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There was a time not long ago when it was perfectly adequate for you to get 80 percent
distribution on a new item within eight weeks. So it took as much as eight to 12 weeks to
get a new item out there. Well the retailer is not gonna give you eight weeks to build
distribution. You’ve got to turn your advertising on and you can’t wait for that slow build.
So we have a lot of suppliers today that are paying for speed to shelf initiatives. We
did an initiative the other day where a new item came out and we were in every store in
three days. And they will-- they’re willing to pay incremental marketing dollars because
with a television running to empty shelves and the product stuck in the back room, we
put a very comprehensive plan together to make sure that the stores were standing tall
within three days of the advertising breaking or the new item shipping. That’s very important.
And so we would suggest that that is marketing, even though it’s traditionally been the
domain of sales, it’s marketing to want your products in the right place at the right
price on the first day that it’s available for sale. So we’re seeing a big trend in
speed to shelf for new items.