manufacturers Archives - Page 2 of 6

Sell a product or build a brand

July 17, 2015 by Megan Moyer

by Jen Johnston There are manufacturers out there in the world who solely want to sell product. You might be thinking, well yeah, that is the point of being in business, right? True, but your business will not be sustainable if you have more interest in selling a product than building a brand. You need … Read more

Your competitors might be different than you think

July 6, 2015 by Megan Moyer

by Jen Johnston

If your HBW brand is crossing over from the natural market to conventional channels, you may need to look at your competitors differently.

For example, say you are a brand that is very well established and successful in the natural space — a true leader in your category. Now you are crossing over to conventional channels — mass retail, drug chains, and grocery — and are developing a strong story for the retail buyers.

As part of a competitive SWOT analysis, you decide not to include a popular homeopathic product despite the fact they have the same delivery system and are used for a similar purpose. Your reasoning? “That brand is homeopathic and we are natural — it’s a completely different shopper base.”

Your product — indies vs. chains

June 26, 2015 by Megan Moyer

By Dave Wendland There are differences to how products move through the supply chain and are ultimately shelved and promoted at chain drugstores versus independent pharmacy. I’ve outlined a few of the variations below. Depth Chain drugstores often carry far deeper inventory levels than their independent pharmacy counterparts. Why? It’s partly a result of next … Read more

For international CPG manufacturers, success in the U.S. is not guaranteed – part three

June 17, 2015 by Megan Moyer

By Angela Pinkstaff This is the final post of a three-part blog series covering the critical steps to take when introducing an international product to the U.S. The first post was an introduction and focused on market research. The second post covered selling strategies and branding. This entry discusses marketing strategy and launch timing. Marketing … Read more

For international CPG manufacturers, success in the U.S. is not guaranteed – part two

June 10, 2015 by Megan Moyer

By Angela Pinkstaff This is part two of a three-part blog series covering the critical steps to take when introducing an international product to the U.S. The previous post was an introduction and focused on market research. This post covers selling strategies and branding. Boots on the ground: the right help for the right market … Read more

For international CPG manufacturers, success in the U.S. is not guaranteed – part one

June 4, 2015 by Megan Moyer

By Angela Pinkstaff In this three-part blog series I’m going to cover the critical steps to take when introducing an international product to the U.S. This post will focus on market research. With over $33 billion in sales in 2013 alone*, the United States OTC market certainly seems like fertile ground for an international CPG … Read more

Three Steps to Building an Effective Strategy

May 21, 2015 by Megan Moyer

By Dave Wendland Many companies seem stuck when it comes to developing their go-to-market strategy. Often it’s the result of having too many chefs in the kitchen who don’t seem to agree on direction, because they fear the unknown, or are unwilling to budge from the status quo (a.k.a. “safety net”). Sure there are countless … Read more

Thorough planning is a must for product launches

May 14, 2015 by Megan Moyer

By Megan Moyer “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”― Benjamin Franklin When you are launching or re-launching a product, it is so important to plan, and plan thoroughly. A necessary stage in planning will include pouring over data and research to make sure what you are developing, positioning, and manufacturing is a … Read more

Choose Wisely, Grasshopper

May 8, 2015 by Megan Moyer

by Dave Wendland For those “experienced” enough you may remember the 1970s kung fu episodes with the constant reminder to “Choose wisely, Grasshopper.” Thus is the case when considering strategic partnerships and allies in your quest to meet your business objectives. The first consideration in selecting potential partners to advance your business is to clearly … Read more

Variety of factors exert influence on consumers

May 7, 2015 by Megan Moyer

by Cari Sass for Chain Drug Review January 5, 2015 In a multipart series during 2014 our team has examined key product attributes and marketing tactics from two different perspectives — the retail buyer and the consumer/shopper. This objective picture of the two viewpoints should contribute to a product’s success at retail. In our final … Read more