It’s not just the economy or competition slowing you down—often, it’s what’s happening inside the business. Hidden complexity. Messy pricing. Promotions that erode margin without moving the needle. For many mid-sized consumer goods and retail brands, growth isn’t blocked by one big issue—it’s death by a thousand small leaks.
In our work with operators, founders, and commercial teams, we’ve uncovered the real friction points stalling momentum. Here are the ones you can’t afford to ignore—and what to do about them.
1. Promotion Addiction Is a Downward Spiral
I once watched a great new brand proudly announce their first major win—landing a national retail listing after years of grind. The photo? A big smile next to an endcap stacked with all four of their new products… at half price.
It’s a moment worth celebrating—but launching at a steep discount can set a dangerous precedent.
In grocery, your performance in the first 6 weeks is everything. Sure, you want to drive volume early—but if your first impression is $2, good luck convincing customers you're worth $4 later.
Baseline (non-promoted) sales are what buyers care about when the next range review rolls around. Strong promo spikes might turn heads, but long-term velocity at full price is what keeps you on the shelf.
Use promotions as a strategic lever to drive trial, not a crutch to mask weak baseline demand.
What to Do:
- Define your promotional pricing strategy before you hit the shelf.
- Know your margins—and the retailer’s—at every price point.
- Build everyday value into your offer so your brand doesn’t disappear without a yellow ticket.
- Remember: you control your promo destiny. Don’t let it define you.
2. Demand spikes are your foe; Forecasting is Your Friend
We get it—spikes look sexy in a graph. But unpredictable surges in demand (that you can’t fulfil) don’t impress retailers—they frustrate them. And next time they’re reviewing the shelf, they'll go with the brand that delivered, not the one that almost did.
Great brands grow with consistency, not chaos.
Forecasting isn’t about getting it perfect, but getting as close as you can will keep the engine humming and customers happy.
What to Do:
- Use historical sales data plus to build smarter forecasts.
- Share demand plans with suppliers early
- Build buffers where it counts
- Align your ops, sales, and finance teams every month. If they’re not in sync, you’re flying blind.
3. Channel Chaos; aka ‘Shiny Object Obsession’
When every channel is fighting for its own piece of the pie—and none of them talk to each other—you don’t grow, you scatter.
Too many brands fall into the trap of “being everywhere,” just because someone asked to range their product, only to end up nowhere in particular. DTC undercuts retail, BUT sometimes Retail undercut DTCs. Wholesale helps scale volume but erodes margins. Retailer exclusivity can lead to strong partnerships, but at what expense to winning the market.
Winning brands don’t chase every shiny new toy. They pick their battles. They build smart channel strategies where each piece supports the others—and how each plays it’s role in achieving your vision. Laser focus with intent, always beats scattergun with out.
What to Do:
- Define the role of each channel
- Build focussed strategies relevant to the nuances of the channel
- Watch for channel conflict early—especially on pricing and promotion.
Focus your firepower where you have the right to win. Spray and pray is not a strategy.
4. Your brand is your secret weapon; put it at the forefront
Your brand is more than your logo and a nice font—it’s your shortcut to memory. It’s how a shopper picks you out in 2.3 seconds while wrestling a toddler and trying to remember what they came in for.
But here’s the catch: if you don’t actively build those brand cues—story, tone, visual assets, emotional hooks—they’ll get diluted faster than your margins during promo week.
Retailers aren’t just looking for great products; they’re looking for brands that can cut through the clutter, earn loyalty, and bring something distinctive to their shelves.
What to Do:
- Create a compelling brand positioning: it’s starts with why; Start with Why; Ted Talk 2009 with Simon Sinek
- Build and reinforce your distinctive assets—colours, cues, characters, pack formats…..and reinforce again & again
- Keep it single minded; simplicity always wins
5.Know your shoppers every move
Retailers don’t just want great products—they want brands that understand their customer. Because if you don’t, they have to… and that’s not their job.
Mapping the customer journey isn't a fluffy branding exercise—it’s your commercial playbook. It helps you drive awareness, improve conversion, deliver a better experience post-purchase, and increase repeat sales. That’s the cycle retailers want to see: not just trial, but loyalty.
Know your consumer (your customer’s customer) journey, it will help you sharpen how you are going to stop them in your tracks and make them take notice, time and time again.
What to Do:
- Get to know them!
- Map the shopper journey, pain points and how you will solve.
Wrap-Up: It’s Not Doom & Gloom—Just some business tips to help you zoom!
Yes—these challenges are real. But they’re also fixable. With the right strategy, sharper focus, and a few experienced heads in your corner, you can turn chaos into clarity, and growth into something sustainable.
At Strategic Specialists Group, we roll up our sleeves and work alongside you to untangle the mess, spot the gaps, and build a plan that actually sticks.
Want to check in on your thinking? Book a complimentary 30-minute sounding board session—no fluff, just a helping hand on the hard stuff.
