How can we get national retailers without wrecking unit economics?

[Mila.C]

We're hitting a real wall trying to get our product into big retail chains. Our pitch seems to work with smaller regional stores, but when we talk to national buyers, the conversation always stalls out before we even get to pricing. I'm not sure if our unit economics are actually ready for that volume or if we're just missing the right entry point.

[Charles.P]

I bumped into the same wall. National buyers want a clear path to scale lead times distribution plan shelf ready packaging. If our unit economics cant handle big volume the pricing talk stalls fast.

[Jerry.W]

We did a pilot with a handful of regional chains tracked sell through and found our packaging and UPC readiness wasnt there yet. The pricing convo still stalled because we couldnt present a credible cost to serve.

[ZoeyIM]

Maybe the real issue isnt price. They may be waiting for proof you can ship at scale or a data story from actual store results.

[Justin_H]

One time we chased a national buyer and ended up arguing about minor features and got pulled off topic. It felt like we were chasing the wrong problem instead of showing a real plan.