Retailbound is one of the few agencies in the world that a majority of the team has been on both sides of the retail buyer’s desk. What does that mean to you? It means that we understand from a product manufacturer perspective what are the challenges and opportunities when trying to launch a brand in retail. It also means that we understand from a large retail buyer perspective, what retailers expect from product manufacturers as well as what strategies are needed to be executed in order to drive both sell-in and sell-through of products on the shelf.

We have helped hundreds of product manufacturers all around the world launch their brands with key retailers in US and Canada.  For product manufacturers who don’t have the time or experience with launching their products in retail, Retailbound is the most cost-effective solution in the market.

Working with commission-only manufacturer sales reps to get products into retail is a good strategy for some brands. However, for most brands, especially product startups, using commission-only manufacturer sales reps is not a good strategy.

Manufacturer sales reps prefer working with product brands who are “retail-ready”, meaning that the manufacturer already has the necessary things completed to be ready for retail as well as an established sales history. Manufacturer sales reps mainly focus their efforts on getting products placed on the retail shelf. However, if the product sits on the retail shelf collecting dust, it’s not rep’s issue, it’s the product manufacturer’s issue. Finally, since manufacturer sales reps work on commission, they try to work with as many product manufacturers as possible. Unfortunately, in reality, they can only spend their time with product brands that either are easiest to sell or makes them the most money so it’s very difficult for them to spend time equally with all their product brands, especially with product startups or smaller brands.

At Retailbound, we love working with all types of product manufacturers, especially product startups! We know with smaller product brands, it takes more time, effort, and care to help them grow in retail.  We have standardized templates and tools in place to help “fast-track” the process of getting product manufacturers ready to sell to and work with retailers of all shapes and sizes.

We get paid an hourly rate for a specific number of hours worked per week. Every week, our clients get a project report showing what tasks or deliverables their retail consultant are doing for that particular week. At least once a week, our clients get on a call with their retail consultant to get updates on the progress with key retail accounts.

Finally, unlike most manufacturer sales reps who take on several product brands, Retailbound is very selective on which product brands that they decide to work with. Retailbound also assigns each retail consultant only 5 clients at a time. It doesn’t matter if a product manufacturer has been in business for 2 months or 2 years or has 5 items or 50 items in their assortment, each client of Retailbound gets equal attention from our team.

With our expert team helping your product brand launch and grow in retail, there’s no more struggling with the learning curve. Our agency’s full-service approach means you can take the burden off one’s shoulders and concentrate on doing what you do best. The strategies we develop and execute for you increases the chances that your products will appear at your favorite retailers’ shelves in the future.

While there is no guarantee that every client we work with that they will get on the retail shelf “tomorrow”, they are 2 things we can guarantee.

1. We will get our clients “retail-ready” much faster than they can do themselves.
2. We can get feedback on our clients’ products from major retailers much faster than they can do themselves.

Selling one’s products on Amazon or D2C does not constitute being ready to work with retailers, let alone sell to retailers. Many brands, especially product startups, do not have the necessary things in order to discuss with the retail buyer including…

• A clear retail channel strategy.
• Retail pricing including all the back-end fees a retailer and a distributor may require.
• Retail packaging as well as warehouse packaging (i.e. master case packs and inner case pack configurations).
• A professional retail buyer’s presentation deck that includes the necessary information that retailers want to know about your company and product line.
• A promotional marketing plan strategy.
• Warranty and product returns strategy.
• And much more!

Retailbound helps clients get “retail-ready” by working with them weekly in getting those necessary deliverables completed. Once the “retail-ready” phase is complete, then clients will have the skills and confidence to meet with retail buyers, with or without Retailbound’s assistance.