Are you a designer who is frustrated by not getting your products into retail stores? Do you struggle with how to approach retail buyers and know what they are looking for?
Look no further. Grace Kang, former buyer for Bloomingdale’s, Saks and Barney's, has your perfect recipe! Living by her motto, keep it simple, Grace leverages her extensive experience in the retail industry to help aspiring designers and store owners take their business to the next level. Following Grace's retail recipes, you will learn the best strategies to get your product into stores, get buyers to call you and build a sustainable retail business.
If you are an aspiring or current store owner struggling to grow your retail business, click here.
by grace on February 15, 2012
Hey gorgeous! Thank you for dropping by! Don't forget to sign up for my FREE newsletter so I can help you create the perfect recipe for YOUR retail success! :)
Hey there!
Are you ready for some C&C? If you can’t beat them, join ‘em!
The two big C’s in this business, competition and collaboration, are more related than they may first appear. They both deserve equal contemplation and consideration and need to be inter-weaved into your decision making process.
A little (healthy) competition can feed your creativity and assist in your drive to stand out from the crowd. There may be tons other products similar to yours in the market, but it only takes one unique quality to grab someone’s attention. When you are aware of what is already out there, you can confidently speak to how your product is different and how it fills a void in the market. After all, most stores whether big or small are limited in shelf space. Your product has to offer something different to warrant a piece of their prime real estate.
When it comes to collaboration, you want to partner with other like-minded companies where both parties win-win. In researching your peers, you may also come across some companies whose work and philosophies complement yours instead of competing with them. These are the companies you should be collaborating with, whether you’re creating exclusive merchandise for each other (you know how I love exclusivity!) or working together on a new, one-of-a-kind product. You can also add them to your entourage and feed off of each other’s fan base.
Here is a company who has done a great job in collaborating with like-minded designers to grow their business. Hello Lucky was one of the first specialty letterpress design studio that came on to the scene in 2003. The competition in the letterpress world has grown tremendously over the past few years. They responded by honing in on their strengths and partnering with designers like Darling Clementine, Julia Rothman, Kate Sutton to create exclusive product for them. Well done!
Whether competing or collaborating with fellow creatives, the best thing you can do is stay informed and be alert! You don’t need to re-invent the wheel. However, you do need to step out of your comfort box and not be afraid to shake things up. The reward will be priceless 
.
How can you C&C? I would love to hear your strategy here!
xo,
Grace Kang
Your Retail Product Mentor
by grace on February 8, 2012
Happy Wednesday!
We all wonder what our business would be like “if” we could take our business to that next level. We search high and low for that big A-ha moment in our business and start daydreaming. I hate to burst your bubble of the ever-thinking idea of, “If I win a million dollars my life will be perfect!” “If I get that big investor everything will be good.” Or, “If I get that order from Bloomingdale’s my business will be set.” As much as it’s good to think BIG for your business, (trust me, I’m a big vision person too) you also need to start breaking down those BIG goals into real bite-size action plans. If you have a BIG goal, how can you make them happen?
Someone wise once told me that your profit breakthrough is already in your business, right under your nose. Start combing through your product business and see what is sitting there just asking for you to act on it!
Here are a few places to start:
- Do you have a blog interview request in your inbox that can lead to new connections and potential sales?
- Do you need to increase your prices?
- Does your website need a makeover but you haven’t given the green light?
- Do you have a networking opportunity coming up that you are not sure about going?
- Do you need an assistant but have not put up that ad on craigslist yet?
- Is there a coach that you wanted to work with but haven’t made up your mind?
- Is there a store around the corner that you want to approach but haven’t?
- Is there a win-win partnership idea that has been brewing in your mind but haven’t approached them about it yet?
Your profit breakthrough is already in your business, waiting right out of sight. Who knew that YOU are the “if” that you have been waiting for!
Make a list of 10 things that you haven’t acted on and let’s turn your plan into action!
xoxo,
Grace Kang
Your Retail Product Mentor
p.s. A BIG, warm welcome to all of the new readers who joined our community! You are going to love the resources you will find here to help you make your product retail-ready… Enjoy!
image: nan lawson print
by grace on February 1, 2012
Hey there!
Happy 1st day of February! Is it really the second month of the year already?
If you have been following my previous post about how to attract buyers to visit your booth, you are in for a post-treat!
So you’ve spent the last 3 days exhibiting at a trade show. It was great to meet and greet, schmooze and hopefully gather bucket full of potential leads . But now what?
You might be exhausted from being on your feet and talking all day long but this is not the time to take a vacation! You can treat yourself to some nice meals, a massage perhaps but there is ONE thing you must do within ONE week of exhibiting at a trade show.
Follow up!
Every time you give out a linesheet, you want to ask for a business card. Every time you connect with a potential retailer, you want to ask for a business card. After they leave your booth, you want to write a little note on the back of the card that will help you remember details of your conversation. This will help refresh the buyer’s memory about what you discussed when you follow up with them after the show.
Buyers walk down aisle after aisle… booth after booth ….meeting you and your competitors. You want your company and your personality to stand out even after the show is over by showing each buyer that you remember them and valued the time they spent talking to you. Follow up on your conversation and offer to assist them with any questions they might have.
As a side note: Remember that department store buyers and specialty buyers work in very different ways. Department store buyers will rarely leave orders at the show. Specialty store buyers who are traveling for the show will most likely place orders at the show. (I hope you gave them a sense of urgency for placing orders at the show and showered them with incentives!) Many buyers will need to digest everything they saw at the show and place orders when they are back at the office. By following up, you will increase your chances of being one of the lines up for consideration
How are you following up with your prospects? I would love to hear from you here.
xo,
Grace Kang
Your Retail Product Mentor
p.s. A BIG, warm welcome to all of the new readers who joined our community! You are going to love the resources you will find here to help you make your product retail-ready… Enjoy!
I am super excited to be one of the panelists at the 2012 Believers in Business Conference in NYC on February 4th. The conference will feature a diverse set of business leaders who will speak about the role faith plays in their business decisions and public identity. Look forward to seeing you there!
