The New Year is officially here, and with it a whole new set of retail sales goals. So how can you set your brand up for success? Here are a few things to keep in mind as you create your annual gameplan.
Pitch the Right Retailers: So you think sending hundreds of boilerplate pitch emails is going to be your best strategy? Think again. Over the past year, our retail experts have expressed frustration at the lack of discernment shown in brand pitches. The Detox Market, for example, received well over 1000 submissions last year. A whopping 85-90% of the brands that applied didn’t even meet their clean standards. Revealing that you haven’t done your research shows a lack of respect for your retail partners before your relationship has even begun. Instead, take the time to research your target retailer and what they look for in brand partners. Not sure where to start? Look to Clean PreCheck, a new tool we created to match your products with clean retailer standards, to see which retailers you’re qualified to pitch.
Make the Price Right: With inflation on the rise and shoppers becoming more aware of price shifts, it’s important to take a close look at your pricing across the board before you enter into new retail accounts. Once you make your big debut on shelves, customers will be more aware of your prices going up or down–and feedback from retail buyers might make it difficult to make a change. Do your due diligence in setting smart prices now, taking into account the competitive landscape, so you have plenty of cushion but are still in the prime position to sell.
Reserve Some Budget For Retailer Promotions: Participating in retailer promotions is a great way to boost sell-through and show that you’re invested in your relationship with your retail partners. But getting accepted into these programs can often be unpredictable and timing can be tight, so make sure you have the budget set aside ahead of time. Then, communicate with your buyer early and often to show that you’d like to be considered for opportunities like promotional events, gift with purchase programs, and holiday sales to boost sell-through.
Create a Training Plan: Training is one of the best ways to ensure your success at retail. Through training, you can enlist the valuable sales skills of associates to help boost brand awareness and drive customers to your shelves. With this in mind, we developed the Landing Training Tool: a new digital-first education platform that makes training more engaging, fun and easy for indie brands and sales associates alike. For more information, click here.
Invest in UGC: With thousands of products at their fingertips, today’s shoppers are more discerning than ever. They want to be sure they aren’t being duped into a purchase by a misleading ad or a shallow influencer partnership. That makes UGC or user-generated content more important than ever. Things like reviews and organic social posts can build trust and awareness more effectively than flashy digital ad campaigns, which have seen a ROI dip in recent months. Think about sending out free products to some of your social media followers and asking them to post a totally honest review on a retailer website or on their social accounts, disclosing that they received the product for free. It will help you build content and trust in an ethical way.
No matter your stage or size, Landing’s platform can you take your business to the next level.
