Road 2 Retail

Episode # 85. Today the Road 2 Retail team shares our thoughts on how to prepare and attend an industry trade show or conference. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. The trade show and industry conference season is upon us. EXPO West is just a week away! These events are expensive to attend and can be overwhelming if you have never attended one before and don't have a solid plan in place in order to maximize the return on your investment of time and capital. Among the topics we cover today include: - We discuss the different kinds of trade shows and conferences there are and the purposes they serve. They are not all alike.- The importance of having a plan and objectives for the shows and conferences you decide to attend. Simply standing in a booth all day will not cut it.- Some shows are for selling, some conferences are topic specific such as updates on Regulatory matters or ingredients shows.- If you decide to have a booth at an event- how do I attract people to my booth, get meetings, and differentiate my booth from others in my category? Hints: samples are great! As is motion and action. Two people standing behind a draped card table....not exciting!- We cover the importance of working the meeting from the very beginning to the very end of each day. Opportunity presents itself to those that work the entire time.- And finally- some key points about the importance of precise, personalized follow up. Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 84. On today's show we are joined by Investment Banker- Teddie Townsend. Teddie is a Director at CG Sawaya Partners where she has a focus on emerging brands. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Teddie shares her views and experiences about emerging brands across many topics including: - The passion and drive of the Founder of an emerging brand and a product with a point of difference are early tells to potential success- Alignment of goals and timing are key when trying to raise money. What to do with the funding, when do you hope to exit, are just two points to seek alignment on early - The types of funding an emerging brand can pursue at various stages of their growth- What are emerging brand buyers and sellers each looking for? How long should a process take? What information will I need to provide? Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 83On February 18 the Road 2 Retail team attended ECRM's Center Store Grocery Week program. Today we recap the "Innovate X: Winning in Grocery" sessions- Sponsored by Market Performance Group. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify, or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Like all ECRM events, this one was packed with fantastic content and offered a robust agenda filled with opportunities for brands to network and grow their businesses. Among the topics covered by ECRM and the Market Performance Group (MPG) teams were: - Unleashing the Power of Social Commerce: Driving Omnichannel Growth with TikTok Shop. Presented by Oliver Bogner of MPG- From Aisle to Amazon: Amplifying Your Success on the World's Largest Marketplace. Presented by Bryson Buck of MPG- Navigating Growth & Innovation: Insights from Whole Foods' Local and Emerging Brands Team. Presented by Casey Gaston of Whole Foods Market- Unlock Growth: Strategic Capital Access and Scaling for CPG Brands in a Competitive Landscape. Presented by Mollye Santulli of Springdale Ventures- Data, Analytics & Storytelling for the Modern Merchant Mindset. Presented by Heather Grantham of MPG- Marketing Transformation: How a Full Funnel Approach Unlocks Growth. Presented by Cheryl Policastro of MPG Enjoy the show- great content for small, emerging and challenger brands! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.Episode Linkshttps://ecrm.marketgate.comhttps://www.marketperformancegroup.comhttps://www.springdaleventures.com

Episode # 82. Today we spend time discussing media with Buck Robinson - CEO of Retail + Response. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Buck does a great job explaining in great detail how "traditional media" can help emerging brands drive awareness quickly in order to accelerate sales performance in e-commerce or brick & mortar retailers. Oh- and the expense is within reach for all brands! Listen to this 30 year veteran of the media business share his views on driving growth and making your advertising investment work hard. Specific discussion points today include: - Getting on the shelf is only the start of the selling game. Selling through to the end consumer is the key! And the retailer timeline to prove brand success is getting shorter all the time.- Traditional media vehicles are still excellent to drive a large volume of impressions against your target audience fast to drive the awareness level quickly in order to accelerate consumer trial of your brand. There is no repeat purchase without trial.- Hear how Retail + Response go about building a de facto unwired network to focus efforts in a very tight geographic region or to drive your business with a specific retailer.- Traditional media is more affordable than you may think if you are trapped in legacy thinking or have heard the cost to play is out of reach.- If you are a great brand with a great story- listen to how traditional media can play a key role in your advertising mix to drive sales. Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 81. Today's show we speak with David Koifman- VP of Sales for Kickfurther. A unique financing firm small and emerging brands need to have on their radar. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. The Road 2 Retail team and David discuss how Kickfurther can help small and emerging brands pay for their inventory without crushing their cash positions, so they have capital to invest in other areas to grow their business. Included in the key points David makes are: - The company was founded by an entrepreneur challenged by the need to fund their inventory purchases. So Kickfurther truly understands the pressures small & emerging brands feel - Kickfuther offers multiple solutions as they know different brands have different cash cycles - They work with clients to help them maintain a steadier level of cash on hand with their bank - Kickfurther can scale with your brand as you expand your business across channels If your brand has a need to fund your inventory- contact David directly at Kickfurther to learn more! Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.Kickfurther web site- www.kickfurther.com

Episode # 80. On today's show the Road 2 Retail team runs through the brand details to double check for your brand as we roll into 2025. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Consider today's episode a "pre-flight checklist" of details to make sure you are on top of with every retailer you are working with already and those you are setting up. Topics covered today include: - Are all of your promotional plans properly loaded into the retailers system? Is the timing accurate? Are the budgets set? - Do you understand the key dates for each retail partner: line reviews, promo planning, new item meetings, adds & deletes, date new plan o gram hits their stores?- Is your pricing consistent across all channels/platforms/retailers? Consistency matters!- Do you understand what success looks like? "How will the paper be graded?" Do you know your velocity hurdle rates? Trade spend expectations? Elements that go into your brand scorecard?- Are you working with a broker or sales agent that really knows how to get things done inside your retailer? Work with people that KNOW what they are doing. Remove uncertainty in the mind of your retail buyer: there is always risk when making a bet on an emerging brand. While they may not say it- they will wonder "Can they execute and do what they say they are going to do?"- Don't get spread too thin and out run your funding to both make product and to invest in marketing to drive demand. Your brand must sell through- not justy sell in. Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.