How to Get Your Product Into Big Chain Stores
The joy of creation is seeing an idea become something real. One minute, you’re boring the life out of your best mate at the pub with yet another scheme, the next you’re handing them a bottle from your first test batch. Spurred by their stunned reaction, you declare ‘this is just the beginning! Soon every household will be reaching for my sauce before every feed.’
Melodrama aside, wanting everyone to enjoy your product—not just those close to you—is less dream and more realistic goal. And a proven way to achieve this goal is to get your product into big chain stores.
Easier said than done. But what worthy challenge isn’t? If you’re ready to accept this, here’s some sound advice that’ll set you on the right path.
Perfect your product
Perfection is a myth. And, often, a debilitating pursuit. That said, you want your product to be as good as it can possibly be before you stick it in front of a big chain store. A half-realised product will impress your folks, who, don’t forget, are contractually obliged to be impressed by everything you do. A big retailer has no such obligation, and will simply turn their attention to the fully-realised product next to the line.
Patience is key. Lower your eyes and focus on your product, instead of its potential future home. And take advantage of product testing. If you’re at the start of your product journey, enlist your friends, colleagues, members of the local community. Get as much feedback as possible, and keep a record. This data is good dust, trust us.
And don’t just test for customer satisfaction, either. Test for safety and compliance. A legal minefield is the last thing you want to wander into down the track.
Fly solo first
Rare is the product that spends no time in the retail wilderness before seeking shelter in a big chain store. You need to sell your product yourself, to get a feel for where it fits in the market. Enter marketing. Unless your product catches fire on its own merits, you need to promote it, create a presence for it. If a big chain store already knows you exist, consider that a hurdle cleared.
Like trialling the form and function of your product, your marketing efforts will take a similar, rocky path. That new logo you delighted in yesterday will disgust you today. Not all steps are steeped in subjectivity, like sourcing local FMCG packaging designers in Melbourne. These people hold invaluable knowledge on entire markets, and will help you balance the subjective with the objective when making decisions. Again, gather all the data on offer, as it will tell you if you’re standing out, and for the right reasons.
Know when you’re ready
Flying solo also means cutting your teeth in the world of business. It gives you a feel for the mechanics of business, from sourcing parts or ingredients to grasping supply chains to deciding what to charge. It also lets you iron the kinks from your operation, which is critical, make no mistake. Nothing tests a leaky operation like the demands of a big chain store.
Being ready is knowing your business can scale, and scale efficiently. If it can’t, then it’s time to take the foot off the pedal. Brutal, but true. That brand new warehouse around the corner, the one with the raised loading dock? It can wait. You cannot rush this step. The storm of issues awaiting a company that scales inefficiently are as predictable as they are fatal. Be certain you can grow the right way and the future will be bright.
Research research research
We’re gonna assume you’ve got a big chain store in mind? If not, you should. Your preparation to now has been deliberate, and with good reason. Choosing the right big chain store to stock your product is a critical decision; there’s nothing to gain from approaching it with indifference.
How much research is up to you. If you’re after reach and nothing else, easy; go for the biggest chain you can. If you’re after more, you’ll have to dig deeper. Supplying a big chain store whose corporate social responsibility (CSR) aligns with your company doesn’t happen by accident.
Don’t stop when you’ve found a store. And don’t start at the bottom. This isn’t like the local general store, whose owner you’ve known since kindergarten. You can’t dump your product on the counter and hope the right person will help. You must find the gatekeeper: the procurement manager. They hold the key that’ll unlock this opportunity.
Then it’s a matter of making contact. Before you do, though, make sure you’ve got a winning sales pitch. This is showtime, and there’s no sympathy for stagefright.
Remember, this is business. There’s no golden path, no yellow brick road that leads you to success. It takes trial, and it takes a lot of errors before you happen on your own recipe for success. But the rewards are undeniable, and in the end, these will drive you to make it happen. Our only warning: success is contagious, so don’t be surprised if you start losing sleep again over your latest creation.
