From Nonna’s Kitchen to Aussie Shelves: How Fact-Based Storytelling Helps Convince Retailers You Are Onto a Winner

Cracking into the competitive Australian grocery landscape requires more than just a great product — it demands a compelling story, backed by data-driven insights. Why? Because shelf is finite. You need to convince the retailers that your product is worthy of that facing on the shelf, over the brand or product that is already sitting there.

Retailers are constantly reviewing their ranges (in fact usually only once or twice a year per category!) to ensure they are stocking products that not only meet the latest shopper demands, but also drive category growth. What is category growth? Well, ultimately maximise the amount of money through the till, from the limited shelf real estate. And how do you convince them your product will do that? A combination of strong category data, combined with shopper insights to demonstrate why your brand deserves shelf space, over the incumbent & the other new brands pitching their story.

The Power of Fact-Based Storytelling

Retailers make listing decisions based on hard data, but what truly sets a brand apart is the ability to combine insights with an authentic compelling narrative story. And when you’re pitching your products, chances are you are up against 500 new products vying for the space. Not to mention the incumbents, trying to protect their patch (& profits!). The reality is fact based story telling, helps a retail buyer make decisions that grow category value (usually a key KPI of the category buyers role!).

Fact-based storytelling enables brands to:

• Demonstrate category impact – Prove how your product will drive growth within its category (not just steal market share).
• Align with shopper demand – Show how consumer trends, needs & insights support your brand’s inclusion. Better still, if you can demonstrate that your brand will bring new shoppers into your store, that’s like gold!

• Build retailer confidence – Provide evidence that your brand will resonate with customers and boost sales. And ultimately help make the buyers job easy!! Like the rest of us, they like hitting their KPIs too!

• Differentiate from competitors – Use data and storytelling to make a compelling case for why your product is unique & most importantly why it’s going to get more people picking it up and adding it to their trolley than the one on the shelf today.

Real-World Impact

SSG helped a premium Italian made pasta brand leverage this approach by blending its authentic heritage—rooted in traditional Italian recipes—with hard-hitting shopper & category insights. By proving that consumers were seeking higher-quality, authentic pasta options and showing how their product could lift the category’s average unit price, the brand secured a national listing in a commoditised category, that is traditionally not easy to break into.

What’s happened since? The brand is now in multiple retailers and delivering the category growth promised, as consumers are happy to pay more for the authenticity.

Managing Grocery Retailer Range Reviews Successfully

The range review process are critical moments for brands looking to enter or expand within grocery retailers.

To maximise success, brands must:

• Understand retailer objectives – Each retailer has specific goals around category growth, margin, and consumer needs.

• Present category-driven insights – Show how your product will improve category performance through increased sales, trade-up opportunities, or incremental growth.

• Back it up with shopper data – Provide consumer research, purchase behaviour trends, and market demand insights to support your case.

• Deliver a compelling pitch – Combine numbers with narrative to illustrate why your brand aligns with both retailer and shopper needs. Remember, you’re most likely pitching up against 500 new brands & 100 incumbents fiercely fighting their space. How will you ensure your story, rises to the top?

Case Study: Winning in Cheese & Dry Pasta

A food brand looking to expand into Australia’s leading supermarket chains, Woolworths and Coles, faced the challenge of entering two highly competitive categories: cheese and dry pasta. By implementing a structured approach that combined category insights with a compelling brand story, the company successfully:

1. Showcased market trends highlighting the growing consumer demand for premium and authentic European-style cheese and pasta.
2. Demonstrated category growth potential by proving that these products would drive higher-value sales and attract new shoppers.
3. Aligned with retailer strategies by presenting a clear plan to increase customer engagement and cross-category purchases.

The result? The brand secured national distribution in both Woolworths and Coles, breaking into categories historically dominated by well-established competitors. Since then, more SKUs from the brand are about to hit the shelves and distribution (number of stores ranged has increased), as people put their money where their mouth is, happy to pay a premium for the real deal!

Implementing a Winning Strategy

To successfully navigate these retailer range reviews and secure listings, brands should:

1. Leverage data-driven storytelling – Combine category insights with a compelling brand narrative.
2. Understand retailer priorities – Align your pitch with their business goals and shopper expectations.
3. Highlight growth potential – Show how your product will bring incremental sales and trade-up opportunities.
4. Refine and optimize – Continuously gather feedback, monitor performance, and adjust strategies for ongoing success.

The Takeaway

Your path to success in Australian retail is ultimately through 4 retailers; Coles, Woolworths, IGA & Aldi. Grocery retailers are looking for brands that don’t just fill shelf space but actively contribute to category growth. By blending the art and science of fact-based storytelling with robust data & profound insights, brands can confidently demonstrate why their products belong in-store. This approach has already helped brands break into some of the toughest grocery categories—proving that the right mix of insights and authenticity can turn a great product into a retail success story. As someone wise once said “it’s no longer just about the stuff you make, but about the stories you tell”.