Joel Goldstein is the President of Mr. Checkout Distributors.
getty
You have successfully invented a product that you are incredibly proud of, and now you are ready to make it available to the consumer by way of getting it on shelves at retail stores.
So, what comes next?
In this brief article, I will show you how you can take your particular product from invention to retail stores with ease and the utmost sense of success.
1. Test for quality assurance.
Before you even make any attempt to get your product into retail stores, you are going to need to make sure that you thoroughly test the invention. This should come even before making any big investments. Testing not only requires that you take the time to make sure your invention actually works, it also involves analyzing the market demand for such a product.
2. Research market demand for your product.
Put forth some research on market trends to see if there is a niche for your product in any way, shape or form. If there doesn't seem to be, you may want to hold off on investing a ton of money into getting your product into retail markets for the time being. This doesn't necessarily mean that you need to give up all hope in your invention, but you may need to take a step back for a little while in order to see if demand for your product has the potential to grow in the near future.
3. Create a prototype.
If you have found that there is, in fact, a niche for your invention on the retail market and you are ready to proceed, you can go ahead with creating a prototype. Take the time to get it onto retail shelves, and see what kind of reaction you get as people are made curious about it. This is a good starting point for you to understand how people will react to your product and what kind of broader interest you can expect.
If you find that your product does not gain any type of curiosity or draw it from consumers, you may want to consider changing the packaging or marketing, as small changes can yield big results. Make sure you are using the right colors, which not only fit your product and bring it to life, but also are appealing to the eye—causing people to give it a second glance.
4. Find the right co-packer.
Once you have built up some customer demand, you are going to be ready to find a co-packer who will allow you the opportunity to conduct a small test run of your product. You are most certainly going to want to start small when it comes to dealing with the production of your product. You'll want to see how it sells before breaking the bank by overinvesting in the creation of too many products—which may otherwise end up sitting around in storage until you are ready to get them into retailers.
Finding a good co-packer who is willing to work with you with regards to a trial run for your product is going to be in your best interest. Not only will this save you a lot of money in the long run, but it will also give you the opportunity to see if the co-packer is going to be a good fit for your needs overall. As a disclosure, my own company, Mr. Checkout Distributors, is a provider of convenience store retail solutions.
5. Find the right sales team.
Finally, you are going to need to find a sales rep who genuinely believes in your line. When you find a reputable, confident sales rep who truly believes in the product that you are trying to make available to the public, then you will find that your product will basically sell itself. Sales reps can make all the difference when it comes to making or breaking the sales of your product and getting it into retailers. If you have a sales rep who just is not passionate or engaging toward your product, no one else will be either. It really is of the utmost importance that you find a sales rep who is just as excited about launching your product as you are.
When it comes to invention, the sky is the limit.
One thing you must keep in mind is that you should not focus on making money too quickly. You will only make money when you start to sell the volume of your product. Taking your product from invention to retail is a tricky and time-consuming process. No matter how hopeful you may be about your product, it is incredibly unlikely that you are going to be a millionaire overnight, regardless of how great your product is. Take your time, have patience and stay confident and focused. If you can do this, you may just find success in selling and distributing your product.
As previously stated, taking your product from invention to retail is a tricky thing to accomplish. But it still is something that can be done successfully if you plan out the proper road map. Make sure you put forth a bit of research about the competition, co-packing and distribution options, and go from there. The more organized and patient you can be about your product, the easier you will get your product out there.
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