Putting my product on Retail Shelves

[18Projects.com]

Hi,

I have started a new business relating to baby products.
I have no idea how to put my product on shelves in chemists, baby bunting stores and other baby related stores.

I have heard that there are Agents who can pitch your product to various Retailers. I have looked for these Agents and can not find any.

Can somebody please help me with this. Or refer me to somebody who might be able to assist.

Thank You
Suma

[FS Concierge]

Hi Motherhen

Welcome to Flying Solo!

I think people will need a little more info in order to be able to advise you. For example, whereabouts are you located, and what type of products are you talking about?

Good luck with everything!
Jayne

[LeelaCosgrove]

... on top of this, I also need to ask - why do you want to get it on retail shelves?

This seems to be, for a lot of people, the holy grail of product marketing - if I just get it into stores, we'll make all the money in the world!

It rarely works that way, of course ...

Just think about it ... your product ends up in a store with - what? 2,000, 5,000 other products? How will people distinguish your product from anyone elses?

I've got several clients who had this problem - they worked for months to get their products in stores ... finally succeeded - and now, are making next to no money from that placement.

I'll tell you what I've told them - develop a strong fan-base, a grass roots movement for the product you've got. Make strong sales. Create a community around people who use the product.

And then, as the momentum builds, stores will come to YOU and ASK you to stock your product.

From that point, you have all the power ...

[Burgo]

There are a number of manufacturers / suppliers of baby goodies already on the forum have a look through or do a search and you will discover what others have done.

Having been there and done it, Im inclined to agree with Leela.
This is the 21 century where more and more people are buying through eShopping.

To have your product in a retail department store/chain store or even the boutique will cost you, a) in commission of sales force, b) warehousing of your product and c) marketing, either through the store or individually.

So there goes 50% of sales, conservatively speaking, then there is production costs, and so on and so fourth.

Almost enough to put you off.

The alternative is cheaper and controllable, your marketing is via the Internet and you may not need to have as much stock on hand as with the retail scenario.

There my thoughts for what they are worth

[18Projects.com]

Hi Everyone,
Thank you so much for responding.
My product is quite unique and I already have a mini following.
I do sell my products online already. I was thinking having it available at multiple sources (rather than just my website) might entice others to buy it.

My product is unique in that it is a BPA free Baby Milk bottle and is also disposable. A lot of mums are buying it if they are travelling or have too many kids to worry about sterilizing normal plastic bottles - which incidentally also include the harmful BPA chemical.

I would love to get it onto shelves purely to make it available to my customers via other means where they don't have to pay for shipping and handlilng. I will continue to sell it online regardless of whether I get it onto shelves or not.

Any feedback/advice will be hugely appreciated.

Thanks again
Suma

[Thrive Promotional]

You may need to get hold of the buyer for each "traditional" retail outlet such as the department stores, major pharmacy chains etc.... this does open other worms like supply and these guys can be very demanding (and as others say, may like to take a nice chunk of your takings).

You could approach other online baby sites as a trial and wholesale your product that way or related sites such as travel goodies etc.

Good luck

[18Projects.com]

Hi Morgan,

You've given me some good leads - I will definitely call the buyers for each store as well as approach travel sites.

Thank you everyone.
I appreciate this a lot.
Regards
Suma

[FS Concierge]

Hi Suma,
You will also find that some of the health food store chains are selling BPA-free baby bottles, so that may be another channel for you to try.

Sounds like a great product! I'm wondering if it is recyclable too?

All the best,
Jayne

[18Projects.com]

Hi Jayne,
Thank you for your input.
Yes it really is a great product and being a mum myself, I can really vouch for how well it works. A lot of the people who have bought it sofar in Australia are also raving about it - it really makes a busy mum's life that much easier. And besides that it really is safe for babies to drink milk out of.

It is not recyclable. However, I have invested quite a bit of time looking at the impact the product will have on the environment. Put it this way - one week's worth of these disposable liners will create the same amount of "rubbish" that one single Happy Meal from McDonald's will create.

Not only that, because these are already pre-sterilized, there is no need to spend precious resources such as water, gas or electricity, sterilizing these. So in the end I think it evens out.

Regards
Suma

[Mumnesia]

Hi Sumi,
It sounds like you have a very interesting product!.
Getting your products into retails stores such as Baby Bunting etc, you will need an online presence so that customers can research your product, and stores can see there is a genuine interest in that product. Strengthen customer interest by having a stand at Baby Expos such as PBC or the Baby Show and get onto new product promotion sites. Send some samples to baby magazines with a media release, these magazines will often have "we've come across this product....." segment. Baby Bloggers are also good people to know, as they have a following
We have our products in all these stores and initially it meant doing the hard road of door knocking and all of the above. (phew!!)
Once in the stores, you will need to maintain customer relationships by regularly visiting them every 6 weeks or so. After a while other stores will approach you to stock your item, especially if you're "first to market" and it becomes an often asked for product. As you expand your base its imperative that you source reliable and trusting agents to work outside your areas. These people are incredibly difficult to find, they usually find you!
I can give you some contacts