Grocery Retailer Stores are Highly Competitive
The consumer grocery sector is busier and more competitive than ever. Over 40,000 grocery storefronts exist in the U.S., including supermarkets, natural or gourmet stores, specialty stores, warehouses, supercenters, club stores, and military commissaries. In addition to online retailers like Amazon Fresh and Thrive Market, offering ease and convenience for consumers.
More Food & Beverage Products are Vying for Shelf Space
According to Kansas State Research and Extension, about 15,000 new food products are introduced to the market each year. With such high competition, each new product introduction is fighting for consumers’ attention and retailer shelf space. As a result, the failure rate can be as high as 90 percent, only to be replaced with new product sale pitches and introductions the following year.
Grocery Retailers are Doing More with Less Staff
Like many companies, grocery retailers are looking for ways to remain competitive and improve their bottom line; this includes cutting labor costs, translating into fewer workers, and increased workloads. As a result, there is minimal time for grocery retailers to spend with prospective clients. New product manufacturers and their sales teams might find themselves unable to secure a face-to-face meeting with a targeted retail chain. More often than not, they’re turned down because retailers prefer working with a seasoned food broker.
Food Brokers Arrive Prepare
The #1 reason why manufacturing clients and retail customers prefer working with a food broker, like Alliance, is because they’ve had success with building local market relationships.
For over 15 years, we’ve accumulated the data and secured invaluable knowledge of what retailers want, what consumer profiles they are willing to accept, and the processes and protocol of retailers in every region. Our representatives call on hundreds of grocery retailers four times a week and typically have only minutes to get in front of them and make an impression. With Alliance, a food retailer knows we’ll arrive prepared, with all the paperwork filled out, samples and pricing in place, and with a customized sales plan in hand for every product, we bring to the table. For grocery store retailers, it’s all about conducting business efficiently and effectively.
Work with an Insider
Manufacturers need a food broker like Alliance not only for sales but for the relationships we’ve built with grocery retailers and our industry track record. Once a retailer says yes to a new product, that’s when the real work begins. An insider like Alliance is prepared to roll up their sleeves and to do everything that’s needed to customize your sales plan and make your product a success.
