Ep. 38 Mistakes to Avoid Before Taking Your Products Into Retail

Thinking about expanding your Amazon brand into retail? In this episode of #TheeComGrowthShow, Danan Coleman sits down with Robyn Johnson, CEO & Co-Founder of Marketplace Blueprint, to unpack the real-world challenges and hidden pitfalls brands face when making the jump from Amazon to brick-and-mortar.From reseller chaos to MAP enforcement, from inventory planning to cash flow crunches, Robyn shares her proven strategies for protecting your pricing, avoiding Amazon buy box suppression, and structuring SKUs for multi-channel success.You’ll learn: • How to prevent retail pricing from destroying your Amazon sales • Why packaging matters more in retail than you think • The power of exclusive SKUs for different sales channels • Compliance & safety requirements that can derail retail expansion • How trade shows and sales reps can be your secret growth toolsWhether you’re a startup brand or managing $50M in annual Amazon sales, this episode will help you scale smarter without killing your margins.🔗 Connect with Robyn Johnson:Website: https://marketplaceblueprint.comX/Twitter: https://x.com/AMZRobynJohnsonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynjohnsonazFacebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/AZListingSupport⏰ Timestamps:00:00 – Intro to Robyn Johnson & Marketplace Blueprint00:32 – Working with brands from pre-revenue to $50M in sales03:42 – Why resellers can hurt your retail launch05:40 – SKU & packaging strategies to protect Amazon sales08:12 – How retail pricing can suppress your Amazon buy box09:29 – Managing inventory & cash flow for retail expansion13:10 – Safety & compliance pitfalls for retail brands15:08 – Industry associations as a networking & knowledge resource17:48 – The hidden costs of trade shows & how to choose the right ones22:20 – Using sales reps to get into boutique & specialty stores26:26 – Retail packaging best practices (and why poly bags don’t work)28:03 – MAP policies, reseller agreements & distribution control31:46 – How Marketplace Blueprint manages Amazon for brands33:57 – Closing thoughts & where to connect with Robyn#MarketplaceBlueprint #RetailExpansionKEEP IN TOUCH:🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danancoleman📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecomgrowthshow👥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheeComGrowthShow 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/eComGrowthShowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@eComGrowthShowDanan Coleman is an expert in the Amazon field. He's been actively selling on Amazon since 2010 and in the SaaS and Service network for Amazon sellers since 2018. After helping companies like ManageByStats and Carbon6 scale and be sold, he started his eCom Triage [https://ecomtriage.com] to help sellers with solutions to complicated and seemingly impossible tasks like removing negative reviews and detecting critical and detrimental changes to your product detail pages. He also consults both brands and agencies in the Amazon space.