Buyer Profile: Thuy Nguyen, Good Eggs

WHAT SETS GOOD EGGS APART FROM OTHER GROCERS?

At Good Eggs, we are very focused on hyperlocal products, while also delivering the best produce, everyday staples, prepared foods and meal kits. I don’t think any other company is doing what we are doing at this scale. It’s such a fun shopping experience for our customers to be able to buy things that they could typically only find at their local farmer’s market, but delivered to their door with the rest of their groceries.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE TO BRING IN AN EMERGING BRAND TO YOUR ASSORTMENT? HOW DOES AN EMERGING BRAND KNOW WHEN THEY'RE READY TO PITCH TO YOU?

I would say curating our assortment is more of an art than a science. There are a lot of things I look for in a new brand. We have a highly curated assortment, so even if a brand meets our standards, it’s not a guarantee that they will be on our platform.

Taste is key. There have been times when I’ve asked new brands to revisit their formulas and come back to me. Sometimes they do, and it’s great! It’s always exciting when brands can take feedback and improve on their products.

In addition to taste, ingredient transparency and a compelling, genuine brand story are essential. Packaging plays a role in my decision as well, but luckily, that can always be improved upon!

WHAT SETS A BRAND APART IN A PITCH? WHAT’S A PITCHING NO-NO?

Having a deep understanding of where their ingredients are coming from and being intentional about their sourcing. We want to know the “why” behind every ingredient supplier – we don’t accept brands that are buying ingredients blindly. Beyond this, we prefer to hear from an informed, passionate founder over a sales team. And even if you’re a tiny business just getting started, make sure you have some kind of data on-hand.

A pitching no-no would be ignoring the category review schedule. Pay mind to the category review schedule, and once you’ve sent your first pitch, stay consistent but not aggressive. Sending a reminder to the buyer once every three months or so can help you stay top of mind without being overwhelming.

WHAT ARE YOUR MOST COMMON CONCERNS WHEN BRINGING ON A NEW BRAND?

For an emerging brand, a common concern is that they won’t be able to meet our demand or deliver products to us when we order it.

Consistency can also be an issue; sometimes we will launch very new brands, and the next week they need to rebrand or change ingredients or packaging sizes. We are super flexible and helpful at Good Eggs, but it also takes a lot on our end to launch a product. We do our photography in-house, and this process alone can take 30 days. If there is any change coming up in the foreseeable future, a great brand partner will give us as big of a head’s up as possible.

HOW SHOULD EMERGING BRANDS THINK ABOUT PRICING?

TN A brand should know how they need to price their product in order to stay in business. But they also need to understand that the MSRP they set won’t always be what a store will stick to. Every grocer has their own margin targets to meet, and they won’t always sell an item that you charge $4 for at $6 retail because that’s the highest you think a customer can handle. If you want the product to retail at a certain price, you need to be willing to be flexible on the cost.

WHAT ARE THE VELOCITY EXPECTATIONS YOU HAVE FOR NEW BRANDS ON THE PLATFORM?

It depends on the products. It takes about 6 weeks in our marketplace for a brand to gain traction and get steady sales. The first few weeks are tricky because our buyers are still figuring out how much to order so that we don’t run out while also not holding on to inventory for too long. We want to be on the same page with the brands – neither of us should expect that we’ll be ordering pallets from the get-go. To set us up for realistic velocity expectations, we typically order by the 4-5 cases per SKU to start and build up from there.

HOW CAN A BRAND BE AN AMAZING RETAIL PARTNER? WHAT HELPS THEM STAY ON GOOD EGGS ONCE THEY’RE THERE?

Good Eggs doesn’t do any promotions or too much marketing. Successful brands on our platform amplify Good Eggs on their own social channel; and we generally repost it!

Otherwise, brands that do well are those who stay involved. Being consistent with restocking, ensuring that your distributor is well-prepared to work with us, and poking buyers every once in a while to keep their products top of mind are all important to be successful on the platform. Don’t disappear the second you make it through the door.