Product Placement On The Retail Shelf

Getting premium placement on the retail shelf is often the difference between roaring success and total failure. No matter how good your product is — how useful, innovative or inexpensive — if shoppers don’t see it, they won’t buy it.

This is why the accompanying resource is essential reading for any entrepreneur or business entering the retail market for the first time or struggling to find a way to improve its existing product placement.

As the resource explains, there are two basic aspects of earning a top spot on the shelf: packaging design and marketing. If the product’s package doesn’t grab the shopper’s attention, it’s probably not going to sell well no matter where it’s positioned. If the product has the most eye-grabbing package in the world but the retailer isn’t sold on showcasing it, sales will similarly disappoint.

Retail packaging design can be quite complicated, since so many factors have to be taken into account. Professional packaging design firms — well worth engaging in the highly competitive retail space — will consider packaging functionality, product protection requirements, (in some cases) retailer packaging requirements, target market(s), seasonality, value proposition, competitive analysis, material cost, sustainability, color scheme, brand identity and a number of other factors in creating the ideal package. It’s a complicated and ever-changing affair, since packaging trends, customer preferences and retail marketing best practices change at a rapid rate.

Having a persuasive story is certainly the surest route to earning excellent shelf position, but there are other strategies that go along with it to get results more quickly. For instance, the resource covers co-branding and shelf rental, both of which are commonly used, especially when highly competitive conditions exist. Co-branding is effective for newer, smaller and/or financially limited manufacturers. Partnering with a brand that has deep pockets and an established track record provides the credibility and resources necessary to make an effective pitch. Shelf rental, a practice gaining in popularity among retailers, enables manufacturers to buy their way onto the shelf and prove the merits of their product.

Infographic from displaypack.com