Buying and Beyond
Welcome to the Buying & Beyond podcast, the podcast for all things Retail Buying...and more!
Join us, Kate & Lyns, buyers and best friends, each week for industry insights, stories and expertise from real people in retail.
Enjoy honest stories and conversations, retail therapy and learn bite-sized tips from us and our guests from across the industry.
- Season 1 starts with Becoming a Buyer - the background to how we started in the industry, what exactly is a Buyer, working your way up the ladder and the main meetings and tasks working in Buying
- Season 2 is all about Being a Buyer - leading a team, coordinating trips, working with suppliers, product & personal development and sustainability
- Season 3 takes us beyond just the direct Buying team - we introduce merchandisers, talk about designers and new trends, burnout & life coaching.
- Season 4 is where we are inviting more Buyers and also Brands and Businesses to tell us their stories...
We are your modern day mentors; prepping Buyers of the future, empowering current Buyers and giving insights to retail businesses and entrepreneurs
If you like listening to this podcast, please rate, follow and share - you can also find us on instagram @buyingandbeyond
Come behind the scenes with Buying and Beyond
Buying and Beyond
Season 4 Episode 4: Get retail ready as this week we talk about Buyers AND Brands. What are our top tips for connecting with the Buyers you need to get in front of in order to get your product stocked in a retailer
Today we discuss the importance of trade shows for Buyers and for brands to connect. We give you the insight into our favourite things about a trade show, trend spotting and helping the evolution of a brand. Plus we debate the pros and cons to be stocked in a large retailer, pitch tips and how to nurture that long term partnership. What do we as Buyers look for in a brand to list them and some of our favourite ways of being approached...
Then, how should Brands follow up after a trade show? Are there any 'rules' to follow or is it all down to individual Buyers likes & dislikes? We discuss a typical buyers view, and give our tips and advice to make sure you get the best response. For example, do not send long emails, make sure you include something unique and memorable, possibly a personal message that mentions something specific you have discussed on the stand and think about timings i.e. within a week, bear in mind sign off dates.
We want to join buyers and brands together and we feel we have an opportunity with this podcast to do this. In such turbulent times we need to be more collaborative as its becoming harder than ever to win over the trust of a buyer as a new supplier. There is a huge amount of risk and let's face it, the hard work it takes to bring in a new brand, the cost of time and money for investing in all of the onboarding.
Our three takeaways:
- Think about the Buyer you are approaching and consider how they would like to be approached... Most Buyers will be looking for a relationship that is developed organically with a long term partnership focus. Be passionate about your product as Buyers are product people they want to see your knowledge and passion! However, don't try to second guess what they need, ask the right questions to get to know this and allow them to realise that your product would suit their strategy.
- What would the Buyer exHow would a Buyer expect to be pitched to? Find out before the pitch as much as you can the strategy for their department. How your product is different to other products in the range? How does your product fit with my customer profile? How do you compliment the other brands in store
- Collaboration is crucial to survive, we need to help each other grow.
If your a brand that's struggling with your pitching techniques and how to get that first meeting with your dream retailer, check out our webinar on our website www.buyingandbeyond.com. We talk you through tips to get stocked in a large retailer. We also offer power hours where you can chat to us 121 and we can help you with those questions you have to perfect your pitch an get you retail ready.
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Find out more about us www.buyingandbeyond.com