How to get your products into stores

You’ve got a thriving online store and a killer brand to boot. You’re ready to take the next step and partner up with retailers to get your products in stores... so you can sell more! 

This is super exciting—congratulations. 🥳

But what’s the first move? What kind of retailers should you be partnering with and how do you build and maintain good relationships with them?

In this article, we’ll guide you through everything you need to know to research, find and work with retail partners. From the different types of retailers to how to create the perfect pitch—by the end, we hope you’ll feel confident in taking the first steps in getting your product into stores. 🙌

First, let's understand what retailers are looking for when they work with new brands. 

What are retailers looking for in a product? 

Retailers are primarily looking for products that will drive sales. But they’ll also want to increase customer loyalty and enhance their brand reputation. To stand out, your product should have a unique selling proposition (USP) that sets it apart from similar products on the market.

Here are some key factors that make a product unique for retail stores:

• Innovative design or technology: Products that offer something new or improved can catch the eye of both retailers and customers. Whether it’s a cutting-edge gadget or a fresh take on a classic item, innovation can be a significant selling point.
• High-quality materials: Retailers want products that reflect well on their brand. High-quality materials and craftsmanship can assure them that your product will meet their standards and satisfy their customers.
• Unique features or benefits: If your product solves a specific problem that other products don’t, it can be more attractive to retailers. Highlighting these unique features will make your product stand out.
• Strong brand identity: Retailers often look for products that align with their brand values and can tell a story that resonates with their customers.
• Competitive pricing and profit margins: Retailers need to make a profit, so your product should be priced competitively while still offering a good margin. This balance can make your product more attractive to retail buyers.

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What are the different types of retail partners?

First, let's take a look at the different types of retailers. This should give you an idea of what kind of partnership you’re looking for. 

Retailers

A retailer (or retail partner) is a business—either an online shop or a brick-and-mortar store—that will buy your products and sell them directly to their consumers. Engaging with local retailers can be a strategic starting point, allowing for direct product demonstration and establishing personal connections. A retail store will be a brand in its own right, and they’ll usually stock your products in their warehouses or stock rooms. There are two different types of retailers: small independent stores and big, multi-brand stores.

Small independent stores: Generally, smaller stores will have a limited range of products and a very specific target audience. You’ll find some of them on the high street, but many of them are online only. For example, one of our customers, Goodrays, works with an independent interior design store, Diverse Find Food, which stocks a selection of Goodray's CBD drinks on their website.‍

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• Major retailers: A larger, multi-product retailer will have lots more website traffic and cater to a much wider audience. Think of retailers like ASOS, Dunhelm and Boots—these are all big names that list popular products from loads of different brands—big and small. There are mid-range businesses too, like Not on The High Street, that specifically sell products from independent brands.

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Online marketplaces

An online marketplace is a website where you can list your products and connect with buyers. It differs from a retailer because you’re responsible for uploading and pricing your products on the site. Depending on the marketplace, you might also have to deal with shipping too. Examples of marketplaces include Amazon, Etsy and eBay.

Maintaining a balance between fulfilling online sales and supplying retailers is crucial, as a successful online presence can indicate that a business is prepared to venture into physical storefronts.

Wholesalers

Online wholesalers bulk buy products from manufacturers and brands at discounted prices and sell products to retailers. Fulfilling wholesale requests is crucial to ensure that product supply meets both e-commerce and retail demands. You can list your products with a general wholesaler like one of the hundreds of businesses on The Wholesaler. Or list with a wholesaler that specialises in a particular product. One of our customers, Food Huggers, sells products with Big Green Smile that specialises in sustainable products.

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Resellers

A reseller is almost exclusively online and often sells goods by dropshipping products to their customers. Many resellers add their own branding to their products (as long as they’ve got an agreement with the supplier) and can list loads of items on their website without needing any warehouse space to store inventory. Bear in mind that there are different types of resellers that follow different business models.

💡Whatever type of retailer you choose to partner with, make sure you’ve got the resources to supply them. Whilst having lots of product demand is great, if you can’t supply the stock it’ll negatively impact your relationship with your partners.

What to look for in a retail partner?

So you’ve seen all the different types of businesses you could partner with. But which one do you pick? Before you approach retail stores, here are some factors to consider to help you whittle down your choices.

