If you’re an entrepreneur with hopes of getting your product in stores, there are a few key strategies to keep in mind. Selling your products to retailers, also known as opening a “wholesale channel” for your business, can help you sell to a wider variety of customers, expand your business’s reach and market share and boost your profits.
There are big opportunities to be found in selling to retailers. According todata from the National Retail Federation (NRF), the U.S. is home to more than 1 million retail establishments, and retail sales have grown by almost 4 percent per year since 2010. Even though there has been massive growth in online sales in recent years, brick-and-mortar retail still matters: according to the NRF, prior to 2020, online sales represented only 10 percent of total retail sales.
But just as any other marketing effort, becoming a successful wholesale seller requires certain skills, such as how to pitch to brands, how to get your product in local stores, how to build relationships with purchasing managers and more.
Here are a few key tips for how to sell wholesale to retailers as a小企业主。
Develop a Retail Pitch Strategy
向零售商出售批发要求与直接向消费者出售不同的策略。消费者从您的产品中想要的东西也可能与零售商有关，但是零售商也有一些其他问题，他们希望您在决定向您购买之前要解决。
Start by writing up a retail pitch strategy. This can be like a mini-business planfor how to get products in stores. Your retail pitch strategy should include:
- A list of stores you would like to approach. Why is your product a good fit for each store? What kinds of customers tend to buy your product?
- 有关产品如何与每个商店的销售计划保持一致的相关研究/市场见解。您的产品将在商店的地板布局，显示器和产品类别中融入哪里？商店已经出售竞争对手产品还是类似类别？如果是这样，为什么您的产品比他们已经出售的产品更好？
- 什么为了零售er. Keep in mind that the retailer wants to make money, too. If you can show them how your product can resonate with customers and help them make more sales, you’ll be more likely to get your product stocked on their shelves.
Once you have your pitch strategy in place, it’s time to take the next step toward getting your product in stores.
为商店创建音调包
When retailers are deciding which new products to purchase and stock on their shelves, they will want to see a “pitch package” to introduce your product. Think of the pitch package as a resume to help get your foot in the door. The pitch package should be visually oriented with photos, sizes and samples of the product. You also will need to include certain key details to help the retailer understand how they can do business with you and what volume of products you are ready to ship.
这些是在您的音调包装中包含的一些最常见的项目和详细信息：
- Minimum opening order and reorder:根据订单或美元金额的数量，预先确定您愿意和能够出售和运送的最小产品。当您以批发费用销售时，请确保确定最低限额，以涵盖数量的费用。
- 周转时间：If a retailer decides to order from you, how soon can they expect you to deliver the products? Establish a timeframe from order placed to delivery, and make sure your business can meet your deadlines.
- 付款条件：你发票订单到达后的商店吗or when the order is ready to ship? Will you ask for an upfront deposit? Does the store have standard payment terms, or are they willing to pay you more quickly in exchange for a discount on the price? Make sure the payment terms you agree to will help cover production costs and help you manage your cash flow.
- Shipping and insurance:确定要如何收取运输费用以及要使用的运营商。与商店建立协议，涉及如何处理包裹后处理损失/损失。例如，您可以提供保险作为额外费用的附加费用。
- 交流和退货政策：确定您将如何处理客户可能对产品或产品中断不满意的实例。例如，您可以设置交换和返回可能发生的时间窗口。
除包括这些条款外，您还希望包括有关产品和产品和包装样品的信息。
铺装包装
Maybe your products have only been sold online where you can include multiple images and descriptions that make it easier for the customer to know everything there is to know about the product. However, in a retail setting, your product has to stand out from the competition. One of the best ways to get attention on the retail shelf is with creative, visually impactful packaging design.
According to a最近的调查，有72％的美国人说，产品包装的设计会影响他们的购买决定，而67％的包装材料也有所作为。如果您要出售礼品物品，这一点尤其重要 - 有81％的美国人说，当产品的包装在为他人购买礼物时会影响他们的购买选择。
Your packaging has to make an impact on shelves in order for a retailer to be interested. Does your product’s packaging currently communicate its features and benefits? Is it even made to physically sit on shelves and be visible? Can you be more creative with the packaging design or the choice of materials to help tell more of a story about your product?
