Why Dumping Your Product on Supermarket Shelves Is Quietly Killing Your Food Business


Before I tell you about how dumping a product in supermarket shelves is not a good move, let me tell you what happened yesterday. 


So, yesterday, I was in PnP TM doing what I often do — window shopping for intelligence. Like i like studying the food industry from the shelves checking:

    • What new products are coming in
    • How they’re branded
    • How they’re packaged
    • What they’re doing right
    • And where they’re missing it


Most of the time, I don’t go to tell the brands directly where they went wrong. Because ehn, you know the reason why...I sometimes be just minding my own business.


Anyways after my observations and research nyana... I come here to you Gamechangers and turn their mistakes into lessons so you don’t have to pay the same price. Sometimes it's more wise to learn from other people's mistakes...


Anyways back to what I saw in TM supermarket.


The Product I saw Looked Perfect… But Was Gathering Dust

So when I was in the condiment section, I came across a new product. It ticks all the right boxes. i.e 

    • Beautiful branding.
    • Good packaging.
    • Clean, modern look.


That product was just perfect. Honestly? I fell in love with it at first sight. But then something stopped me. And guess what? The product was gathering dust on the shelf. Real dust. No exaggeration.


And this wasn’t because the product looked bad — quite the opposite. By appearance alone, it looked like a solid product. Something, someone will be willing to buy and try and even enjoy at home..


It was a heat-and-serve tomato soup and curry soup. Some of you may have already seen it....I don't like saying names, because of some reasons you also know....so I won't mention the brand name...let's keep it neutral.


Anyways I hadn’t tasted it, so I couldn’t judge the quality. Let’s say the chances that the product is good are 50%. But judging it by its cover, let's give it a little over 75%. 


So the question that was racing through my mind at the speed of a lightning wasn’t: “Is this product bad?” No. The real question was: “Why aren’t people picking it?”


The Costly Mistake New Processors Keep Making

And there it was the mistake that costs new food processors millions in lost opportunity.

Dumping a product into a supermarket and hoping it will sell itself.


Especially when you are:

    • A new brand
    • With a new product
    • In a competitive category

Let me be very clear, Gamechanger: I know Getting your product in big supermarket could be an achievement to you, and I am not against it..but here is the truth you need to know...Getting your product into a supermarket is not the finish line.It is the starting point.


Why do I say so ....because Shelves Don’t Sell Products  Confidence Does. Supermarkets don’t sell products automatically. And consumers do not buy products just because they are sitting on shelves in a “big” or “trusted” supermarket....That's what it is.

But just by being in a supermarket shelf doesn't guarantee you success, or make people to choose your product....


Here is the real reasons people pick products in shelves...People buy when they feel:

    • Familiarity
    • Confidence
    • Trust
    • Curiosity backed by assurance

When your product is new, none of those exist yet. And why dumping it without marketing it to get people to know or try your product is a recipe for failure....


And that Gamechanger is. The Lie New Processors Believe

Many new processors think:

Once my product is in a big supermarket, it will sell itself.


That is a lie. Mostly this type of thinking is influenced by copying and seeing what Big brands do....Big brands could just drop a new product with a try me I am new tag and people's would take the risk to try it... You know why Big brands can do it and why you cant..Here is the why - Big brands can do that because:


They have years of trust which they leverage on. Customers already know the taste. Consumers feel safe spending their money


You don’t have that luxury yet, you are a new player.....One advice I would love to give you Gamechanger is when you want to be like big companies you don't have to do what Big companies are doing but rather do what Big companies did when they were small...This is what you must copy.. And this is the reason people read biographies of successful people, so they can know what they did when they were were the reader is currently at. Eh, before you start clapping hands for me...let me be clear also...I am not saying copy it word by word to the T...but rather adapt it to your business... Hope I have made myself clear... I don't want my advice to be the reason for your downfall because you misquote me... Are we still together Gamechanger 🤭.


