AM(A)A - Getting your products into retail stores

[arcola]

Hi everyone,

I just posted a thread asking for eCommerce question - I want to contribute to content as well as receive it.

I work at a small manufacturer in California that makes 8 figures in sales annually. I am one of two sales people. We have a tiny Ecommerce business - but an enormous retail business. If your in USA and you write down the 10 biggest nongroccery stores you can think of, we're probably in 5 of them and 10 other large ones you didn't think of that are equally large. Our products are Health/Beauty/Cosmetics.

I can't say who we are in right now (except one; We're in Bed Bath and Beyond) or name my company.

What I can do is help people with:

- General questions: Should I go after retailers? etc
- General Account entry campaign questions: How do I reach out to buyers? What do I say? How do I get meetings with them?
- Specific retailers that fit your product

 

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[ddall]

Awesome, thanks for this!

1) At what stage/exeperiance should an ecom business attempt to seriously engage retail? That is, should their be an established length of sales history (say with Amazon) or a certain number of related products?

2) How does one get in touch with the people who make these retail decisions ( for the larger stores)

3) What do retailers look for from an online business

4) Any specific tips for Amazon sellers (of their own branded products) who wish to branch into retail?

 

[lovecharm]

Well, first of all thanks and reps for doing this AMA.

I guess my question will be:- How do I reach out to buyers? What do I say? How do I get meetings with them?

LC

 

[TedM]

Hey arcola- thanks tons for this thread - a topic much on my mind these days.

Before i go and create my product physically - i want to make sure i have a customer. so, i've contacted a couple of big companies in my product area and shown them the concept.

have you ever heard of this approach working:

getting a written "statement of interest" or something significant (i doubt it remotely possible to get something binding) from a big company that basically says "IF your proprietary/patented product will actually do X,Y, and Z and can be delivered to our warehouse for a cost of no more than $X, and will be produced/distributed by a company that meets our supplier guidelines, THEN we will most likely purchase from you..."

 

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[ddall]

OP may be AWOL. His post was over 10 days ago.

 

[TedM]

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