This week, we're diving into critical strategies for brands in a rapidly evolving market. We'll explore why simplifying choice is key for success in travel retail, helping you cut through the clutter. Next, we'll challenge startup brands to rethink their distribution approach, focusing on building demand before chasing major listings to avoid quick delistings. Finally, we'll examine the undeniable rise of the creator economy, urging brands to adapt their content strategies to leverage authentic, consumer-driven engagement.

Happy reading!

#1 Too Much Choice Kills Sales: Why Brands Need to Simplify in Travel Retail

Global travel retail is a powerful sales and visibility channel - but too many brands are getting it wrong.

They show up with too many SKUs, too much messaging, and too little clarity.

That’s not strategy.
That’s choice paralysis - and it’s costing you sales.

Travel Shoppers Don’t Browse -They Decide Fast

Unlike traditional retail where consumers linger, compare, and come back…
Travel retail is fast-paced, transient, and distraction-heavy.

Your consumer is:

• Navigating crowds

• Thinking about their gate, passport, or next stop

• Likely unfamiliar with the environment

• Shopping out of convenience, not curiosity

In this context, over-ranging doesn’t signal strength - it creates friction.

🧠Fewer Options = More Conversions

When you offer 8 formats of the same product, here’s what happens:

• You force the shopper to do the mental work

• You make it hard to spot the “right” option

• You increase the likelihood they walk away with nothing

In contrast, a tight, focused range with clear messaging:

• Reduces decision fatigue

• Improves confidence at shelf

• Speeds up conversion

• Builds stronger brand recall

What Smart Brands Do Instead

The best-performing brands in travel retail simplify their offer and clarify the mission.
That means:

• 1–2 formats, max

• Bold, benefit-first messaging

• Packaging that stands out and explains itself

• Clear link to usage occasion: “Perfect for the flight,” “Snack now, save one for later,” “Stay energised on the go”

Whether you’re in snacking, wellness, drinks or skincare - the principle’s the same:
Don’t make the shopper think. Make them say yes.

It’s Not Just for Big Brands

Challenger and startup brands can play this game beautifully.
You may not get the biggest fixture, but if your offer is clear and easy to navigate, you can own the moment.

Retailers want products that move.
Shoppers want decisions that feel easy.
Travel retail rewards the brands that remove complexity.

Final Word

Over-ranging isn’t a flex — it’s a flaw.
Especially in high-speed environments like airports, train stations, and service areas.

If you want to win in travel retail:

• Reduce the range

• Focus the message

• Solve the shopper mission clearly

Because in travel, you don’t win by being everywhere.
You win by being the easiest “yes” in the aisle.

#2 Startup Brands: Stop Chasing Tesco and Start Building Smart Distribution

Here’s something I see far too often:
A startup brand lands a dream listing in a big national like Tesco…
…and is delisted within 12 weeks.

Why?
Because the listing was secured before the brand had real demand, awareness, or the infrastructure to support it.

Getting on shelf is hard.
But staying there is 10x harder - especially if you don’t have the marketing budget to drive rate of sale.

Big Retail Isn’t the First Move - It’s the Final Play

Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA - these aren’t launchpads.
They’re pressure cookers.

National listings come with:

• High onboarding costs

• Strict rate of sale expectations

• Limited room for underperformance

• The need for trade spend, field teams, and promotional rotations

If you’re not ready to support it from Day 1, you’ll burn cash and get buried.

What You Should Do Instead: Build Smart, Not Big

Before you go big, go smart:

Secure the right wholesaler partner
Look for distribution with reach into the right types of stores - think independents, coffee chains, gyms, delis, or forecourts.
These are the environments where you can:

• Educate staff

• Control the shelf

• Test formats and pricing

• Create localised demand

Focus on secondary retail
Your goal should be getting traction in smaller, more flexible retailers where you can build brand pull before trying to scale distribution.

