Know Your Buyer

This week, we headed back to Kohl's corporate office in Wisconsin to present another product for carrying consideration. While we do try and secure as many appointments on one trip as possible, sometimes it can be difficult to nail down the exact retail buyer.

When you're launching a new product in the marketplace, you need to determine which category it fits under in the retail environment. This product, for example, is a do-it-yourself kit. The DIY market is growing over 500% year over year. It's a $713 billion dollar industry, and food is the second largest segment. Yet, there isn't a specific "category" in the retail environment for all of the DIY food kits that are coming onto the market - DIY beer making kits, DIY vinegar making kits, DIY bacon making kits - the list is endless!

DIY ice cream, greek yogurt and cotton candy making kits fall under the housewares buyer primarily because they include an electronic component. The kit that we're representing, however, doesn't include a machine and therefore ended up falling under the candy and gift buyer at Kohl's. When you're launching a new product, you need to be able to navigate your way to the appropriate contact to ensure a proper review for their buying season. That'll provide you with the best likelihood of getting your product on shelves.

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