What is the best way to get onto retail shelves?

Hello,
I wholesale part time. I have sold multiple products to a variety of different stores. My goal was to never get into a huge department store, it was to provide small mom and pop shops with products that would sell.

Steps I took to sell multiple items:
1. Establish a contact person
2. Provide sample products to display in store on counter
3. Follow up with contact person to see what reaction they are getting from the consumer.
4. Discuss how your product will bring more revenue to there establishment.
5. Sell your idea.
I have done this in multiple different types of stores.
Example:
Sold knives to a gift store to put in gift baskets.
Sold shot glasses to a dollar store.
Sold musical gardens to a small knick knack store.
Sold table top fountains to a novelty shop.

I used the steps above in order to achieve my goal.
My personal opinion is 85% of your time and effort is going to be selling the idea.

That's it. It really is that simple.
Feel free to contact with any questions.

Happy Earnings!!!

From my experience, which has helped clients get into stores like Nordstrom and others alike, you would eventually need a sales rep or team with connections to the buyers. However Public Relations can be your first stepping stone and way to under cut any other competition vying for the space in the same store. You want to promote your brand organically by having it featured by credible sources (who are not paid) like certain magazines, online sites, tv segments and by celebrities/influencers. These placements help build a press portfolio for your company which then gives your eventual sales team a tool to use when pitching your product to buyers. With the right placements, approval can be powerful and land you in big stores as well as boutiques and eliminate possible competitors. I hope this is a helpful answer and if you have any questions or would like to discuss this in more detail feel free to reach out! Best of luck!

The best way to get onto retail shelves is through an industry partner backing you. The other of course is spend the money and third is build a bad ass brand, which of course takes a lot of time.