Imagine you are pitching a new product listing to a key retail partner, but they tell you they have no shelf space and a limited promotional budget. How would you approach this?

Situation

I was a Key Accounts Associate handling a major convenience store chain, and I needed to list a new ready-to-drink coffee variant. The buyer immediately said they had zero shelf space and only a small quarterly promo fund left.

Task

I had to convince the buyer to reserve at least one facing for the new variant without increasing their overall shelf allocation or requiring a large promotional spend.

Action

First, I analyzed the chain's category sales data and found that the existing coffee variants had a 20% stock-out rate during afternoon peaks. I proposed replacing the slowest-selling ambient juice SKU in the chiller with the new coffee variant. Then I offered a six-week temporary price markdown funded from our trade marketing budget instead of requiring their promo fund. I also provided a planogram mock-up showing that we could fit the new SKU by reducing the facings of the bottom two coffee sellers by one unit each.

Result

The buyer agreed to a three-month trial with one facing in 30 top stores. The new variant sold 150% of the forecast in the first month, and the chain later rolled it out to all stores.