Similar target audiences

You might not have the resources to partner with every retailer under the sun. In this case, opt for retailers that cater to your target audience. Take the statement eyeglasses brand, Bellinger House (one of our customers). They sit within the luxury fashion market, so you can expect to find them on high-end retailers’ websites like Roberts and Browns Opticians and Artistic Eyewear. You won’t, however, see them in mainstream stores like Specsavers.

💡Assess your product benefits to see if they align with the retailer’s exact target market. You could also check whether they’re selling similar products from your competitors—this might indicate whether your chosen store is a good fit.

A clear application process

If you’re working with small, independent retailers, they might not necessarily have set guidelines on how to set up a partnership with them. Often, these relationships are built through word of mouth, or—if they’re a growing store—they might hire merchandisers or retail buyers to hunt out brands to stock. But for bigger online retailers, look out for a straightforward and transparent signup process.

Not on the High Street is a good example of this. If you head over to the seller's FAQ section you can read about the application process and how much money you’ll need to pay upfront. They also put an emphasis on sending really clear photos to accompany your product. This is super important for any retailer—no matter how big they are. You can use a tool like Dash (that’s us) to help you collect, organise and share images with your partners. Scroll down this article to learn how to do this effectively.

A good reputation

If your brand is going to be showing up in other people’s stores and websites, you’ll want to make sure they’ve got a good reputation. A store that doesn’t treat its customers well will make you look bad— especially if consumers aren’t clear that they’re shopping on a retailer’s site. They might blame you for any bad experiences! Make sure you check out online reviews to see what customers are saying. Websites like Trustpilot and Google Reviews are a good place to start.

Where to find and approach retail stores?

We’ve already listed quite a few retailers in this post, including local stores. But there are loads more out there. Here are some places to look:

• Local brick-and-mortar stores: Check out some of the local independent stores near you. Whether that’s near your warehouse or home office, there might be some opportunities to get your products into your local community. Not only will your products benefit from the shop’s foot traffic, but once you build a good relationship, the owners might go the extra mile to promote your products. For example, Velvet, a boutique fashion and homeware store in Brighton sells products from local businesses like Martha Mitchell Design. To effectively approach retail stores to sell your product, it’s crucial to understand the retail landscape and make personal connections with buyers.
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• B2B marketplaces: A B2B marketplace (or wholesale business platform) is a place for you to showcase your products to retailers. NuOrder, for example, is a digital platform where retailers can go to find and order products for their stores.
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• B2C marketplaces: You might want to consider listing your products on B2C marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy and Ebay. Whilst massive corporations like Amazon might not be aligned with your brand identity (and that’s fine, you don’t have to associate with them), just bear in mind that your competitors are probably present on these sites so you might risk losing out on customers.
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• Trade shows: Another place to find retailers is at a trade show. These are multi-day in-person events that often take place in major cities around the world. Brands, retailers and wholesalers attend these events in the hopes of finding new partnerships. From specialist foods and jewellery to books and baking—there’s a trade show for most industries. Take a look at ExCel London to see the range of relevant events and shows.

Who should you contact? 

Once you have identified potential retail partners, the next step is to find the right person to contact. This is typically the buyer or purchasing manager responsible for selecting new products for the store.

Finding the contact information for the buyer or purchasing manager can be done through various means:

• Check the retailer website: Many retailers list contact information for their buying team on their website or social media profiles.
• Online directories: Resources like LinkedIn, industry-specific directories, and trade publications can provide the contact information you need.
• Customer service departments: A call or email to the retailer's customer service department should point you in the right direction. 
• Trade shows: As we already mentioned, trade shows are excellent opportunities to meet buyers and purchasing managers in person.  

How to pitch your products to a retailer? 

Once you’ve found the retailers you want to work with, it’s time to send them a pitch. 

For independent retailers, the best approach might be to pick up the phone and speak to someone directly. If you can find a contact for a retail store buyer or merchandiser then even better. If they have a physical store as well you could go in and chat to the owner (if it’s convenient). This is a great way to find out more about their business and customer base and to let them put a face to your brand’s name. 
For major retailers, you’ll often find an application form on their website.

Whatever store you pick, chances are they have loads of requests for stocking products, so consider sending a short elevator pitch in an email (or in person). Here are some pointers to include.

