How to Get Your Product Into Retail Stores

How do you find the right retail stores to stock your product?

Start with stores that already sell brands comparable to yours, in the same category and price tier. Those buyers have proven demand for products like yours, which makes them far easier to convert than cold, random stores. Build a target list of 20 to 30 well-matched retailers before you write a single pitch.

Useful ways to find and qualify them:

• Competitor stockist lists. Brands similar to yours often publish a "where to buy" or stockist page. Every store on it is a buyer who already stocks your category.
• Wholesale marketplaces. Browse Faire and similar platforms by category to see which store types carry products like yours.
• Google Maps and Instagram. Search by store type and city (for example "zero waste shop" or "specialty coffee roaster") to build a local-first list, then widen out.
• In-store visits. Walk the shelves of stores you admire. If your product fits next to what is already there, that store belongs on your list.

Qualify each store on three things before it makes the list: do they carry your category, do they sit at your price tier, and are they an independent or a chain (independents can decide fast, chains run on buying calendars). Finding and matching these retailers is exactly the grind that Ginger handles for brands, but you can start by hand.

How should you price your product for wholesale?

Set your wholesale price at roughly half your retail price, so the store can apply the standard keystone markup (a 2x markup) and keep a healthy margin. Your wholesale price still has to leave you a profit after the cost to make and ship the product. If the math does not work at 50% off, your costs or your retail price need to change before you approach stores.

Two more pricing decisions to settle up front: your minimum order quantity (MOQ), which is the smallest order a store can place, and your payment terms. New direct accounts often pay on order, while marketplaces let stores pay on net terms with the platform covering you. Keep your first MOQ low enough that a cautious buyer can try you without risk.

What do you need ready before you contact a buyer?

Before you reach out, have your line sheet, wholesale pricing, samples, and terms ready. A buyer who is interested will ask for these right away, and delays kill momentum. Treat this as your wholesale sales kit.

1. Line sheet. A one-page catalog with product names, SKUs, wholesale and retail prices, MOQ, case packs, lead time, payment terms, and clean product photos.
2. Wholesale price list. Clear per-unit and per-case pricing, including any volume breaks.
3. Samples. Ready to ship the day a buyer asks, with a simple sell sheet on why the product moves off the shelf.
4. Terms and logistics. Lead time, shipping, returns, and any certifications a buyer in your category expects (for example organic, allergen, or safety marks).

How do you pitch a retail buyer by email and in person?

Reach the person who actually buys for the store, then send a short, specific message: who you are, why your product fits their shelves, the wholesale terms, and one clear next step. Keep the first email under 150 words and lead with fit, not features.

A simple cold email structure that works:

1. Subject: name the fit, not your brand. "A low-sugar granola for [store name] shoppers" beats "Partnership opportunity".
2. Opener: one line showing you know their store and why your product belongs there.
3. Proof: one or two lines on the product and any real traction (other stockists, sell-through, awards). Never invent numbers.
4. Terms: a single line with wholesale price, MOQ, and lead time so there are no surprises.
5. One ask: a free sample or a ten-minute call. Attach the line sheet.

For local independents, walking in can beat email. Bring samples and a line sheet, visit during quiet hours, ask for the buyer or owner by name, and leave a sample even if they cannot talk. Then follow up. Many wholesale orders happen on the second or third follow-up, not the first contact, so space your follow-ups about a week apart and stay useful rather than pushy.

Should you pitch stores directly or sell through Faire?

Do both. Pitching stores directly gives you the relationship and your full margin. A wholesale marketplace like Faire gives you discovery, buyer trust, and handled payments with net-60 terms for the store, which lowers the barrier for a shop to try an unknown brand. The two channels feed each other.

A common pattern: win new stores through the Faire marketplace, then move your repeat buyers to Faire Direct, where your own customers order commission-free. If you want the full breakdown, read how Faire works for brands.

How do you turn a first order into repeat orders?

Reorders are where wholesale becomes a real channel. After the first order ships, your job is to help the product sell through on the shelf and to make reordering effortless. A store that reorders is worth far more than ten stores that try you once.

• Check in two to three weeks after delivery to see how the product is moving.
• Send simple merchandising help: shelf placement tips, a small display card, or social content they can reuse.
• Make reordering one message away, and remind them before they run out.
• Ask what is selling and what is not, then feed that back into your range.

This steady follow-through is the part most founders do not have time for. It is the core of what Ginger does for brands: we find the retailers, run the outreach, and grow the reorders so the wholesale channel compounds without taking over your week.