How to get your product into 7-Eleven

  1. Understand you client: Before you spend a lot of time and money creating a product, you should know if anyone will want to buy it. Learn more about Market Research
  2. Learn if it’s protectable: Know if you can defend your product against cheap copies if it gets knocked off. Learn more about Copyright and Patent your product
  3. Test your product: Make sure that there’s a demand for your product and the customer understands what you are selling when it’s on the shelf and nobody is there to explain it. Learn more about Product Testing
  4. Perfect your pitch: Before you speak to decision makers, know your numbers, know your retailer and know your logistics in and out. Learn more about Pitching Your Product
  5. Don’t do it alone: If you haven’t been successful in retail before, a secret of success is that you can’t do it alone. Having great sales staff, customer support and marketing partners can take you from zero to success faster than if you tried on your own. Learn more about Retail Partnerships
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Information On 7-Eleven

Founded in 1927, 7-Eleven Inc. is a Japanese-American international chain of convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as Tote’m Stores until it was renamed in 1946.

7-Eleven in the United States sells Slurpee drinks, a partially frozen soft drink introduced in 1965 (Oklahoma’s stores are known as Icee Drink), and Big Gulp beverages, introduced in 1976. Other products include: 7-Select private-brand products, coffee, fresh-made daily sandwiches, fresh fruit, salads, bakery items, hot and prepared foods, gasoline, dairy products, carbonated beverages and energy drinks, juices, financial services, and product delivery services.

7-Eleven is known for its relatively large drink sizes and 24-hour accessibility. 7-Eleven offers beverages that are 32 ounces (946 mL) (Big Gulp), 44 U.S. fluid ounces (1.301 L) (Super Big Gulp), 50 ounces (1479 mL) (Double Gulp), 53 ounces (1567 mL) (X-Treme Gulp), or 128 ounces (3785 mL) (Team Gulp), as well as the 20 ounce (591 mL) Gulp. 

These beverage sizes were all among the largest sold soft drinks when they were introduced. 7-Eleven has often been associated with these large sodas in popular culture. For example, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban on large sodas in New York City was frequently referred to as the ‘Big Gulp ban’.

On it vendor relations, the company noted that “7‑Eleven was built on new ideas, especially those that meet customers’ needs. We are constantly looking for innovative products and suppliers that align with our company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goals including: reduced packaging and reduced energy footprint. We also look for quality, differentiation, and convenience for our customers.”

The American grocery market has gotten to the point where it has to be personalized. The sector is one that tries to connect with the individual customer. This means, the supermarkets try to address the needs and interests of individual customers. This is by offering local, international, and metropolitan products. The company’s stores offer natural and organic grocery products, such as organic produce products; bulk food and private label products; dry, frozen, and canned groceries; meat and seafood products; dairy products and dairy substitutes; prepared foods; bread and baked products; seafood; and beverages.

7-Eleven has a reputation for quality products and customer-friendly prices and its procurement standards are quite high. To get your products noticed by this retailer, you need to get on the RangeMe platform as the buyers of the company use the platform to source new products. You can create a free profile to get started. The platform works by getting you connected to potential buyers who would see the range of products you have on your supply dash. It is that simple.

You need a unique way of branding your offerings as a vendor. The market is saturated and the online platform is open for all. Find something that strikes you apart. It is noteworthy that this retailer sells at affordable prices. Thus, you should be looking at offering the best and still on the affordable side in pricing. 

What Does 7-Eleven Want?

Quality, Differentiation and Convenience

Today’s 7-Eleven is looking for innovative products within these categories:

  • Private Brands – All Categories
  • Fresh Foods
  • Packaged Beverages
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Snacks & Candy
  • Non Foods

Becoming A 7-Eleven Supplier

7-Eleven utilizes RangeMe in order to make it easier to discover new products.

Utilizing RangeMe

  1. Create a product profile.
  2. Your product is matched with the right category buyer.
  3. Buyers review your products. Once your product has been reviewed you’ll received notification.

Getting The Most From RangeMe

RangeMe’s strong suit is its ability to streamline how buyers are able to discover new products. Buyers generally select products that catch their attention and those products are the ones that excel in their branding, have quality packaging, and they keep their pricing competitively.

RangeMe puts all of the information Buyers are looking for in one centralized place. The first things that a buyer will be exposed to regarding your product will be your product photo, brand imagery, and the cost information. If buyers like what they see they can click onto your profiles, get more information, and can message you directly.

Get Noticed By Buyer

  1. Make your brand experience strong with a clean cover image and logo so the buyer can see how your brand will connect with their customers.
  2. Your product images must be clear, high resolution, and undistracted.
  3. Tell your brands story and share its mission.
  4. Connect all of your social media channels and show your imagery as well as activity.

Click Here to Enter Your Product Information

Contact 7-Eleven Buyer

Do not trust any “list” of buyers.

Typically retail buyers change either companies or positions every few years. This strategy helps retailers know that their buyers are not taking “kick-backs” and are selecting the very best product for the very best position each time.

Buyers are typically held to a very rigorous standard of sell-through volume that they must hit and because of this they are risk averse. Your job as a supplier or vendor is to convince them that the buyers going into the stores not only know about what you’re selling but are actively seeking the product in the store currently.

  • Step 1

    Contact 7-Eleven Buyer

    Sometimes easier said than done, however you must get on 7-Eleven’s radar.

    Call the 7-Eleven’s corporate phone number and ask for the names of the buyer and assistant buyers in your category.

    Always leave voicemail with whomever the dispatch will connect you.

