Securing a spot on an Australian supermarket shelf isn’t easy, and for good reason – it’s prime FMCG product real estate.
According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australians spent $14.18 billion at the supermarket in December 2023 – equivalent to about $532.20 per person.
Finder research has revealed consumers’ preferences remain strong for the major supermarket retailers. 48% of Australians said they primarily shop with Woolworths, ‘the fresh food people’. This is closely followed by Coles (39%). A further 10% said Aldi is their supermarket of choice, while 2% opt for IGA.
The competition to get your FMCG brand on shelves at leading Australian supermarkets is fierce, so to help you get there, we’ve compiled some top tips. Are you ready to gain greater access to sales for your products?
6 tips to best position your FMCG brand with Australian supermarket decision-makers
1. Get some runs on the board, and be all over your numbers
Build a strong brand, have fit-for-market packaging, and an engaging online presence.
Having robust sales results and evidence of a clear value chain at your fingertips, will help you build a compelling case for major supermarket retailers who you’d love to carry your products. Data talks.
The ‘7Ps of marketing’ is a good guide to refer to when considering how ready to scale your FMCG product is:
- Product: What value proposition are you delivering?
- Price: Are you hitting the right price point?
- Place: Is the product available in the optimum places?
- Promotion: Is your marketing & PR attention-grabbing and engaging?
- People: Are your team acting as brand ambassadors?
- Process: Do you deliver an amazing experience, every step of the way?
- Physical evidence: Is your brand’s digital and physical footprint up to scratch?
2. Know your target consumer audience, intimately
Backed by research and customer behaviour insights, be confident in how big your potential customer base is before you attempt to venture into major supermarket retail outlets. This is critical, as greater distribution and exposure doesn’t always correlate to more sales.
There must be a current, or ready to create and capture, consumer demand for your products.
Consult Group has access to rich sources of consumer behaviour insights and retail statistics from research providers including Circana. We live and breathe the numbers that matter.
Our constant communication with buyers in major retail supermarket outlets also means we have valuable, hard-won insights about what they want, why they want it, and when they want it.
3. Be category clear
From ‘sports drinks’ to ‘energy drinks’, ‘confectionery’ to ‘healthy snacking’, ‘skincare’ to ‘personal wash’ – FMCG categories are vast and can be specific.
To successfully carve a path to success for your FMCG brand you need to be crystal clear about which supermarket retail category your product falls into.
The supplier hub for the Woolworths Group explains that “Our products are typically grouped into broad families of similar products called categories. Each category is then further refined into subcategories. Products submitted from suppliers for consideration will normally be allotted to a subcategory.”
The Consult Group team can help you understand the essential elements that combine to give your brand the best possible chance of success – and getting the category right for your products – is vital.
We currently have 40+ FMCG categories represented in our brand partner client base.
4. Understand the cost of growth
With every expansion opportunity there comes cost implications. As you grow your FMCG brand and product distribution network, you have to understand what that cost base needs to be, and how you’re going to fund that growth cycle.
It’s common for business owners to have a sensational product, but they need support to fully get across what’s involved in terms of the costs to scale their FMCG business. That’s just one of the ways our team can help.
Common costs that capital is needed for in order to facilitate FMCG scalability include:
- Increased SKU manufacturing
- Distribution network logistics
- Expanded storage / warehousing
- Marketing.
5. Be range review ready
If your product is ready to present to Australia’s leading supermarket retailers, it’s essential to put your best foot forward. Typically national retailers hold range reviews only once or twice a year – and first impressions do count.
A national Australian retailer on average holds anywhere between 17,000 and 23,000 product SKUs on their shelves, and every spot on the shelves is hotly contested.
The Consult Group team offers a Range Review Preparation service and we’ve partnered with hundreds of brands to have them best-prepared for these all-important pitches. We know how the process works – we know how to best position your brand.
In the words of Josh Hourigan, Director at Vitawerx, whose healthy snack range is stocked in retailers including Woolworths, Coles and 7-Eleven: “The Consult Group team’s attention to detail and dedication to delivering results has allowed my business to effectively present our products to our retail partners during range review submissions, meetings and follow-up. The team’s support throughout the process has been invaluable in securing new business and building stronger relationships with our retail partners.”
6. Don’t go it alone, partner with the best
Seek advice and support from trusted, experienced professionals. The FMCG space is full of winners, and some losers too. In order to manage your risk and best position your brand for growth, it makes good business sense to partner with leaders in the FMCG space. The Consult Group A-team can empower you with the right information to make better decisions and have better conversations with leading Australian supermarket retailers. We make scale distribution, pricing and new product development for your brand and product range – simple.
Take a look at this case study about how Consult Group helped an FMCG category market leader change their retail strategy for success.
Are you ready to explore the supermarket supplier potential of your products?
Reach out to the Consult Group team; we’re ready to hear more about your FMCG brand.
Let’s consider ways we can help you secure your spot on today’s (and tomorrow’s) supermarket shelves.
Start the conversation. Oh and by the way, you should know upfront that we’re a team of straight-talkers…and we tend to say no, more than we say yes.
Ready? Let’s do this.
