06.07.18
Cosmoprof North America, July 29-31 in Las Vegas, is the place to see new ideas in beauty and be seen by retailers throughout the country. With that in mind, retail industry expert Barbara Zinn Moore has developed 10 steps to pitch your beauty brand to the retailer of your choice. To see her speak in-depth about presenting your brand to a retailer, sign up for CPNA's "Win Shelf Space: An Insider's View from a Department Store Veteran." You can register here.
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Identifying
Identify and be sure you meet with the proper buyer. If your beauty brand is Prestige facial treatment, you do not want to meet with the sun-care buyer. Make sure you are talking to the correct person, and if by chance you are not, ask for a referral to the appropriate person.0 -
Do Your Homework
Know the retailer you are speaking to. Study them: Learn their stores, their brand mix, and their selling proposition. -
Presenting
Ensure your presentation speaks the language of the retailer you are pitching. Every retail company has their own distinct DNA, and it is essential that you have some knowledge of it. With the internet and social media so dominant, this is much easier than ever. -
Customize
your presentation to that retailer. As an example, it is widely reported that Ulta has a very robust and hugely important Loyalty program with over 28 million Loyalty members. Ensure that you have a program that will enable you to participate in their Loyalty program with specific member-only programs. -
Study
Ensure You Study the retailer’s online presence. In the case of Ulta, they have many online-only promotions. Ensure that you, too, have a proposal for at least one to two online-only programs to ensure you are covering what will be important to the Ulta buyer -
Be Flexible
When you study Ulta.com, you will see some online-only brands. Have a proposal to launch online-only first, with a rollout plan pending sales. -
Buyers Love Exclusivity
Depending on where you are in your brand’s lifecycle, launching exclusively OR with a 30 or 60 day lead time will absolutely set you apart during the presentation. If this is not possible, consider an SKU or a color or a set that will be at Ulta only, for a period of time. -
Don’t Leave Out Your Story
Storytelling is critically important, and your brand’s story is why you have the appointment. Make it interesting and compelling. It does not and should not take an hour. But why and how you founded your brand is critically important to engage the buyer and get her excited. Stories sell and customers love them! -
Remember That Buyers are Also Financial Analysts
They study numbers and data hourly and daily. They know SKU count, markup, COG, gross margin, net profit, etc. Be sure you can speak about your brand’s finances, as well as your story. Be sure you have a proposal for Ulta that encompasses in-store presentation, online presentation, training, marketing, and digital. -
Be Open and Honest About Your Capabilities
If you produce 1000 units/month, it will be difficult to fulfill an opening order of 5,000 units. Be honest about what it will take you to get to that point. It is infinitely better to discuss this upfront than to get an order you cannot fill.