Think:

• Booths

• Holland & Barrett

• Farm shops

• Specialty health or convenience chains

• Foodservice and on-the-go

You want to prove the product moves, collect data, build a story - then you talk to Tesco.

Distribution Strategy That Works

Here's what a winning rollout can look like:

1. Proof of concept through DTC or markets

   • Get initial traction and understand real-world feedback

2. Wholesale via targeted partners

   • Work with distributors who serve relevant retailers (like Epicurium, Tree of Life, Dundeis, CLF)

3. Secondary retail activation

   • Use founder-led selling, local activations and social content to drive in-store discovery

4. Gather data, refine product and messaging

   • Understand what sells, what channels overperform, and what occasions drive repeat

5. Approach national retail with evidence and leverage

   • By then, you’ll have stories, rate of sale data, and a following

Final Thought

Tesco is not your brand strategy - it’s your reward for building one.

You don’t need a national listing straight out the gate.
You need momentum. You need velocity. You need real-world proof that your product belongs on shelf.

So start small.
Build smart.
And earn the right to scale - on your terms.

Because it’s not about being everywhere.
It’s about being where your product wins.

#3 The Creator Economy Is the Next Big Push - And Brands Need to Catch Up

Scroll through any social feed today and you’ll see it:

• Real people, not glossy ads, driving the most engagement.

• Product reviews filmed in bedrooms outperforming studio shoots.

• And creators - not influencers - shaping what we buy, try, and trust.

Welcome to the creator economy.
And if you’re a brand still clinging to corporate comms and top-down content, you’re being left behind.

What’s Changed?

For years, digital content has been controlled by brands and agencies.
But now, creators own the attention.

They’re:

• Niche

• Native to platforms

• Highly trusted

• Experts at storytelling that doesn’t feel like selling

And more importantly - they convert.

Not because they’re celebrities, but because they’re relatable.
And that relatability builds trust at scale.

Traditional Content Is Losing Impact

Let’s be honest:

• Consumers scroll past polished ads.

• Engagement on brand pages is flat.

• In-house content rarely feels authentic.

Meanwhile, creators are building:

• More reach

• More engagement

• More cultural relevance

And they’re doing it organically - not through media spend.

Why the Creator Economy Works for Brands

1. It’s scalable
   You don’t need one big-budget influencer.
   You can work with 50 micro-creators who speak directly to your niche audiences.

2. It fuels your content engine
   Most brands are hungry for assets.
   Creators give you real-world, ready-to-use content across every touchpoint.

3. It adds credibility
   People trust people more than logos.
   Especially when the story is told in the creator’s voice, not yours.

4. It drives commerce
   TikTok Shop, Amazon Influencer storefronts, affiliate links —
   Creators aren’t just driving awareness.
   They’re driving sales.

Think Creator-Led, Brand-Supported

Smart brands aren’t just hiring creators for one-off posts.
They’re building always-on creator ecosystems:

• Long-term partnerships

• UGC-style campaign launches

• Whitelisted ads from creator handles

• Creator-first seeding and sampling

This isn’t a one-time campaign.
It’s a content and distribution strategy in one.

How to Start Embracing the Creator Economy

• Shift the mindset
  It’s not influencer marketing. It’s distributed storytelling.

• Identify your brand’s community verticals
  Not everyone needs to love you. Just the right groups.

• Find creators that align with missions, not just metrics
  10k authentic followers in your niche > 1M generalist views.

• Repurpose and amplify smartly
  Creator content doesn’t live and die on TikTok.
  Use it on PDPs, ads, email, retail displays — everywhere trust matters.

Final Word

The creator economy isn’t a trend - it’s the future of digital content.
It’s decentralised, agile, and more human than anything your brand studio can produce.

So the question isn’t whether you should tap into it.
It’s whether you can afford not to.

Your customers already trust creators.
Now it’s time your brand starts working with them - not trying to compete.

Free Tools to Help your Brand

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