In short
A young brand is ready for dm when it can clearly answer three questions for the retailer: why does the category need this brand? Which products belong on the shelf? And how will customers find their way to the shelf once the brand is there? Online success or a good product alone answers none of them.
Why online success isn't enough
When you grow online, you control almost everything: the story, the visuals, the moment a customer sees you. On the shelf you have a few seconds and one pack among many others. No ad explains why anyone should buy you.
On top of that, retailers think in categories, not brands. The question isn't whether your brand is good, but what it brings to their category. New customers? A need nobody covers yet? Or just one more product next to many similar ones?
The five building blocks of retail readiness
- A brand that explains itself. From two metres away and within three seconds, it has to be clear what you are and who you're for.
- A listing range instead of your whole shop. A few products that lead and work on the shelf. That's not automatically your online bestseller.
- A category story. Which gap do you close, which customer do you bring with you, and what does your own data show: repeat purchases, reviews, community?
- A sell-out plan. The listing is the start, not the goal. How will you bring people to the shelf: through social, creators, CRM and in-store activations?
- An operational base. Packaging, supply reliability and product data have to meet the retailer's requirements. It sounds trivial and costs the most time if you start too late.
What retail buyers want to know
- What does your brand bring to the category that isn't there yet?
- Which customer buys you on the shelf, and does she already shop there today?
- Which products do you want to start with, and why exactly these?
- How will you support sell-out after the listing?
- Can you deliver reliably if it goes well?
The most common mistakes
- Offering the whole range instead of proposing a clear start.
- Bringing a founder deck instead of a story from the retailer's point of view.
- Treating the listing as the goal and planning no budget for what comes after.
- Tackling packaging and product data only once the meeting is booked.
What I do and what I don't
I prepare brand, range and story so your team walks into the retailer conversation well prepared. The negotiation itself and the terms are handled by your team or your sales partner. How this works in practice is on my go retail page.
Checklist: are you ready for dm?
- Your brand is understandable on the shelf within three seconds.
- You have a listing range of a few products, each with a clear reason.
- You can explain what your brand brings to the category.
- You have your own data to back it up: repeat purchases, reviews, community.
- There is a plan and a budget for sell-out after the listing.
- Packaging, supply reliability and product data are retail-ready.
Frequently asked questions
Does this also apply to Rossmann, Müller or Douglas?
Yes. The basic logic is the same for every retailer: category, range, sell-out. The details differ by retailer, category and target group.
Do you need a sales team for the listing?
For the negotiation you need someone with retail experience, on your team or as a partner. Before that, brand, range and story should be in place. Otherwise you're negotiating about something that isn't finished yet.
When is the right time to move into retail?
When your brand has a clear core, at least one product is reliably bought again, and you have budget for sell-out after the listing. Going too early risks a delisting that can hurt for a long time.
About the author
Martin Kunze is a brand business builder based in Berlin. He has built brands, led portfolios with revenue responsibility and represented both in front of retail, in a global corporation and with start-ups.