DISTRIBUTING YOUR PRODUCT


PHILIPPA HANCOCK, TIGERS EYE RETAIL
Speech to the Craft Partnership Meeting on 3 September 2003

The distribution

Make sure you have a clear understanding of the distribution channels of your customer.

  • What are the procedures following the placing of an order.
  • Delivery dates and schedules
  • Where do you deliver
  • How soon does the order get to the store
  • Who are the people in charge of the distribution? Make contact before the delivery and get the relevant contact names and telephone numbers.
  • If you are freighting, the full address details
  • Find out if there are any specific packing and invoicing requirements.
  • Does your product need to be pre-barcoded?

    Communications

    The most crucial aspect once your product is in the store, is your after sales service. Look after your customer! You very often only get the one chance. You should have by now built up some form of a relationship with relevant planners/merchandisers, the buyer and hopefully the store manager and staff.

    Ensure:

  • Constant stock and sales feedbacks
  • Any in-store promotions/demonstrations
  • Assistance with any display ideas
  • Staff training if necessary
  • Hassle free exchanges for any damaged merchandise
  • Information pamphlets

    Breakdown of product groups within tigers eye - different consumer demands of each product group:

    [please note, this is a general breakdown, and not all the stores carry the identical product groups]

    Clothing: [adult and children]

  • Open ranges
  • Inhouse ranges
  • Specific ranges for specific brands
  • Minimum quantities
  • Lead times on orders
  • Quality
  • Price
  • Opportunities
  • Consumer demands

    Homeware: [softs, ceramics and candles]

  • Open ranges
  • Inhouse ranges
  • Range building [opportunities for add on sales]
  • Softs vs ceramics
  • Opportunities
  • Consumer demands

    Children's gifting/toys:

  • The brands that carry these products
  • Opportunities
  • Price points

    Costume Jewellery:

  • Merchandise opportunities

    Stationery:

  • Merchandise opportunities

    Beadwork:

  • Range building opportunities [both in clothing and home-ware]
  • Consumer demands

    Impulse gifting:

  • Product overview
  • Opportunities within the brands
  • Customer demands
  • Airport environments
  • Kruger Park environments
  • Price points

    Bath and Body products:

  • Product overview
  • Opportunities within the brands
  • Customer demands
  • Price points
  • Range building opportunities

    Wooden carvings, stone products and artefacts:

  • Product overview
  • Customer demands