There are times when your new product may be ready to be shipped but not ready to be sold in-store.
Your supplier may have given you the ok on your packaging. Your retail partner has said yes to carrying your product. So what can go wrong on launch day? Stock in the back, no price ticket, unsure where it goes on the shelf.
You need to start thinking about store layout planning before your first delivery lands. By working together with your retail partner you can plan where the shopper will see your product and how shoppers can find it.
What you’ll learn:
- Know What You’re Both Working Towards
- Plan Where Your Product Will Be Located
- Ensure Your Product Data Is Accurate
- Get Stock Ready For Launch
- Ensure Price And Promotion Readiness
- Plan Your Post-Launch Review
Know What You’re Both Working Towards
Suppliers may want to achieve a certain number of listings. Retailers may want to achieve high unit sales per store, profit or grow category sales.
Define your target consumer and the role your product plays in the market. Is it a value option, a premium product or a pack for smaller households?
Decide on a few key metrics you will monitor together. Number of stores ready to launch, initial sales vs forecast, follow on orders etc.
Decide on when you will review this too. Just because you delivered a great first shipment doesn’t mean shoppers are buying your product or just shifting sales from another SKU in your range.
Plan Where Your Product Will Be Located
Securing a listing is only half the battle, your product needs to be found in a logical location for the shopper.
Using a retail planogram will help determine where your product should be placed on the shelf, which products should sit alongside yours and how many facings the product will receive. Your supplier can show their recommendation and your retailer can ensure it meets the category’s requirements.
Where is the primary shelf location, which bay and what will it be next to? Does it have a permanent position or does it require a promotional display as well?
If your new product will impact another SKU you may want to discuss that with your retailer prior to instructing your stores.
Depending on store format you may want to consider which products to offer in which stores. For example if your range has 5 SKUs, you may want all of them in a larger store but only your top 2 performers in a smaller store. Make sure you check the width of the shelf and amount of stock that will be able to sit behind each facing. A display may take up too much space or may not work if your product is not being replenished often enough.
Try to ask someone in your store to find the product. If they struggle to find it, maybe re-think your position on the shelf.
Ensure Your Product Data Is Accurate
Just because your planogram looks good on the screen, doesn’t mean your actual product will look the same on the shelf.
Let’s say you built a planogram around an initial pack, once your product is finalised the pack height may be higher than you anticipated and you now don’t fit on your desired shelf space. Incorrect case quantities can also lead to ordering and replenishment issues.
Make sure you double check the following before agreeing to a position:
- Product description, listing code and UPC
- Dimensions of pack, orientation and units per case
- Any shelf ready displays/trays
- Approved imagery, copy and claims
It is always a good idea to physically see a final sample of your product to identify any potential issues.
Ensure your supplier confirms what product information is finalised and double check with your retailer that the correct information is inputted into their system. Who will approve any changes and who will be informed if any changes are made to your packaging/case quantities.
Get Stock Ready For Launch
Just because you have confirmed a delivery date, doesn’t mean you will be on sale.
In a 2026 UK grocery audit, 82% of audited stores had at least one item missing from a typical weekly shop. The audit measured general shelf availability, not new-product launches.
Count back from when you want your product to be visible to shoppers. When will your supplier deliver, when will your retailer receive, when will your stores be stocked and when will your changeovers be completed.
How much stock should be on hand for each group of stores and when will replenishment occur?
With shorter life products, you may not want to arrive too early, or you will waste sell-through days. Arriving too late may also create issues if your product is tied to a promotional campaign.
What happens if your shipment is delayed or stores are not ready, who can decide to adjust your local launch/promo dates?
Ensure Price And Promotion Readiness
Just because you’ve put your product in the right place, doesn’t mean it’s going to appeal to the shopper if your price/promotion is incorrect.
Your supplier may be developing advertising, whilst your retailer is updating till prices, web information and price tickets. If your offer is live before these steps are completed you may be letting your shopper down.
Double check your selling price, promotion dates and who will fund any introductory offer. Ensure any claims on your pack are accurate, if you need a display or poster, who will provide and install them.
Try scanning your product in a store. Is the price you see on your shelf ticket what the till will ring up?
If you have the opportunity, test your new product in a small number of stores and see if anything is missing before changing a wider group of stores.
Plan Your Post-Launch Review
As mentioned above, you will need to have a final go/no go for your launch.
Before launch, hold a quick readiness meeting to double check your product information, changeover, stock, pricing and any escalation contacts. Decide on what will cause you to not launch your product and who has that authority.
Now that your product is live, start to review what is actually happening in your stores. Using store pictures and audits you can identify if your product is on the correct shelf, price ticket is in place and any displays have been installed. Review your sales and replenishment information to see if your consumer is responding to your new product.
Decide what action will be taken, don’t just review and move on. Who can initiate an order if your stock levels drop, who will adjust your planogram if it doesn’t work, when will you review your sales/performance with your retail partner or adjust your range?
Have an open spreadsheet of issues, which stores, what the issue is, who owns it and when it will be resolved.
To Sum It Up
Don’t wait until your launch day to figure out what you’re missing, give everyone a responsibility and deadline to meet. You’ll be glad you did!
