the next one.

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As ever, if you want more hands-on support in launching and growing your business reach out to me about 1:1 coaching. There’s really nothing you can’t do with the right support.