What a store buyer needs before they say yes

The questions behind the yes

A store owner who replies "sounds interesting" is not saying yes. They are asking you to make it easy. Within a message or two they will want to know what it costs, what they make on it, how long it lasts, how they order and what happens if it does not sell. If you answer all of that in one tidy reply, you look like a brand that has done this before. If you answer it over five emails, they move on.

This checklist sits under our wider guide to getting your product into stores. It applies to cafés, delis, grocers and bottle shops alike, and it is the same list a supermarket buyer works from later, only longer.

A price list with wholesale price and RRP

One page. Each product, its case size, the wholesale price per unit and per case, and the recommended retail price. Say whether prices include tax, and in which currency. Keep it simple enough to read on a phone.

Do not put the price list in your first email. Attachments push a cold email towards the junk folder, and the owner has not asked yet. Send it the moment they reply.

A margin that works for the store

The owner cares less about your price than about what they make on it. Many independents look for around 30% on what they stock, and some categories expect more. Work out your wholesale price from the RRP and the margin the store needs, then check you still make money. The wholesale price calculator does the sums in a minute.

If the numbers only work at a price nobody will pay on the shelf, it is better to know before you pitch a hundred stores.

Shelf life and storage

How long does it last, and does it need the fridge or the freezer? A short shelf life is not a dealbreaker, but the owner needs to know so they can order the right amount. Fridge and freezer space is the scarcest thing in most small stores, so be honest about what the product needs.

Put the best-before period on your price list next to each product. If the shelf life is short, say how you handle stock that is near its date, because the owner will be wondering.

Samples, offered the right way

A sample request is the real yes in this trade, but it is not an order. Offer samples, and send them only to the stores that ask. Ask the format and the delivery address in the same message so the owner answers once, and agree a day to check in after it arrives.

Alcohol is different. In many places you cannot post free product to a store, so the offer becomes a tasting in person or a drop-off by your rep. Never promise a visit you will not make.

Minimum order, delivery and payment terms

The practical questions come next, and they decide whether the first order happens at all.

• Minimum order. Keep the first one small, ideally a single case or a mixed case. A store that sells through a small order reorders.
• Delivery. Who delivers, how long it takes and what it costs. Free delivery over a set order value is easy to understand.
• Payment terms. When you expect to be paid. Many independents pay on invoice within a few weeks.
• Sale or return. Some stores ask for it on a new line. Decide your answer before they ask.
• How to order. By email, by phone or through a simple order form. The fewer steps, the more reorders.

Point of sale and help selling it

Owners want to know you will help the product move once it is in. Shelf talkers, a small display, a tasting day or a short note for the staff all help. Staff recommend what they have tasted and can describe in a sentence, so give them a few to try and a one-line pitch.

The first two weeks decide whether a store reorders. If customers turn a product down a few times in a row, staff stop mentioning it. Check in early, ask what is selling, and fix what is not.

Proof that it sells

The last thing an owner wants is a reason to believe customers will buy it. Name nearby stockists, share a short quote from a store that reorders, or say how many units a week a similar store sells. A real website, with your products and your story, matters more than most brands expect. Owners look you up before they reply.

One product and one clear reason to stock it beats a full range on the first approach. Lead with the line that fits that store best, and add the rest once it sells.

Ready before the reply

LaunchPal writes and sends the first emails and stops the follow-ups when a store replies. Our clients average a 10-15% reply rate, and those replies come straight to you. The AI does not answer them for you, so have this checklist ready before you start. Flow then keeps track of samples, first orders and who is due a check-in, and gives you a line sheet stores can order from.

To see which stores would fit your product, and the opening email we would send the best match, type your website into the box below.