How To Get Your Product in Stores: 6 Steps (2024)

Moving from ecommerce to retail is a large step for any business to receive. The payoff could be huge—large wholesale orders, recent customers, and getting your products into destinations they’ve never been before.

Getting your product into stores sounds exciting, because it is. But it’s also a shift that requires way to pull off just correct.

Michael De Los Santos, better known as Mike D, since that’s the name you’ll view on his line of barbeque sauces and rubs, walks you through the procedure of getting your product on shelves. Mike knows a thing or two about how to get your product into stores, and he’s here to distribute his best advice for other entrepreneurs. 

6 steps to get your product in stores

1. comprehend when you’re ready for retail stores
2. recognize what makes your product distinctive
3. Perfect your pitch
4. Join online wholesale marketplaces
5. Consider trade shows (are they worth it?)
6. Don’t depend on retail stores alone

1. comprehend when you’re ready for retail stores

Mike D’s BBQ can be found all over the eastern United States. Mike started online, grew his own store in Durham, North Carolina, and now his sauce can be bought at dozens of retailers—one as far away as northern Wisconsin.

As a tiny business owner, getting your product into stores isn’t something to rush into. In truth, Mike waited until he knew his business could back retailers. But how do you make that call?

The most significant thing to consider is whether you have enough product to back both your own ecommerce sales as well as wholesale to retailers. You don’t desire to discover yourself in a position where you can’t ship your own sales because of fulfilling wholesale requests, or not being able to supply retailers because you’ve sold too much online.

“You require to make sure that going into stores works for you at that instant,” says Mike, adding that scaling too quickly can just navigator to “disaster.”

receive a challenging look at your manufacturing procedure and assess if it makes budgetary and logistical sense. Can you scale up to meet anticipated wholesale demand? Are there supply chain issues that would make production challenging? Are you already having hardship filling online sales?

Mike knew he was ready because his production was in a stable state and he knew he could handle filling orders online, in his own store, and at events, and still have room to produce for wholesale.

Pricing is also significant. If your profits spread is already slim, setting an even lower wholesale worth might not be sustainable unless you can lower costs or boost prices overall.

Sit down and do the math before making the leap into retail.

2. recognize what makes your product distinctive

Before you pitch your products anywhere, you require a powerful communication about what makes them different from anything else a potential store is selling.

For Mike, his selling point was his sauce. In North Carolina, BBQ sauce is typically either tomato- or vinegar-based. For his line, he combined those two bases to make a whole recent product. He also took encouragement from both his African American and Latino heritage for the flavors and spice. Altogether, that makes for products that stand out in a crowded economy.

“I had to have a distinctive selling point that was different from other products in my niche,” Mike says. “If you have a product that you’re selling, you’ve got to differentiate yourself from everyone else in the economy.”

That uniqueness is exactly what you’re selling, he says. Potential distributors desire whatever you’re offering to be something recent—something they don’t already have on propose. If your product is straightforward to replicate, bigger competitors could outbid you for shelf space or undercut your worth.

ponder about:

• How your product compares to your top competitors
• If you use specialized materials or ingredients
• If you fulfill speciality niches, like vegan, organic, or free of allergens
• If you can propose a lower worth point than your competitors
• If your products appeal to a specific demographic

You should be well-versed in what makes your products different and able to recite and sell those differences at a instant’s notice. Don’t overlook to use sales data to display powerful demand and repurchase rates for your products. 

If you have a product that you’re selling, you’ve got to differentiate yourself from everyone else in the economy.

3. Perfect your pitch

Mike’s first pitch to get his products into stores actually didn’t leave so well. But he learned from his mistakes, and so can you. On the first attempt, Mike walked into a local store and asked who was in fee of acquiring recent products. When that person wasn’t available, he simply left some information and product on a table. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t listen back.

“We never got the face-to-face exchange we needed to get that going, but I learned from that,” Mike said. Having an in-person exchange is key to getting into stores, especially local distributors. You should arrive prepared with a sell sheet or other materials that explain your product, what makes it distinctive, and your worth points. And, of course, some samples to leave for the manager.

The next period, Mike was able to provide a pitch in person and leave samples and information. He then stopped by again the next day to check in. That store owner ended up ordering two cases of each of his products.

“That personal way worked, but that first stop was a disaster,” Mike says.

Do some research beforehand to figure out exactly who at the store you’ll be pitching to, when they’ll be available for a pitch, and if there are particular times of the month or year when they consider adding recent products.

In that pitch, you should also talk about your current sales and if you have other hype surrounding your products, like a powerful social media following. Add in what sort of people buy your products—it might be a demographic the store is trying to attract.

Lastly, you require to display the store that you’ll be able to deliver wholesale orders in packed and on period. “To prepare for those meetings, it’s really about making sure you have those things checked off,” Mike says.

After a pitch, Mike says you should remain in contact. He checks in the next day, then waits a week, then waits a week again. “After that third pursue up, if they declare they’re still not interested, I inform them thanks for considering the product,” he says.

Focus on building person connections with buyers. Being charismatic and persistent can assist you stand out from other sellers. Consistency also shows your solemn, and when they have demand for a product similar to yours, you’ll be top of mind. 

discover more: How to Write an Elevator Pitch in 2024 (+ 3 Free Templates)

4. Join online wholesale marketplaces

As an business owner, going in person to make a personal connection is always your best bet for smaller stores and chains, but as you develop, there are other ways to reach potential retailers.

There are a number of online wholesale marketplaces where you can list your products for potential distributors to discover.

More than 100,000 brands sell their products on Faire, and custom listings include descriptions, images, pricing information, and details about their business. Retailers on Faire are able to search for these products, discover more about brands and their merchandise before buying, and contact business owners directly. The best part is that Faire is fully integrated with your shop’s back complete through the Faire: Sell Wholesale app, so you can manage it all seamlessly.

Faire also offers retailers the benefits of uncertainty-free shopping, such as 60-day remittance terms for eligible retailers, free returns on first orders, and straightforward online ordering from any location. This is why hundreds of thousands of retailers shop on Faire and more are joining every day.

“Don’t be afraid to do that, even if you’re recent to making personal pitches,” Mike says. “People are looking for products to sell, especially with supply chain issues.”

You may also require to leave online if you’re hoping to get into the biggest retailers. Walmart, for example, requires you to apply using its online supplier structure.

People are looking for products to sell, especially with supply chain issues.

5. Consider trade shows

Trade shows are a traditional avenue for entrepreneurs to get face period with distributors. They can potentially connect you to dozens of stores, but they can also be a gamble.

Mike recommends attending a trade display before considering buying a booth at one. That can provide you an concept of what products are featured, who your competition will be, and how many buyers actually attend. Talk to vendors and view if they’re actually making meaningful connections.

You also require to keep costs in mind. Trade display booths can run thousands of dollars a day, so you should be sure that your property has a high chance of paying off. For that rationale, you should only consider trade shows when you’re committed to selling in stores as part of your business way.

An alternative to trade shows is to set up your own pop-up shop and invite local retailers.

6. Don’t depend on retail stores alone

Getting your products into stores could be a huge boost for tiny businesses, but it can’t do the heavy lifting for you.

Once you’re in stores, it’s your job to make sure your customers recognize where they can discover your products and maintain relationships with store management. You also require to keep your online business and marketing game powerful to keep up demand.

If you put in the work, getting your products on store shelves can be the large shatter that takes your business to the next level.