Distribution or Ranging Expansion

Do you currently sell, or are you intending to sell a product into a retailer, distributor or wholesaler?

Do you have an existing range that you want to expand?

For product driven businesses distribution is a primary priority, and the space available in quality retailers, online and off, is limited.

In order to successfully compete for a place in front of high consumer traffic you have to prove the viability and appeal of your brand. It’s somewhat chicken and egg, how do you prove it unless you get a chance to prove it?

One method we have found successful in getting greater consideration from retailers is market research to promote an organisations expertise.

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You were probably expecting us to say that the research should be focused on proving that the retailer’s consumers will want to buy the product. This is part of it, but ultimately the retailer wants to see a demonstration that you understand the category not just the part you intend to play in it.

Ok, so what does expertise research comprise? It seeks to answer a few key questions:

The dynamics of the category – what are the forces that drive or reduce consumption of the entire category of products?

Who are the current shoppers of the category, who could be enticed to buy from the category and where are they currently spending their money

Why your product brings something new to the category that will help to drive incremental purchase.

And the holy grail of insights – telling the retailer something that is important to them that they don’t already know. That’s expertise.

We are guessing your second though, ‘this sounds expensive’, not really, it’s all in the research design. You don’t need the Mercedes version, there’s a reason the Toyota Hilux is the best-selling car in Australia. It does the job.

Get in touch if you’d like to talk more about the role of Market Research for better distribution and increased ranging.