We offered a discount. Then another one. Then a third.
The stores still aren't buying.
From my desk today
I'll be honest: I'm in the middle of a launch that isn't going the way I want.
We have a supply agreement with a Canadian buying group of independent stores, for one brand we distribute. On paper, it's a great fit. The products suit the stores. The terms are signed.
But a buying group isn't a chain. Head office doesn't tell each store what to buy. Every owner decides for their own shelves. So the supplier has to show and pitch the products to each store, one by one.
We've put several kinds of discounts on the table: a first-order discount, extra savings in the group's flyer, a group buy for deeper pricing.
The adoption rate? Very, very slow.
And I've caught myself thinking the same thing every brand thinks at this point: maybe we just need a lower price.
I don't think that's the answer. Here's why.
The retailer reality
Put yourself in the store owner's shoes.
You get dozens of new product pitches. Your shelf space is full. Your cash is already tied up in stock that sells.
Then a new brand shows up with a discount.
A discount answers one question: "How much will it cost me?"
It doesn't answer the questions that actually matter to you:
- What problem does this solve for my customer?
- Why this one, and not what I already carry?
- How will my customer even know it's here?
- What happens if it just sits on the shelf?
Until those are answered, a lower price is just a cheaper way to take a risk. Most owners will pass.
Behind the scenes at Randmar: 4 things to fix before you touch the price
1. Define the problem and the USP, then show it.
Before anything else, answer two questions in one sentence each:
- What consumer problem does this product solve?
- Why is it the best answer to that problem (its unique selling proposition)?
Then illustrate it for the retailer. A short demo, a before-and-after photo, a real customer use. If the store owner can't explain it to a shopper in ten seconds, it won't sell, at any price.
I'd go further. Look at retail today: stores are short-staffed, everyone is short on time, and many shoppers don't want to talk to anyone. If the product can't sell itself from the shelf or the screen, a lower price alone won't fix a thing.
2. Give stores the tools to sell it.
A product without content is invisible, online and in-store. That means:
- Strong product images and lifestyle photos showing it in use
- Complete product data: clear titles, descriptions, specs and UPCs
- Simple sell sheets the owner can use with staff
This is the cheapest fix on the list, and the one most often skipped.
3. Go to the stores, not just the head office.
In a buying group, the agreement opens the door. It doesn't fill the shelf. Each owner still has to say yes.
That takes outreach: pitching store by store, following up, sharing early wins from the stores that did say yes.
So before you launch, think about your sales team. Who will introduce the product to each store? How many stores can they reach, and how often? Decide how your product gets in front of hundreds of owners, not just one head office. Without that plan, even the best agreement stays on paper.
And don't skip the group's annual trade show.
I'll admit it: I have a genuine love-hate relationship with trade shows. The cost to attend always looks high, and the results are too often not instant enough.
But done right, trade shows, especially with buying groups, can be the key to unlocking a launch. It's one of the few places where many store owners stand in front of your product at the same time.
4. Plan the promotion together, and give it time.
A promotion works best when it's planned, not panicked:
- Funded by the brand, for a set period
- Kept within MAP, so no reseller's margin gets undercut
- Run through our Manufacturer Portal as an instant rebate or promotion, so every reseller sees the same offer
- Measured, with a clear timeline for sell-through
New products rarely take off in the first few weeks. Set a realistic window and judge the results at the end of it.
And only then: check the price.
If all four are done and the product still doesn't move, compare it honestly against what's already on the shelf. Sometimes the price really is the problem. But it should be the last thing you fix, not the first.
My real point
A discount tells a retailer what something costs. It doesn't tell them why it will sell.
Fix the why first. The price can wait.
Your quick win this week
Pick one product you're trying to launch and write its USP in one sentence a store clerk could repeat. If you can't, that's your first fix, before any new discount.
Your turn
When a new product finally took off in your store, what made the difference, if it wasn't the price?