National Retail Launches

National retail launches are an absolute death sentence.  

Or sometimes they’re maybe more of a ‘serious injury’ sentence.

Now don’t get me wrong.

We drive growth in BOTH e-commerce AND retail.  

For most brands, retail is the endgame.  

But launching big chains can be a ‘career ending’ move for CPG Brands.

For example, Walmart has been referred to as the ‘kiss of death’.

If you don’t do things the Walmart way, you exit in a far worse position than you entered.

The truth is, launching a national chain can be amazing.

It is almost always followed by celebration.  

But losing that national chain 4 months into it, is catastrophic.

When we start a convo with Brands…

They are generally trying to increase retail velocity.

That is after all what we do for a living.  

But we can’t carry all of the water here.

Here’s a real scenario:

“Eric, we need help fast.  The buyer wants 4 turns, per SKU, per door, per week.  We’re at 0.5.”

Heartbreakingly, almost certainly not.

You’re short one turn, maybe two?

We got you.  We love a good challenge.

But we can’t offset zero awareness in just a couple of months.

Successful brands go into retail launches ready. 

Here’s how we see successful brands master a retail launch:

1. They are clear on available velocity tools.  

Whether we’re talking about demos, or retail media, or trade spend; successful brands have budgets set, and they’re realistic about what they can expect from them.  

2. They have strong budgets set before launch.

Big brands can often dedicate up to 20% of case cost to trade spend.  Small brands, that sometimes launch with negative margins, are just not playing the same game.  

3. They are clear on BUYER goals before launch.  

Veteran brands know exactly how many turns, per SKU, per store, per week; that their retail buyer wants to see.  

4. They have already built consumer awareness.

Veteran brands invest in social media, email marketing, and other forms of awareness marketing that help to create product ‘pull’, rather than having to push every unit of sale.  

5. Their backyard is in order before thinking Nationally.

Some of the biggest brands are selling in thousands of doors in their home regions before ever thinking of a National launch.  They’re leveraging retail, corporate, commercial, hotel, convenience, and even academic - in order to get to volume - before thinking of a National launch.  

6. They say ‘no’ to National launches, when the other 5 criteria are not in place.

The best brands turn down National launches when the conditions do not favor them.  They choose long-term growth, over a Hail Mary.  

What young brands may not realize, is that there are brands out there in 10,000 doors, sometimes 15,000 doors.  But still not National in a single chain.

This is not to say its impossible for young brands to land National retail launches.

They do at times.  But they usually require significant budgets in order to make it happen.  

Again National chains are the apex for most CPG brands.

That’s definitely the ultimate goal.  

But when you go, just make sure you’re ready.