A common theme from my clients, and in Facebook groups, is that you want to get your products on retailers’ shelves but how do you find retailers for your product?
Today, we are going to dive deeper into how to find retailers for your product.
And I have a unique viewpoint of this because I am a retailer.
So these ideas are from a retailer’s point of view because we are always looking for innovative products for our shelves.
What is Faire Marketplace?
Think of Faire marketplace like Amazon for retailers.
It’s a powerful platform that connects over 700,000 retailers with wholesalers, allowing them to purchase products t wholesale prices for their boutiques and storefronts.
Why should you utilize Faire?
Faire does take a commission of about 15%, however, the benefits can outweigh the costs, especially when compared to hiring a sales rep who may take upwards of 20% commission.
Using Faire eliminates the need for expenses such as printing wholesale catalogs, providing product samples, and renting booth space at markets like Dallas, Atlanta, or Las Vegas.
And as I like to tell my clients we work smarter not harder.
I love Faire as a platform to get connected to other retailers.
Common misconceptions about Faire
One of the biggest myths out there is that you can just put your products out there, and Faire will bring new retailers to you.
That is far from accurate.
So, I am going to give you easy places that you can find retailers to pitch your products, and then you can actually go add those retailers that you find, add them to your Faire customer list.
Bonus points here.
When you do that, Faire will actually boost your visibility on their platform and increase the algorithm and the reach that you have among their already existing retailer base.
So, you may not have known that, but I have seen it be true time and time again with my own Faire shop and with my clients as well.
Curating your email list
Having your own email list of your retailer’s emails and contact information is vital.
If in the unfortunate event something should ever happen to Faire, you would have lost all of your customer contact information.
And in this situation, when you follow my recommendation, you, on the front end, have now curated your own email list.
And if you listen to one of my very first podcast episodes, The #1 Marketing Strategy I Wish I Had Utilized From the Start of My Business, you will understand why your email list is your number one marketing asset.
How to find retailers for your product – 5 innovative ideas
Leverage local stores
My first recommendation, and this may sound obvious, but so many people overlook this one or let their fear hold them back from pitching their products when they’re out doing their everyday shopping and errands in their local hometown. And this one is easy, easy.
Anytime you are out doing your shopping, your day-to-day routine, and you come across a store that you feel would be a great fit for your products, I always, always make it a point to mention that I am a local product maker.
Because let’s be real, boutiques store owners love local products.
I always mention that I’m a local product maker, and I know that my products would be a great fit within their shop and offer to follow-up and bring by some samples.
Not only have I never had a store turn me down from bringing by some samples, but I have also won several wholesale accounts this way.
All it takes is 10 seconds of courage.
And if you want an easy, comfortable way to start the conversation, simply do it while you are checking out at the register and strike up a conversation.
It may not be the store owner.
It may not be the decision maker.
But you can simply mention that you’re a product maker and leave your contact information or even ask for the contact information of the owner and follow-up with an email.
Look for new shops while on vacation
You can also do this while you’re on vacation in different cities.
I love taking notes on my phone if I am out shopping while on vacation for different stores that I know would be a great fit to carry my products.
When I get back home and do some research, I will then send a pitch email to that store owner and mention that I found them when I was on vacation.
I have had a great success winning some wholesale accounts that way.
Referral fees for friends and family
Another creative spin on how to find retailers for your product is offering your friends and family a referral fee if they have some stores and boutiques that they can connect you with.
So, when that boutique or that store makes their first purchase from you, then you will give them maybe a $50 or a $100 referral fee for simply making that warm introduction or for pitching your products to that store and then letting you know about it, so that you can follow-up.
This is a great way for word-of-mouth marketing for your brand.
How to find retailers for your product online
I love to find retailers, especially retailers that can be all over the country or really all over the world, is to pull up Yelp and search by ZIP code.
You can even narrow down stores by specific industries or categories.
For example, if you are looking for more farmhouse decor type stores, you can search that within Yelp.
It will narrow down within that ZIP code or within that city, farmhouse decor stores, or maybe it is gift boutiques.
It generates an easy list of stores for you.
Make sure to research that individual store’s website and figure out if they would be a good fit for your brand, find their contact information, and send your product pitch email too.
You can also utilize the same strategy on Google, sometimes it will give you different results because you do have some boutiques and stores that pay to advertise on both Yelp and Google.
I often skip over those sponsored boutiques unless they look like they might be a good fit for my brand.
Regardless, any store or boutique that I add to my list, I always, always, always do my research and get on their website and see if they are a good fit to carry my products.
Leveraging complimentary products
Another great place to find retailers to pitch your products to is by looking for products that are complimentary to your own products.
Now I want to really stress this.
You do not want to find competitors’ products. You want to look for products that are complimentary to your own products.
So, products that boutiques would also carry in their store, and a lot of times these product makers will also carry their stockist list on their website as well.
Let me give you a specific example. My candle company is more of a farmhouse aesthetic.
I noticed that many stores carrying my candles also stocked a particular paint brand.
So, I looked on this paint brand’s website and found their stockists and reached out to a lot of different stockists on their website.
So, I will also stress that I did my research for each of these stockists on their individual website first before I reached out to them.
I always want to make sure that my candles would be a great fit for that brand before I reach out.
I wanted to make sure that they did not just sell paint and they would be open to selling candles.
Crafting the perfect email pitch
When contacting these companies, I was not just sending a blind pitch email without having done my research.
I always, always, stress that to my clients.
You want to do your research before sending any pitch email.
You want to show that you’ve done your research and that you know something about that client and you can personally connect with them.
But finding a stockist list on a complimentary products website is a great way to get an idea of some retailers that you can research and add to your list of potential stores to reach out to and pitch your products to as well.
I just gave you three different places where you will not have a shortage of retailers to pitch your products to for them to carry your products on their shelves.
One way is to keep a list of stores and boutiques you come across while running errands or traveling on vacation that would be a great fit for your products.
Number 2 is on Yelp or Google researching a specific zip code or city.
And number 3 is on a complimentary products website and on their stockist list, ensuring that you do your research on that store’s website, making sure that your product would be a great fit for their store first.
Once you have this list, make sure you are consistently reaching out to retailers every single week.
And remember that follow-up is key.
90% of people never send a second email.
So, you can stand out by simply following up.
Join my free challenge – 5 retailers in 5 days
Are you ready to learn how to craft an email that will stand out among your competitors?
I want to invite you to my free challenge.
This free challenge provides tools and strategies to create effective pitches and connect with retailers successfully.
It’s a game-changer for business owners looking to expand their market reach and figure out how to find retailers for your product.
It is 5 retailers in 5 days, and it starts on December 2nd.
In my last challenge a participant had this to say,
“Overall, this challenge has been a game changer, equipping us with the tools and strategies to expand our market reach and bring our products magic to more shelves. I highly recommend this challenge to any business looking to connect with retailers effectively and efficiently.”
Any business owner can use these strategies for their business and receive positive results. So, make sure you sign up for the 5 retailers in 5 days challenge right here.
