How to (re)activate your retailers effectively our 3 top tips

For brands partnering with independent retailers, reactivating your network is essential for increasing sales. In this article, you’ll discover 3 ways to re-motivate your retailers and learn how to strengthen your important business relationships, leading to long-term success. 

Before launching a full-blown reactivation campaign, it’s a good idea to establish the right processes to maintain good relationships with your retailers. Long-term relationships are essential for success, and trust is the foundation for building such a relationship. 

How can you build trust?

Be available to your retailers all year round. Answer their questions promptly. Take the time to give them a thorough presentation of your products and company history so they can easily share it with their customers. Be ready to respond to customer service issues timeously, and remember that personalised contact is always appreciated. See your retailers as partners in this venture, so always think of how you can offer them an exceptional customer experience.

Your network of retailers and you have exactly the same goal: to ensure that your products sell well. After introducing them to your range of products, you can assist them by sharing merchandising tools to help them sell in-store: point-of-sale displays, flyers, samples, etc. Your retailers will appreciate these gestures and will strengthen your relationship as partners.

In an increasingly digital B2B world, staying in regular contact with your network of distributor partners is easier than ever. Schedule regular reminders to reach out to your retailers via email or phone.

Even though the digital era makes it easy to stay in touch, we recommend occasionally arranging face-to-face meetings. Visiting your distributors’ shops or organising lunches or dinners can be a great way to connect. While digital interactions are convenient, retailers particularly value face-to-face contact. This personal touch not only demonstrates your commitment to the relationship but also shows how much you value their partnership, making them feel appreciated and important.

To reactivate your network of distributor partners, consider introducing rewards or incentives to motivate their purchases. These could range from exclusive access to new products, personalised promotional campaigns or various forms of discounts listed below. 

The volume discount is a price reward you can offer your customers when they reach a certain order volume threshold. This discount allows you to motivate purchases and increase your average cart.

At Ankorstore, this feature is available through our Repeat offer loyalty programme. Aimed exclusively at our Ankorstore Plus merchants, this discount (up to 20%) is offered to customers who spend more than €500 per quarter with participating brands. To find out more, click here!

To re-engage your retailers and show them how important their partnership is to you, you can offer them personalised discounts. These discounts are generally long-term and are instrumental in nurturing strong relationships. 

At Ankorstore, you can easily set up these personalised discounts via the My Network CRM tool. Ranging from 1% to 70%, these discounts apply across your entire catalogue for the respective retailer.

You can also offer limited-time seasonal discounts to your network of distributors by selecting specific dates to discount your catalogue offerings.

To implement this strategy on Ankorstore, participate in our commercial events like quarterly Showroom Weeks. During these events, brands can apply discounts ranging from 5% to 40% for a week. This approach helps increase sales and enhance visibility on our platform. 

These events are ideal for reactivating retailers. Inform your distribution network about your participation in the campaign to encourage them to place orders during this special event. Discover how D-LAB NUTRICOSMETICS took advantage of our Spring Showroom to reactivate their network and rise into the top 10 in their category.

To reactivate your distributor network, think about personalising your communications. Rather than sending generic campaigns to your entire address book, it’s much more effective to target your marketing strategy according to your customer profile. Here some tried-and-tested processes to put in place:

Before launching your communication campaign, conduct thorough research and analyse detailed customer data. Look into metrics such as order volume, favourite products, and order frequency. Use this information to personalise your messages and encourage restocking. Study this data meticulously before implementing your reactivation marketing strategy.

Once analysed, this data can be used to create typical customer profiles based on their ordering habits, enabling you to tailor your communications effectively and resonate more deeply with your audience.

Reactivating your distribution network is essential for brands collaborating with independent retailers. You can sustain and enhance these critical partnerships by implementing a strategic marketing approach, building trust, offering attractive incentives, and personalising communications through precise segmentation. This proactive approach ensures ongoing engagement and fosters long-term success in your retailer network.