    Use that information to connect with them on LinkedIn, RangeMe and any other professional social platform.

    Ask your representative at your trade bureau to connect you to the 7-Eleven buyers as they will potentially have a better history.

  • Step 2

    Get On 7-Eleven’s Radar

    Use advertising, public relations and marketing to make your brand known to 7-Eleven’s buyer through 3rd party websites & industry media sources.

    Be everywhere that they look, the key is to position your brand as the obvious choice when 7-Eleven is looking to either refill a slot or create a new category.

    Latch on to the news of the day and any trend that will make your product fill that niche whether that be Non-GMO or Vegan Leather for example.

    Investing in your brand can only benefit your opportunities in the future. As being “top of mind” will have a ripple effect when you physically present your product at a 7-Eleven buyers meeting or trade show in the future.

    Step 2

  • Step 3

    Use Hard Facts

    7-Eleven buyers typically got to their position by picking “winners” and know how to see through the fluff.

    Focus on the numbers, know your bottom dollar during a negotiation and how fees and chargebacks may cut into your position.

    Know that long term success may outweigh short term sales, however financing large purchase orders from 7-Eleven when the net result is negative is not sustainable.

    Understand the playing field and the other brands that are in your space, what they are offering as promotion and pricing and how you can stand out against them.

    By knowing that each buyer at 7-Eleven probably knows more than you do, take an active listening approach to sales and understand that no is a perfectly acceptable answer that may have saved you millions of dollars on the backend.

How to Submit a Product to 7-Eleven

There are several ways to get a product placed in 7-Eleven. However, most entrepreneurs only dream about getting their product distributed to major retailers, few actually do it. We have experienced a significant rise in interest since the show Shark Tank started airing on NBC.

Mr. Checkout has had the pleasure of working with a few Shark Tank success stories such as KISStixx and 180 Party Cups which are now currently being distributed around the country to stores like Walmart, Target, Kroger, 7-Eleven and more.

If you envision your product would be a good fit for 7-Eleven, we have a few steps to help you get your product on their shelves.

Let Us Know About Your Product

Here are the 6 steps you need to take to have your product placed in 7-Eleven.

1. Start with the right questions.) Before you try distributing your product to 7-Eleven, you need to ask yourself a few basic questions. Do you need to build demand for your product, or is there already a demand for it? Do you know that 7-Eleven would be interested in selling your product? If you can strike a deal with 7-Eleven, can you handle the production volume? Do you want to sell directly to 7-Eleven, or do you want to license your product to a manufacturer that will handle distribution?

2. Be prepared to profit.) Does your product offer enough of a profit margin for 7-Eleven? Can you sell your product at a reasonable enough profit to cover the packaging, shipping, commissions, marketing and wholesale distribution? Check 7-Eleven’s guidelines for other fees that you will have to build into the cost of your product in order for you to be able to turn enough of a profit to make the effort worth your while. If you work with a discount retailer, they will try to strip your profits down to zero in order to keep their prices as low as possible.

The typical breakdown of margins are: If a products costs $1 to produce, that product will retail for $4. That product that retails for $4 will wholesale for $2 to distributors and stores that purchase direct. Big box retailers like 7-Eleven may offer to pay $1.25 to the manufacturer if the product costs $1 to produce. That is the typical profit margin.

3. Determine if 7-Eleven is the right store for your product.) The relationship between you and 7-Eleven starts with you browsing their store for competing products. If 7-Eleven already has a similar product, it is going to be very difficult to get your product picked up. Spend some time at your local 7-Eleven to see what kind of products they are selling, speak to the manager and see if he thinks your product will sell well in their store. Picture in which zone your product would best fit on the shelf and keep in mind that the most precious asset that these big box stores value are their shelf space. Keep this information in mind when you are preparing your presentation to 7-Eleven.

If your company is minority or women owned, check 7-Eleven’s website and see if they offer specific opportunities for those designations.

4. Pitch your product to 7-Eleven.) Decide whether it will be you or a representative to present your product to 7-Eleven. Your presentation depends heavily on your strengths as a businessperson as they will most likely ask financial questions and logistics questions.

It’s common for companies to hire a broker to pitch their product to 7-Eleven, as it will be more likely that your product will make it to the next stage if the individual pitching your product has industry knowledge or a personal relationship with 7-Eleven. The percentage of commission verses, however generally a broker will take around 5% to represent your product to 7-Eleven.

We at Mr. Checkout have experience dealing with brokers and know that there are several retail brokers that have poor business practices that can potentially damage your brand. If you are seeking a legitimate 7-Eleven broker, please give us a call for a recommendation. It could save you a huge headache and a lot of money.

5. Complete the required 7-Eleven paperwork.) Often 7-Eleven will have you go through an application process. However, before submitting the paperwork required by 7-Eleven, you should contact a buyer at 7-Eleven and let them know your intentions. Having a contact inside of the company will potentially move your application more smoothly through the process.

6. Anticipate the need for increased volume.) Having 7-Eleven agree to stock your product will most likely mean a significant increase in volume. You should be prepared to ramp up your production and informing your manufacturer of this opportunity.

Having production, logistics and distribution to sync is not only difficult, it requires a significant amount of time invested in customer relations. Also, 7-Eleven may have stipulations in the contract that may penalize you for delays in shipping and production. Have an attorney explain all contracts to you if you don’t understand the terms.

If you’re looking to distribute your product to 7-Eleven, be sure to thoroughly assess the marketplace, carefully prepare for production growth, and take full advantage of resources available to help you grow your business.

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