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“I need a stronger pitch.”
Buyers hear product stories all day. Your advantage is showing how the item fits the retailer, shopper, category, assortment, and shelf.
C6 • Shelf Space Mini-Course
A great product is not enough to earn shelf space.
Make the buyer’s decision easier.
Learn how to position one SKU as a clear category solution, recommend where it belongs, and show the retailer why shoppers should be able to find it there.
One SKU
One retailer
One placement case
Regular price: $297
Founder access
$97
Get Instant Access | $97
Focused. Practical. 14-day guarantee.
The expensive misunderstanding
Retail buyers are not evaluating your product in isolation.
Every new item takes space, attention, inventory, and execution away from something already on the shelf. A compelling product story helps. A retailer-ready category case makes the decision easier.
Shelf space is earned when the buyer can see the item’s role, the shopper need it serves,
where it belongs, and how it helps the retailer grow.
Watch the course preview
Stop pitching harder. Start reducing uncertainty.
Learn why placement, retailer fit, shopper logic, and a simple visual recommendation can matter more than another generic sales deck.
The three beliefs that keep brands stuck
A better shelf-space conversation begins before the buyer meeting.
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“I need expensive space-planning software.”
Sophisticated tools can help, but you can begin with a shelf photo, a simple mockup, and a fact-based reason for the recommended placement.
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“The retailer will know where it belongs.”
Retailers manage thousands of products. Your brand should help make the placement logic visible and easy to act on.
What you will learn
Build a stronger case for space without racing to the bottom on price.
- Understand how the retailer wants to serve the shopper
- Identify the role your item should play in the category
- Connect placement to a real shopper need state
- Use market-basket and cross-category thinking
- Show why integrated or adjacent placement may improve shopability
- Create a simple shelf recommendation without expensive software
- Support the recommendation with fact-based reasoning
- Become a category leader instead of another product asking for space
The quick win
Build one Shelf Space Decision Brief.
Use one SKU at one retailer. The goal is not a perfect company-wide planogram. The goal is a clearer, easier-to-approve placement recommendation.
Your first shelf-space recommendation
1. Name the retailer goal
2. Define the shopper need
3. Show the proposed placement
4. Explain the retailer gain
How I learned it and earned it
I have built shelf strategies from the retailer, brand, data, and shopper sides.
I was classically trained in category management and space management at Kimberly-Clark and Unilever. I have served as a category manager and category captain, taught retailers and brands how to use space-planning tools, and built custom analyses when the standard reports could not answer the question.
The lesson was simple: data can describe the shelf, but the shopper and retailer context explain why the recommendation should work.
9% category growth
A shopper-first category recommendation helped a major retailer create a permanent endcap
while competitors were flat or declining.
What changes
Stop asking the buyer to imagine the opportunity.
Before
- The deck is product-first and generic
- The buyer asks for more proof
- Placement is left to chance
- Discounting becomes the fallback
- The brand feels like another risk to manage
After
- The item has a clear category role
- The shopper reason is visible
- The shelf recommendation is easy to understand
- The retailer gain is part of the story
- The conversation becomes more collaborative
Your instructor
Daniel Lohman, CPSA
I have worked in retail stores, direct-store delivery, key accounts, category management, category leadership, syndicated data, natural and mainstream CPG, and founder leadership.
I know what it feels like to believe the product should speak for itself. It rarely does. This course helps you translate the product into a retailer-ready placement decision.
Frequently asked questions
Still deciding?
Do I need planogram software?
No. The course explains how to begin with a current shelf photo or simple shelf mockup. Professional space-planning tools can add precision later, but they are not required for the first useful recommendation.
Do I need syndicated data?
No. Use the retailer, shopper, category, competitive, and sales information you already have. Better data can strengthen the case, but the first goal is to make the placement logic clear.
Is this only for brands trying to enter a new retailer?
No. Use it for new-item presentations, category reviews, assortment discussions, shelf resets, placement improvements, retailer-specific sell stories, and existing items that shoppers have trouble finding.
What if the buyer still says no?
A no can reveal whether the missing issue is retailer fit, category role, shopper evidence, economics, timing, execution capability, or the amount of space requested. That is better than leaving the reason unclear.
Who is this for?
CPG founders, sales leaders, category teams, and brand operators who want to improve retailer conversations and make shelf-space recommendations easier to understand and support.
What is the guarantee?
You have 14 days to review the course. If it does not give you practical ideas you can use in a real retailer or shelf-space conversation, email Retail Solved and your purchase will be refunded.
One placement case can become the proof
Help the buyer see why your product belongs there.
Start with one SKU. Build one retailer-specific shelf recommendation. Make the shopper, category, and retailer value easier to see.
Instant access • Regular price $297 • 14-day guarantee
