PPN #011: The myths of higher velocity

+ what *not* to do to sell off-shelf

The 3 Myths of Higher Velocity

This week at Product & Prosper:

We’re making a few pretty big updates at Product & Prosper (new website and service breakdowns coming soon 👀 )!

That said: I’m looking for a photographer with pictures of small aesthetic retail stores. If you have any images or know anyone who does, DM me! You’ll be featured to over 50,000+ site visitors a year. ❤️

Let’s dive into our topic this week: a question that’s just as prevalent as “how do I get into retail?” — “How do I get off-shelf at retail?”

How to Increase Velocity at Retail

Velocity is retail’s holy grail, the make-or-break metric, the determining factor between who stays, who goes, and will either help you open more doors or hinder you.

Oftentimes, emerging brands come to me with a similar problem: they’re on shelves at big retail—regionally or nationwide—with lower-than-expected velocity… and a category review looming around the corner.

This sound like you? 

The truth is: I believe there are a lot of misconceptions about how to achieve higher velocity in retail. So today, we’re unpacking the truth of it all—and how you can be strategic in choosing your path forward.

Myth #1: Retail is your big break, and velocity will just “happen.”

Retail shopping is a habitual, routine process for most consumers. So, unless they have pre-existing awareness of your product—or a price incentive—your product likely won’t end up in their cart.

The reality? Only 38% of people who buy in-person learn about a product at the store where they plan to purchase it (IBM). This means that the vast majority of in-person shoppers only buy products they know about before they enter the store.

  • 81% of shoppers are conducting online research before buying a product in-store (GE Capital Retail Bank)—a combination of info from websites, social, marketplaces, online reviews, and the opinions of family and friends.

So, if you find yourself in this scenario—in retail with lower-than-expected velocities—focus on growing elsewhere:

→ Go back to your DTC customer relationships and begin nurturing those.

→ Focus on your digital presence (i.e. PR, website, social media) to increase brand trust.

→ Start seeding independents and more local stores to build more in-market touchpoints/viewpoints and a loyal customer base to support retail growth.

Myth Busted: Focus on growing brand awareness outside of retail.

Myth #2: Shopper marketing will be your holy velocity savior.

Shopper marketing is a strange science.

It’s considered a complex cocktail. But when you zoom in, it’s quite basic—most brands’ shopper marketing scope is heavily limited by their budget and the nature of retail’s physical arena.

The shopper marketing playbook consists of: cost-variations of demos, influencers, displays, promos, rebates, coupons, and social posts.

That’s really it. And there’s only so much these tools can do for a product on-shelf.

Most brands will find shopper marketing isn’t a holy velocity savior for them on shelf because:

1) Most brands start considering shopper marketing once they’re on-shelf—too late to budget and scrambling to find reliable partners.

2) They don’t exactly know how to execute on retail marketing as a non-digital marketing channel.

3) They aren’t consistent enough…or forget about shopper marketing entirely.

4) There’s a deeper issue with the foundation of the product and/or brand that’s preventing trial or repurchase.

Shopper marketing cannot fix fundamental issues. It’s best used as a tactic to 1) take a good product and put it into the hands of more customers or 2) market to an existing customer base.

It’s all good and well to drive someone to the shelf, but when they get there, they must be met with a good product, packaging, pricing, positioning, and placement. Otherwise? You just drove them straight to your competitor.

To increase velocity: be consistent, plan ahead, and check your foundation.

Myth Busted: Shopper marketing is a needle in a haystack for your velocity.

Myth #3: Get more doors and accounts to increase brand awareness + sell-through.

More accounts do not tend to equate to higher sales or higher velocity.

The truth is: More channels = more complications, just with higher sales and bigger POs. Unless you have hefty investment, a massive in-field team, and the know-how to manage a chain of brokers, buyers, distributors, etc… it’s extremely difficult to pull off retail while keeping the plates spinning on your other channels.

Plus? When you’re laser-focused on increasing store count, it’s easy to forget your early adopters and loyal customers…and that’s a big miss, IMO. Because, as your focus shifts to retail, you need a level of stability on the DTC side—some predictability to support the many hurdles of retail.

And lest we forget… retail is a bit of an antiquated channel. The data reporting is slow, so your time to see what’s happening and pivot is significantly stunted—in the range of a 6-month delay. And that’s if you pay $$$$ to see any of that data at all!

Myth Busted: Retail is just a bigger PO upfront, not less work.

Reality: Velocity is built before you get on-shelf.

The road to higher velocity…isn't so straightforward. It's not about simply getting on shelves, relying solely on shopper marketing, or expanding to more stores. Instead, true retail success requires a holistic approach:

  1. Build brand awareness beyond the store walls.

  2. Develop a strong foundational following before diving into retail.

  3. Use shopper marketing strategically and consistently, not as a band-aid solution.

  4. Focus on quality over quantity when it comes to retail presence.

Remember, retail success is a marathon, not a sprint—it requires thoughtful planning, consistent effort, and a willingness to look beyond conventional wisdom.

Want to build your retail foundation, but don’t know where to start?

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