Retailbound

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m currently the director of operations for a privacy hardware company. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Retailbound?

We needed Retailbound to help us manage and make introductions to distributors and retailers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Retailbound provided us with a helpful roadmap on how to get to our retail management goals, which was a lot of work along the journey to get retail-ready as a small business. 

It was a high-level road map on what we had to achieve. They gave us a course of different tasks we had to do on our end and on theirs. They provided the financial side of it, as in what exactly should we be looking at from margins. Then, Retailbound created a deck for us that we could put in front of retailers to show exactly what we did on our end. We also worked on multiple introductions and steering the conversations with distributors and retailers and a lot of the backend work there, which was very valuable.

What is the team composition?

Yohan (President) was our main contact. We talked directly pretty much every week.

How did you come to work with Retailbound?

They reached out to us via email, and we had some initial conversations with them. We found it to be a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We started working in October 2019–June 2020. Our partnership ended after we had a strategic change on our end.

What is the status of this engagement?

We probably spent $30,000–$40,000.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Since we had a strategic change on our end, we don’t have any KPI. However, they delivered on schedule and with good quality, and they made many good connections and introductions. They also steered a lot of those conversations. 

How did Retailbound perform from a project management standpoint?

Retailbound performed very well. We had weekly meetings and primarily communicated over the phone or email sometimes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Retailbound stood out for their expertise and experience. Yohan seemed to know everyone in the industry, and also what needed to be done. He was a very good person to fall back on whenever we had questions or needed help. It’s hard to believe, but a lot of consultants pretend to know what they’re doing. Yohan really knows it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, I don’t think so. Most of the improvements should’ve been done on our end, not theirs. 

Any advice for potential customers?

To make the most out of them, you have to be in a good position. You have to know definitively that strategically you are going down this path and  have the resources allocated towards that effort;there’s only so much they can do there. It’s a mutual lift. If you’re a small company, you must know what you have to do to get along that roadmap. It’s important to know there is going to be a lot of work involved, and you have to have someone steering that ship internally. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a home security company that develops smart home security products. One of our first products was a personal security device.

What challenge were you trying to address with Retailbound?

We were selling our products online and through Amazon, but we quickly saw the limits of those marketplaces, and we decided to expand our retail channels in the US. That's when we decided to work with Retailbound.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had no knowledge when we were trying to enter the US market. Retailbound’s team helped us by guiding us on building the infrastructure, getting product liability insurance, and setting up the right sales rep team for us to be retail ready. 

Those were important cornerstones of our development in the retail space. We’re also working with big online catalogs and retailers. 

What is the team composition?

Yohan (President) was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Retailbound?

I found Retailbound in a media article that discussed US retail. I contacted them on LinkedIn, and we had a couple of conversations. They were really knowledgeable about the US retail space, so that is how we started working together.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the campaign in July 2020, and we ended in April 2021.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We were really happy with the progress that we made only in six months. We were tracking all the appeals and also the speed of onboarding brand-new clients on our own CRM. December and January were really quiet and slow. After that, in 2-3 months, we started to see good traction. We were in talks with a number of larger retailers like Costco, Target, Walmart in a really short period of time. I was very impressed with the speed of the progress, and we have tracked that internally as we saw the growth of revenue.

We launched in Q4 at a relatively late stage, yet we did fairly well; we already see good traction within the first three months. We were able to get concrete results in the past 6-7 months, getting us to large retailers in the US and smaller retailers in Canada. 

How did Retailbound perform from a project management standpoint?

Retailbound’s entire management and communication styles were very spot on. They were very professional, and we used to communicate through emails and on Skype for urgent matters.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think the most impressive thing while we were working with Retailbound was that they were crucial and valuable for our team. They had knowledge and experience. They truly wanted to work with us and help us grow. That was the most impressive part of the collaboration.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't really have any suggestions. I'm really satisfied.

Any advice for potential customers?

When you work with Retailbound, you really need to be ready and committed to enter the market. In retail, a lot of the time, we're making requests at the last minute, and we need to be there on the spot. Trying to do all the work needed to push the project forward and cooperating with Retailbound’s team is the key to future success.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of Keyport, Inc., a consumer products / electronics company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Retailbound?

We hired Yohan Jacob and Retailbound to assist us with getting set up for, marketing, and supporting our products in retail.

What were your goals for this project?

We did not have much experience in selling our products in retail through a wide range of retailers and distributors (online and offline).

How did you select Retailbound?

We evaluated several retail consultants, and Yohan and his team at Retailbound stood out from the rest.

Describe the project in detail.

Retailbound helped us get ready to sell in retail - pricing, marketing materials, presentation, and Q&A. But there biggest value was focusing our efforts on sell-thru, not just sell-in.

What was the team composition?

They have a great team, and we have spoken with a number of different members of the team. We were lucky enough to work directly with Yohan and Ben.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We sold into several online retailers including Walmart, Home Depot, Best Buy, and Staples as well as several brick and mortar stores including B8ta.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Retailbound team are excellent communicators. We had a formal call weekly and then interacted on various issues that arose through the week. Retailbound also facilitated meetings with various distributors and retailers. Most of the time, they joined on the call and were a valuable part of our team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their team was professional and honest, and they provided excellent communication and results.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Honestly, I don't have much constructive feedback in this case.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the CEO

For what projects/services did your company hire Retailbound?

An outsourced retail channel manager

What were your goals for this project?

Outreach and sign retail contracts

How did you select Retailbound?

They came highly recommended by peers

Describe the project in detail.

We are a startup with a unique audio device. We hired Retailbound to be our outsourced retail channel managers - scoping and outreach, negotiating deals, reviewing contracts, payments and RMAs.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with Yohan Jacob.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Signed multiple deals with retailers and developed successful relationships with buyers

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Effective, methodical and responsible

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were experienced, knowledgeable, and sincerely caring about the company's success.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not for me