So Gamechanger I want you to read the next line slowly until you full understand and grasp the meaning..Trying to behave like a big brand when you’re still small is one of the fastest ways to fail. There you have it..

 

Let's quickly look at.....Why This Mistake Is More Expensive Than You Think

Ehn, I heard that people need a good reason to do or stop doing something, so I hope what I am about to tell could be a good enough reason for you to at least listen to me and give some thought, to what I have been saying all along.... Ready?


Gamechanger, dumping your product and not marketing it costs you:

- Slow movement on shelves

- Poor reordering by supermarkets

- Reduced visibility

- Expired stock

- A damaged brand reputation


And the most dangerous part?

You start believing:

“My product doesn’t work.”


When in reality: It's your marketing, negligence and arrogance that have failed you — not your product. You and your antics are the problem not the product 🤭.


Before you come for my head, your product could be the problem but you can find it out if you market it...

So Gamechanger, all along what I have been trying or still trying to say is that your job as a food business owner Is Not Finished at the Shelf


Let me repeat this because it’s a mindset shift many need:

Your job as a food business owner does not end when your product reaches the shelf. It ends when your product reaches the consumer’s table  and stomach. Until then, your job is not done..


So Gamechanger, until someone has:

Tried it

Liked it

Trusted it

Bought it again

You haven’t finished your work. Find somewhere to write this down because it could be the breakthrough you needed.


And Here Also Is The Game-Changing Tip You Keep Ignoring.... I say this all the time — and many of you ignore it because you’re thinking short-term.


You’re stingy with the very thing that will grow your business....I hate to say this but today just got a little confidence, so I am gonna use it before I run out of it ..I usually do 😂.


And ladies and gentlemen the thing I am referring to is Sampling. No marketing strategy beat product sampling especially for these new and innovative products we are making Gamechangers....


Let me divert you a little bit .but there is this verse in the bible that ministers much to me..how can they know if nobody preached it to them It's somewhere in Romans, could be Romans 10 but here the principle is just the same...How can people know that your product is great, unless they taste it..and what better way to make them taste it than reducing the risk on their part and giving them free samples...In shona what do we say..kuziva mbuya huudzwa..I am sure it also imply here.


Anyways let's get back to our issue, I hate writing too long article . 

You might not admit it, but some of the reasons, Gamechanger you are so against sampling is ...


You think:

    • “It will eat into my profits.”
    • “Let me first recover my costs.”
    • “I can’t afford it.”

Now, Gamechanger, listen carefully:

The Truth Is You cannot afford NOT to do it. Why ? Sampling is not a cost. It is an investment in trust.


And Here Is Why Sampling Works for New Brands

When people taste:

    • They buy with confidence
    • They talk about it
    • They recommend it
    • They come back


Sampling removes fear. It removes doubt. It removes risk from the customer. 


I know what you are thinking but remember Gamechanger that ..You are new. Your product is new. You must sweat for trust. It's not even personal.


And Just Stop Copying What Big Brands Do

You are small. There are things you should not copy from big companies..things like:

Dropping products and walking away

Waiting for “brand recognition” you don’t have

Assuming shelves will do the selling...

Big brands leverage trust. You must build it. Build it now and leverage on it when you have a brand people trust.


Lastly, Gamechanger

I’ve seen many processors:

    • Dump great products
    • Fail to market them
    • Watch them stagnate


Then conclude the product doesn’t work. I have watched products being withdrawn from the market, products with great potential only because it wasn't marketed enough..or the owner didn't have the strategy to get people to try the product.


Don’t let that be you. Remember this year, lack of effort should be the reason we fail, we are going to give it our best. By Doing More, Being Productive and Showing Up. No excuses.


So Gamechanger -

    • Market your product.
    • Support it.
    • Push it.
    • Let people taste it.
    • Let people trust it.


Don’t dump it and leave it to the universe. Because the universe doesn’t sell food. Strategy does.


© RHAC ✓ Your Hook To More Value.

Here to Disrupt, Redefine and  Revolutionalize the Food Industry.


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