Sunday, July 10, 2011

How long will it take to place my product into a retail store!

Under the frequently asked questions category "How long will it take" is by far the most prolific question asked.

This is not surprising as vendors are anxious to see their products on the shelves of big retail and finally be rewarded for the long hours it takes to conceive, create, produce and market a retail item.  No one in the final stages of bringing a product to market is without significant battle scars, however in the foxholes of product development there are no pessimists.

There is no exact science when it comes to determining how long it will take to sell product into retail, however items generally fall into one of two categories. 1.  Products that have a clear category and dedicated shelf space already in a retailer.  An example of this could be flash drives.  Perhaps your company has developed a new type of flash drive that will blow the market wide open.  In a case like this we would only have to convince the buyer to purchase our new and innovative product not to create brand new space on the shelf as they are already selling like items.  2.  Products that are brand new to the market and have never been sold before.  Items like this create double the work, not only do you have to sell the benefits of the new item you have to help the buyer understand where they would merchandise this new product and why taking a risk on it will pay off.

Although the newer items to market will generally take more time and work you can expect the process to take 3-18 months or longer.  I know this seems like a long time, however unless you are Sony, Campbell's,  Johnson & Johnson or like companies the process will be lengthy and the sooner you begin  the faster you will see results.

Below I have created a best case scenario to help illuminate the process.  For the purpose of this example we are going to say that the buyer loves the product out of the gate, they don't go to China, get sick or go on vacation during the process.  This example begins during the preparation phase.


  1. Sample evaluation, pricing strategy and presentation prep - 30 Days
  2. Sending the presentation to the buyer and receiving a response - 30 days 
  3. If requested sending samples to the buyer - 15 days.
  4. Review of the samples by the buyer 15 days.
  5. Filling out of vendor paperwork, negotiating the contract, receiving all necessary signatures, being approved and receiving your vendor # -30 days.
  6. QA testing on the product or 3rd party audit on the manufacturing facility - 30-90 days if required
  7. Cutting a PO - 14 days.
  8. Lead time to manufacture the product - 60 days.
  9. Delivery time to the retail warehouse - 15-30 days depending on where it is coming from.
  10. Distribution time to the stores - 15 days.
  11. Time to get paid - 60 days.
Remember the above is best case and even if we take out #6 above we are still looking at 91/2 months to complete the process with one retailer.  There could also be the scheduling of a face to face meeting required which will add time.

The idea of the above example is not to discourage, but to encourage.  The sooner you start this process the faster you will achieve your goals.  

At TLB Consulting we can help you through every step of this process.  We can help you maximize your time, effort and results.  Let us help you prepare for success. 

Visit out website or contact us now at Tim@tlbconsulting.com.