仔细考虑客户如何将您的包装视为产品的“首次介绍”。这可以帮助您以不同的方式查看包装。
Optimize Your Website for Wholesale Purchases
Let buyers and stockists know that your products are available for wholesale purchase by including a specific page在您的网站上展示该产品。该页面应具有一份联系表，供商店填写有关自己的详细信息。如果您认为这很合适，请考虑包括线条表（带有公司概述，条款，订单说明和产品目录）。
Attend Trade Shows
Trade shows and industry商业会议are still one of the best ways to connect with buyers and should be a part of your plan when you’re looking to integrate wholesale into your distribution strategy. It’s important to know what shows are the best fit for your brand and your product, so do your research upfront to determine which trade show(s) are worth your time and effort.
The “biggest name” trade shows might not always give you the best results if you’re just venturing into selling wholesale for the first time, because the big shows tend to be more expensive to exhibit at and more competitive to get attention. You might have better results by starting small with a local trade show or narrower niche-focused industry conference.
Sell Wholesale Online
Along with selling wholesale to brick-and-mortar retailers, there are several ways for small business owners to在线出售他们的产品。Online sales are becoming more important than ever.
According torecent U.S. Department of Commerce data, U.S. ecommerce sales grew by more than 30 percent between Q1 and Q2 of 2020, and ecommerce now represents 16.1 percent of all U.S. retail sales, up from 11.8 percent in the first quarter. You can help tap into these online retail sales opportunities for your business by selling directly to retailers online.
Consider signing up for these online wholesale marketplaces and B2B sales options:
- 亚马逊业务:除了向亚马逊上的消费者出售产品外，您还可以使用亚马逊出售给企业。亚马逊业务offers access to more than 1 million business buyers worldwide, representing more than $10 billion in annual sales opportunities.
- 苔原：Tundrais a no commission, no transaction fee wholesale marketplace where you can reach more than 25,000 retail buyers who want to find great products in categories like beauty, home goods, fashion, food and beverage, jewelry, kitchen wares, kids’ merchandise, toys and much more.
- Wayfair：Wayfairhelps small business owners sell millions of products at wholesale prices in categories such as bed and bath products, furniture, kitchen wares, lighting, outdoor, renovation and more.Wayfairsells your products at wholesale prices, then sends the customer order to your business for dropshipping.
Getting creative and adaptable in selling your products via new online channels can help your businessdiversify your revenues during a recession。即使这些商店仅是电子商务而不是实体零售店，也要继续寻求新的机会将您的产品进入商店。
Cultivate Your Own Customer Base
零售商喜欢从卖家那里购买批发产品，这些产品已经通过直接向消费者销售来培养了追随者。不要指望您的零售买家会为您建立观众或扩大您的品牌；您需要为您的产品构建嗡嗡声的努力工作，并希望在社交媒体上吸引大量受众。
向零售买家展示您的先前订单和收入将证明您的产品已经有需求。为了迅速提高对产品的认识和兴趣，您可以开始众筹活动。
As with anything, there are some advantages and disadvantages to going wholesale. In general, it offers quicker movement of your product, more cash flow through larger orders, larger consumer reach and greater brand exposure. However, selling wholesale also presents a few new changes in how you manage your business: wholesale pricing could cut your per-unit margins in half, so make sure you get a big enough sales volume to stay profitable and maintain predictable, healthy cash flow.
Also, as a seller to wholesalers, you will need to shift your business operations a bit, compared to selling direct to consumer. Be prepared to spend more time managing relationships with retail buyers and communicating with stores, and make sure you are willing to relinquish some control over your branding. You might not always agree with some of the decisions that retailers make with how they merchandise your products in their stores. Be prepared to advocate for your product even after making the sale.
If you’re ready toget your business up and running，Incfile可以提供帮助。立即与我们的专家联系，以了解我们如何帮助组建，归档和管理公司的所有来龙去脉。