Highlight how your product benefits the retailer and its customers

Retailers want to know they’re going to get a good return on investment, so make sure you highlight how your product is going to benefit them. How does your product solve their target market’s needs? What’s your unique value proposition? Does your product’s price point match similar items in the retailer’s catalogue? What success have you seen with other retail partners?

To give you an example, here’s a product page from the online retail store Clove and Creek. They’re a lifestyle and concept store selling simplistic and modern items for the home and garden. If you browse their website, you can see products from lots of different lifestyle brands. Prices differ depending on the type of product, but the key thing for Clove and Creek is quality. 

Send clear, high-quality product images 

Product photos are vital to your pitch. The retail owner or manager needs to see what your product looks like. And showing them off in the best light will give you a better chance of getting your products into stores.  

So pick images that show your product off in different angles, colours and sizes (if applicable). Not on the High Street suggests: 

“Well-lit photography maximises sales for our Partners. In our experience, images of products on mannequins or with black backgrounds do not work as well.”

And instead of attaching big files to an email, or setting up a massive WeTransfer, use Dash for a quick and easy way to share your images. 

Dash is a digital asset management (DAM) tool that lets you find, manage and share your visual content. It’s a super important tool for ecommerce brands who need to get product images and videos out to their channels, fast. (You can read Barney’s post about why ecommerce brands need a DAM). 

To share product images during your pitch, you can collate everything into a Dash collection and share via URL. When a retailer opens your link, they’ll get a nicely branded view of your assets. (Once you secure a new partnership with a retailer, you can also use Dash portals to let your partners self-serve their own assets. But more on that later.)

Here’s what a collection looks like in a Dash we created for our demo brand, Planto.

💡Remember to also send pictures of your product packaging. Brick-and-mortar retailers in particular need to know what your products will look like on their shelves, as well as on their website.

🤓 Read Emma Dunham’s post for tips on creating stunning product photos. 

Decide your price per unit 

Everyone wants to make a profit. Your retailer will want the best possible return on investment. And you need to cover your manufacturing and shipping costs, whilst still making money. So make sure you state your price per unit and what a minimum order should be. It’s not cost-effective to send out small deliveries of your products to every retail partner, so consider a minimum order value (that could be a minimum spend or a minimum number of items in a shipment). 

Create a product sell sheet

If you’re sending lots of product pitches to loads of retailers (either in-store or online) it might be worth creating a product sell sheet. This is a one or two-page document that contains all the information we’ve already covered, along with detailed product descriptions and specifications like dimensions, ingredients or chemicals contained in your product. 

We've done some of the hard work for you! Grab some free product sales sheets in Canva. 👇

Send product samples

If you're going into a physical store or you have a contact for the person dealing with merchandise, why not offer them a sample of your product? This way they'll get to touch or taste your product in real life (which is essential if you sell food products). They'll even get to see how your product packaging will complement the other wares on their shelves.

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Lean on customer testimonials 

Retailers will want to know how real customers are using your product. Pick some positive customer reviews that spotlight your product benefits and solve problems.  

How to use Dash to keep your retail partners happy 

You’ve settled on a new partnership and your retailer is excited to sell your products. But your work hasn’t finished yet. You’ve got to nurture and maintain a good relationship with them if you want to continue selling to them in the future.

A big part of this relationship will be supplying them with the most up-to-date marketing materials for them to promote across their channels. 

But don’t worry. Keeping your retailers happy is easy when you use Dash. Here’s how. ✨ 

Give your retailers access to marketing assets

Both you and your retailers want to sell as many product as possible. So make it easy for them by giving them access to your brand and marketing assets. For this, use portals. 

Portals are separate from your main Dash account and offer a place for your resellers to browse, search and download all the assets they need to sell your products. Here are some of the useful things portals let you do: 

As a brand manager, you can: 

• Create multiple portals 
• Control what folders and fields your resellers have access to 
• Add a personalised welcome message for each retail partner 
• Choose to add a password 
• Keep retailers up to date with the latest product assets 

Your retail partners can: 

Search for content using keywords

• Filter assets by the fields and folder you’ve chosen 
• Download any asset included in the portal, using any of the preset sizes available in your account (including preset sizes for social media platforms) 
• Your retail partners won’t be able to share the portal with anybody else. And they won’t have access to your full Dash account. 

