Hello @haileyb
First off Congratulations on launching a new product. How very exciting.
My partner and I did the very same thing so we are very informed on the ins and outs of retail buyers.
Theres some really great articles out there:
1. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225169
2.
Some tips I might share:
Go shopping. Look for products that are similar to yours. Check the pricing. Check, especially, the packaging. "What really matters to the buyer is that it will fit well in stores," Waksman says. So if your competitors have wrapped their products in plastic or tin and you've wrapped yours in burlap, you might want to reconsider--or maybe it makes you stand out? In any event, be aware of how your product will appear next to that of your competition. And, by all means, make sure your packaging deters sticky-fingered shoppers.
Prepare your story. Your pitch must convince buyers that your gizmo will sell. "If they're only buying one product," Waksman says, "why would they take a risk on you?" Make sure you can answer that question.
When opportunity knocks, don't get caught in your bathrobe. If a preliminary test of your product inspires a buyer to order 100,000 more, to be delivered to 500 stores from Walla Walla to Kissimmee, can your manufacturing and distribution systems deliver the goods? "Your job is to have your product retail-ready--[to] have thought through how you're going to manufacture it on a mass scale, how you're going to price it and package it," Waksman says. "It is absolutely possible for the small guy to get sold in stores. It really comes down to how you position yourself. There's always a way."
