Brian Reynolds, CEO of Gen Alpha/Gen Z beauty brand Just For Teens, goes into his meetings with retail buyers well-armed. By the time he sits across from them, he has already visited their stores, checked out their website, checks out the likes and comparables they already offer, knows where and how his products fit in the mix, and how he can drive foot traffic into their stores.

Not surprisingly, he has already landed deals with the likes of Wegmans Food Markets, Southeastern Grocers, and Dollar General, and will soon be on the shelves of several other chains. 

Beauty care for the teen market

Just for Teens offers a line of skin care -- and now hair care -- products tailored to the pre-teen and teen markets that use all natural ingredients. This includes a line of skin care products such as body and facial washes, cream and foot care; pimple patches that come i several scents; outdoor wellness products such as sun patches and mosquito repellant patches; and a line of hair care products including shampoo, conditioner, oils and sprays. 

In addition to offering products tailored to teens, Just for Teens seeks to engage this market where they live: on social media. The brand has teamed up with influencers to push out content tailor made of this audience.

"When you are targeting the Gen Z and Gen Alpha market, you have to find those platforms that they are already on," says Reynolds. "You have to understand these consumers and create content that is authentic and resonates with them rather than merely pitching products. This way, when they go into stores they will look for it."

During my video interview above with Brian, recorded on location at ECRM's recent Hair Care & Multicultural Hair Session in Florida, he gives and overview of the brand and shares his approach to buyer meetings, and how it's helped him to successfully land deals with large national and regional chains.

Some key takeaways

There are a couple of key takeaways here for brands looking to successfully pitch to retail buyers:

1. Do your homework

Before going into a pre-scheduled buyer meeting, do as much research as you can beforehand. Get into the retailer's stores whenever possible and check out the aisles and other areas of the store where your product would be an ideal fit. Check out the competition. See how your products will stand out on the shelf. What white space can you fill. Check out the shoppers and how they shop your category. Learn about the buyers themselves - ask friends in the industry who may have done business with them before, and get ther advice on how to best approach the discussion with those buyers. 

2. Present in terms of the buyer's needs

Your research should give you an idea of what the needs and objectives the buyer may have for the category. Of course, you can validate this with the right questions. But as Brian notes in the interview, he shows where he things his offerings can help the buyer 

3. Show how you will support sales once your product is on the retail shelf

Getting your product on the retail shelf is just the beginning. Now you have to move those products from the shelf into shoppers' baskets. Outline your plans for doing that. For Brian, social media will be a key compnent, as it's where his target audience spends their time. Determine what will work best for your brand, and how you can align it best with the retailers needs.