As an example, let’s take a look at how one of our customers Haws uses portals. They sell beautiful watering cans to 100 + brick-and-mortar retailers and online stores around the world, including independent retail sites like Beards & Daisies. 

To get this imagery over to Beards & Daisies, the Haws team gives them access to a public portal. As you can see in the image below, Haws’ partner can view and download images from their lifestyle photography, product photography, logos and icon folders. 

Not only does it let retailers grab the assets they need quickly, but they can adjust permissions depending on who the retailer is. For big customers, Haws sets permissions so their retailers can see everything; for smaller customers, they hold back some of the newer content to make it easier for them.  
Pretty nifty, right? Plus, it helps their retail partners sell more products. Josh, Haws’ purchasing manager, says:

“Some of our partners don’t have the budget to spend on beautiful lifestyle images or product photography. By providing that for them, we help them on their journey to sell more Haws. And it’s a win for us, because the more of our products they sell, the more they’ll buy from us.”

🤓 Read the full Haw’s customer story. 

Keep retailers up to date with your latest brand assets

Dash also helps to ensure your partners have your latest brand assets like logos, graphics and fonts, as well as guides on how to describe and talk about your brand and products. Your partners need these to help promote your products across their marketing channels. 

For example, take a look at how Kinetics keep their distributors up-to-date with their branding. Using Dash’s integration with Corebookº, they give their partners access to an online brand book that shows them the latest logos, images and typography. 

Use Dash to organise your best content 

Dash isn’t just a place for you to share content with retailers—it’s the home for all your marketing and brand assets. If you and your team have access to all your visual content, it’ll make it much easier to launch campaigns, drop product images into your Shopify store and get videos ready for your social channels. 

Here are some Dash features that help you launch and run your marketing campaigns.  

• Quickly search for images using tags: Dash detects objects within your images and automatically assigns tags. These tags make searching for images really easy. Take a look at the tags Dash has added to an image in Planto. 

These tags let Dash pull up relevant results when you type a keyword into the search bar. So when we search for ‘living room’ we’ll see all images containing that tag. 

• Drop images into your Shopify product pages and CMS: With our Shopify integration, you can quickly drop images from Dash into your product pages and CMS. You can also automatically adjust your images to fit Shopify’s image requirements. 
  
• Resize images for social media: You probably use multiple social media channels to help promote your brand and products. Use Dash to quickly resize your visuals to suit each platform's requirements. 
  
• Get UGC from your creators: Dash makes it super easy to collect user-generated content for your campaigns. Simply set up a guest upload link and ask your creators to submit their pics. You’ll then get to approve the images you love, and reject the ones you don’t. 
  
• Find your best-performing content: You can create fields in Dash and assign them to your assets. For example, the ‘performance’ field is great for tracking how well your images and videos performed in your social campaigns. So when you’re next planning some Instagram content, you know which ones are likely to resonate with your audience. 

💡See Dash’s full list of features in our article. 

Keep open communication 

Last (but certainly not least), communication is key to any good relationship. Here are some tips:

• Respond promptly to emails and calls: Timely responses show that you value the partnership and are committed to its success.
• Provide regular updates about your products: Keep your retail partners informed about any changes in product availability, pricing, or other important details through email or online portals.
• Being open to feedback: Encourage your retail partners to share their feedback and suggestions, and be willing to incorporate their input into your product development and marketing strategies.
• Offering training and support: Provide training and support to help your retail partners effectively sell and promote your product. This could include product demonstrations, marketing materials, and sales training.

Sell more products with retail partners 

There you have it: a complete guide to getting your product into stores. 🙌

Some of the most important things to remember are: 

• Find retailers who align with your brand and audience 
• Clearly highlight how your products will benefit your chosen retailers 
• Maintain a good working relationship by giving your retailers access to your latest product and marketing assets 

If you’d like to find out more about how Dash helps brands manage their retail partners, take a look at some of our customers: 

• 🍹Goodrays use Dash to keep on top of their marketplaces 
• 🍦Fwip use Dash to get product information to their brick-and-mortar retailers
• 🥕Food Huggers make sure their wholesalers have access to all the assets they need to succeed 

And if you want to give Dash a try yourself, sign up for a 14-day free trial—no strings attached.