With steady sales and a humming portfolio of retail customers, your specialty food and beverage startup seems perfectly poised for growth, right? Yes and no. The truth is that once you’ve established a beachhead in specialty, achieving next-level growth may be a classic case of “what brought you here may not take you there.”

In contemplating a shift to a more traditional volume-driven retail sales that includes broad product distribution at chain, grocery or mass retail stores, the savvy marketer must embrace both a shift in tactics, but also a shift in mindset. A successful pivot will require both push selling tactics and a focus on activations that generate the “pull” of consumer demand. This requires a new definition of success; one that values brand exposure — not just sales — as an essential growth driver.

At Wilks Communications Group, we help small-but-mighty specialty brands “punch above their weight” by embracing new channels and opportunities to achieve broad brand exposure to drive consumer interest, engagement and sales beyond the limitations of specialty retailers.

Consider Live Stream Shopping Channels

One tactic to consider is live-stream shopping, which thanks to COVID-19 has surged in popularity in recent years. According to eMarketer data reported in Forbes, this year’s estimated $11 billion US livestream shopping market is expected to grow to $25 billion in 2023 as Amazon enters the fray.

HSN and QVC launched this uinque sales formula decades ago through hosted segments watched by millions focusing on product features, benefits and demonstrations. Today these platforms continue to dominate as vehicles for mass exposure, with food and beverage products ranking among their fastest-growing categories. These sites occupy an experiential sweet spot between media and eCommerce that can yield big benefits for up-and-coming brands seeking to break into the mainstream.

Flash Sale Sites Drive Consumer Trial

Flash sale sites represent another efficient channel for smaller specialty brands to gain mass exposure. While traditional brand-building wisdom might suggest that such discount-driven sites are a questionable platform to showcase your high-quality brand, platforms like Zulily and Good Morning America’s Deals & Steals create an exciting impression among mainstream consumers of product scarcity and evoke the thrill of a “treasure-hunt,” which makes them ideal for brand discovery, intrigue and trial that can translate into repeat purchase.

That said, when considering flash sales placements (and indeed any of the tactics in this article), it’s important to think well beyond direct sales in your ROI calculation. Even if they don’t spark an immediate transaction, the buzz-worthy brand impressions achieved through these platforms are key to the “pull” dynamic that over time will elevate your brand’s profile among consumers and new retail partners alike.

Partnerships, On Your Terms

Co-marketing partnerships are another great way to amplify your brand’s visibility and drive sales momentum. This type of mutually beneficial partnership with a complementary brand can be a cost-effective tool on store shelves to drive awareness, engagement and consumption. Donating products for a partner’s promotional event (with visible credit!), sharing partner content on your social channels, or serving up exclusive offers to a partner’s email list are all tactics that can benefit your brand build valuable buzz at little or no expense.

However, coordinating partner activations can be labor-intensive, and if direct sales are the measure of success, it may not always seem worth it. Again, we encourage clients to think expansively about the collective benefit of multiple exposure tactics, both for generating consumer demand and for positioning your brand favorably with potential new retailers.

Chart Your Own Path

Once upon a time in food and beverage, a linear evolution from niche specialty introduction to scaled mass distribution was the gold standard of retail success. But thanks to new digital channels, platforms and distribution models — not to mention a brick-and-mortar MULO sector dominated by a few huge players and plagued by supply-chain disruptions — the best way forward for emerging brands these days is far less clear.

Rather than chasing traditional mass grocery distribution as the default goal, we encourage smaller clients first to focus on seeding consumer intrigue and industry buzz by prioritizing brand exposure and recognition at this early growth stage. No matter what path you pursue to grow your business, when you build a position of consumer demand, you’re set up for success.

At Wilks Communications Group, we have decades of experience helping premium food and beverage brands capture consumer and media attention to break through growth plateaus. If you’ve got big goals and are looking for a partner to help you get there, let’s connect.