PPN #021: How to thank your retailers this holiday season

Hey there! 👋

'Tis the season for gratitude (and I’m so grateful for YOU). Today, I want to talk about something that often gets overlooked in the holiday rush: showing appreciation for your retail partners.

Your retailers aren't just another sales channel—they're the champions who believed in your brand enough to give you precious shelf space! They're the ones hand-selling your product, setting up beautiful displays, and becoming genuine brand advocates.Let's make sure they know just how much that means.

I’ve got you covered with Product & Prosper’s best holiday outreach tips—plus a comprehensive messaging template to make outreach easy. Let’s get into it ⬇️

The Ultimate Retailer Thank-You Playbook

For Your Independent Heroes

These small business owners took a chance on you. Here's how to make them feel special:

1. The Personal Touch

• Send a heartfelt thank-you direct message on Faire (no sales pitch or campaign!)

• Include handwritten notes in December orders

• Call your top accounts just to check in – ask about their holiday plans or their wins this year and if there’s anything you can do to support them

2. Show Them Off

• Feature your top stores on social media

• Tag them in your holiday gift guides

• Share their store photos (with permission) and tell your followers why you love working with them

3. Give Them the VIP Treatment

• Send your best-performing stores a sneak peek of your 2025 launches

• Send special holiday thank-you packages with samples to top accounts for staff to share with their families and friends over the holidays

• Offer exclusive early access to new products

For Your Chain Retail Partners

Your buyers are swamped right now, but a thoughtful gesture goes a long way:

• Send a personalized note highlighting specific moments from your first year together

• Share photos of your product in their stores

• Include a genuine story about what their partnership has meant for your brand

The January Follow-Up

The relationship-building doesn't stop after the holidays. In January:

1. Schedule check-in calls with your top accounts

2. Ask about their holiday performance

3. Listen to their feedback and concerns

4. Update your store locator (seriously, do this!)

Why This Matters

Remember: retail success isn't just about sell-through numbers. It's about building genuine, long-lasting relationships with the people who help get your product into customers' hands. It’s about doing the stuff that doesn’t scale.

These retailers chose YOUR brand. They stock it, sell it, and champion it. A little gratitude goes a long way in making sure they keep doing exactly that in the new year.

Your Action Items This Week:

✅ Draft your thank-you messages
✅ Plan your social media shout-outs
✅ Order those thank-you cards
✅ Schedule your January check-in calls

🎁 Your Holiday Thank-You Templates

To make this easier for you, I've put together a complete (and FREE) template with all of the language you need to show your retailers some love this season. Simply add in your personal details and follow the best practices at the bottom of the document, and you’ll be your retailers’ star student this holiday season 😉

Remember: Strong retailer relationships = stronger sales. It's that simple. Here's to showing our retail partners some well-deserved love this holiday season! 🎄

Looking for some more tips on managing retailer relationships? 

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