The art and science of getting your products on more store shelves and into the hands of more shoppers – without going bankrupt in the process. Sell more, gain more runway.

It’s estimated that 25% of a brand's gross sales are tied to their trade management budget. The challenge is that over 70% of all trade spending is wasted or ineffective. Knowing how to maximize each and every promotional opportunity is critical to your longterm survival as a brand. 

Let's face it, retail is “pay to play” and big brands have a substantial unfair competitive advantage. You feel like the deck is stacked against you and for good reason – but it doesn't need to be.  

What if I told you that there was a better way? What if I told you that you were not alone and that even the big brands struggle with this? It's true – and I have first-hand knowledge working with retailers as well as big and small brands.

The real goal of trade marketing is to introduce your brand, or product, to a new customer – PERIOD. While it’s nice to reward an existing customer to make another purchase, there are better more effective ways to do that – I dig into that in my Trade Management Essentials course. 

Trade marketing can be a complicated thing to manage but don’t worry, I’m here to help. Let’s start with the basics.    

Trade marketing is typically the single largest line item on a company’s income sheet, but how do you know if your trade marketing is effective?

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Most promotions are ineffective and fail to encourage new shopper trials – the primary goal of every promotion.  While rewarding loyal shoppers to make repeat purchases can prove beneficial, new shopper engagement is the key to growing brand sales.  

More importantly, effective promotions help retailers compete more effectively by driving shopper traffic into their stores and away from their competition.  This is the greatest bargaining chip any brand can offer a retailer.  Savvy brands leverage their ability to drive retailer sales when they negotiate with retailers for premium shelf space, incremental merchandising opportunities, etc.  

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