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Retail Strategies & Supplier Insights

Discover the strategies and insights you need to thrive in the competitive retail landscape. Retail Strategies & Supplier Insights delivers expert advice, actionable tips, and the latest industry trends tailored specifically for retail suppliers. Whether you’re looking to boost sales, recover profits, or navigate retailer relationships, our blog is your go-to resource for success.

Eye-level view of a warehouse shelf stocked with consumer packaged goods

Navigating Walmart Readiness with Expert Guidance

Entering the Walmart marketplace is like setting sail on a vast ocean filled with opportunity and challenge. For consumer packaged goods brands and suppliers, Walmart represents a treasure trove of potential sales and growth.

Jon Allen

2 days ago4 min read

Close-up of a map highlighting Bentonville with bold black text. Thin colored lines and nearby roads are visible. Softly blurred background.

Open Call 2025: What to Know Now

Walmart’s annual Open Call is happening right now in Bentonville—and the energy is real. Think hundreds of founders from nearly every corner of the country streaming into town to pitch U.S.-made, grown, or assembled products to Walmart and Sam’s Club merchants.

Jon Allen

3 days ago3 min read

A person in a blue jacket is joyfully surrounded by falling dollar bills on a white background, creating a dynamic and exuberant scene.

Deduction Recovery with Your Broker—A How-To

Think triage and workflow. The goal is to recover fast while preventing the next hit.

Jon Allen

Oct 21 min read

Understanding the Impact of a Government Shutdown on Retailers and Suppliers

If Congress misses the October 1 funding deadline, parts of the U.S. government will shut down. Essential services will keep running, but...

Jon Allen

Sep 294 min read

Retail Deductions 101: Terms, Causes & Solutions

“Retail deductions” are amounts a retailer withholds from your invoice—usually for shortages, compliance issues, pricing discrepancies,...

Jon Allen

Sep 245 min read

What Is a Food Broker? (And When You Should Use One)

A food broker is a contract sales representative who connects food and beverage manufacturers with retail buyers—think grocery chains, club stores, mass, and specialty. They don’t buy or own your product; they sell it, manage the relationship, and help move it through existing retail channels.

Jon Allen

Sep 234 min read

How a Food Broker Becomes Your Compliance Bodyguard

You hire a food broker to open doors. Great. But the best brokers do something more valuable: they keep those doors from slamming shut because of compliance misses

Jon Allen

Sep 222 min read

Retail Deductions Never Stop—and What You Can Do About It

If you’ve ever thought, “We already fixed our deduction issues,” you’re not alone. Many suppliers see deductions as a one-time problem: something to clean up, get under control, and move on.

Jon Allen

Sep 162 min read

Food Broker Advantages: Why Small Brands Need Representation to Compete with Giants

For every small brand dreaming of shelf space at Walmart, Kroger, or Target, the reality is clear: the competition isn’t just tough—it’s...

Jon Allen

Sep 81 min read

Your Product Photos Are the First Sales Pitch—Are They Strong Enough?

Before a shopper reads a single word about your product, they see your image. Online, that image is your handshake, your elevator pitch,...

Jon Allen

Aug 291 min read

5 Common Mistakes Companies Make with Retail Deduction Recovery

Recovering retail deductions can be complex, but most brands lose money due to avoidable mistakes. Here are the five most common missteps:

Jon Allen

Aug 141 min read

Retail Deduction Recovery 101: What Every CPG Brand Needs to Know

If your CPG brand sells to major retailers like Walmart, Kroger, or Target, you’ve likely experienced the frustration of deductions ...

Jon Allen

Aug 131 min read

UNFI Deduction Pitfalls: What to Watch for and How to Fight Back

If you’re a CPG supplier working with UNFI, you know the drill: you send the shipment, you send the invoice, and you wait for payment. But somewhere between “invoiced” and “paid,” things get messy.

Jon Allen

Aug 122 min read

Target’s “Perfect Order” Changes: Fines, Fixes, and Next Steps

Target is raising the bar for suppliers, and your invoices could take a hit if you’re not ready. In 2025, the retailer updated its...

Jon Allen

Aug 71 min read

SNAP Shake‑Ups & What They Mean for Retail Suppliers

The 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill” puts $186 billion in SNAP cuts on the table over the next decade. Starting in 2028, states begin covering 5–15% of benefit costs based on their error rate, up from zero, and must pick up 75% of administrative costs instead of 50%.

Jon Allen

Aug 43 min read