With increasing pressure on gas and cigarette margins, it is imperative that c-store retailers identify other areas for sales growth. Almost universally, c-store retailers have recognized the opportunities in the general merchandise category. However, good information on this category, and access to the newest and hottest merchandise has been difficult to obtain.

By pooling the resources of c-store retailers, Retailer’s Radar Network, provides a full time research to identify and source new products.

If you are a c-store retailer looking to grow your store sales we would love to tell you more about joining the network. You can call us at 877-488-0596 or email us for more information.

Please take the time to read the FAQ’s below and then contact us to join the network!

Q. What is Retailer’s Radar Network?

Q. Is this for fads and products tied in to movies and TV shows?

Q. Who can join?

Q. How much does it cost to subscribe?

Q. What do I get for my subscription fee?

Q. Do we have to do anything besides pay a subscription fee?

Q. What is First Pitch™?

Q. What companies are members of Retailer’s Radar Network?

Q. Where do you get information on new products for the c-store?

Q. Am I obligated to carry the products that Retailer’s Radar Network sources?

Q. What about Dollar Stores — can you help me compete against them?

Q. Will my competitors steal my ideas?

Q. How do I join?

Q. Is Retailer’s Radar Network a wholesaler or distributor?

Q. Do you take a commission on the products members buy?

Q. What about movie tie-ins?

Q. I have a product I want to sell to c-stores. Can you help me?

Q. What is Retailer’s Radar Network?
A. Retailer’s Radar Network is a tool for convenience store operators to find new, hot, and non-traditional merchandise to sell in their stores. Retailer’s Radar Network combines the research dollars and the purchasing power of our members across the U.S. to constantly and systematically monitor and collect information on new and non-traditional merchandise for the c-store channel. Retailer’s Radar Network then sources these products and negotiates the best pricing for members based on the combined purchasing power of the subscriber members.

Q. Is this for fads and products tied in to movies and TV shows?
A. That is only part of the service. We have established a number of sources to monitor pop culture trends closely, but our focus is not just new products. We are also mining for products that are not new, but might be new to our channel

Q. Who can join?
A. Retailer’s Radar Network is open to convenience store operators of all sizes. In fact, we think it is important to have many smaller retailers, who are often the innovators in new merchandise. Our larger members benefit from the innovation of the smaller retailers, and our smaller retailers benefit from the buying power of our larger members.

The only restriction is if another retailer has already reserved the area you are in. Retailer’s Radar Network limits membership by geography so that members have a competitive advantage and feel free to share their own information with the network. Exceptions to the geographic exclusion are made on a case-by-case basis.

Q. How much does it cost to subscribe?
A. Subscription/membership fees vary by the size of your company. In general, smaller retailers can expect to pay about $15 per month for each store. There are discounts for larger numbers of stores.

Q. What do I get for my subscription fee?
A. As a subscriber to Retailer’s Radar Network you get unlimited access to our full time research. Each week you get the latest news and trends in popular culture, as well as new product ideas from other channels, online polls, product ideas from other subscribers, and new product sourcing from our First Pitch™ outreach program where new vendors present products to us.

As a subscriber you also get a semi-exclusive territory. We want members to share information freely, and be able to profit from the information and services we provide. We believe the best way to do this is through geographic exclusivity.

In addition to all the research, reports, unlimited web site access, and product sourcing services, each subscriber receives a free registration to our annual conference. This two-day event will feature some of the top trend analysts in the U.S. sharing their insights with our members.

Q. Do we have to do anything besides pay a subscription fee?
A. Yes. Participation in Retailer’s Radar Network is more than just paying your subscription fee and reading the reports on our web site. We want retailers with a passion for merchandising and a willingness to share their successes and failures with other members.

We will also ask retailers to participate in limited test markets of new products (guaranteed sale, of course) and we will need retailers to serve on our panels for First Pitch™ to evaluate new product proposals.

Q. What is First Pitch™?
A. First Pitch™ is part of our outreach program to source new products. New product manufacturers are invited to give a product "pitch" to a panel of our retail members. Our panel will give it the thumbs up or thumbs down. Whether it is a thumb’s up or down, all pitches are summarized and reported to members.

Q. What companies are members of Retailer’s Radar Network?
A. We don’t post member information on the public section of our web site. We would be happy to discuss our membership with prospective members. Please call us at 877-488-0596 or email us.

Q. Where do you get information on new products for the c-store?
A. Maybe the question should be where don’t we look. We have four primary sources of new product information.

The first is our full time monitoring of popular culture. This includes print, TV, movies, music and the web. From over 150 sources every month we track the newest and fastest growing trends and properties. We then look for relevance to the c-store industry for product opportunities. The network is also a client of several consulting services that provide observations and information on pop culture trends.

The second thing we do is an active outreach to find new products. This includes attending over 20 trade shows a year, shopping competitive channels, and our First Pitch™ program. First Pitch™ is where we invite vendors with new products to come and present to a panel of retailers. Also included in our outreach is communication with the large closeout distributors in the U.S. This is one of the primary sources of products for dollar stores.

Lastly, we rely on retail members to share their finds, successes, and failures with us. If a product that has received only limited distribution is selling like crazy in Texas, we will facilitate volume pricing for all of our members nationwide.

Q. Am I obligated to carry the products that Retailer’s Radar Network sources?
A. Absolutely not. Our goal is to provide the timely information and negotiate the best prices. Not all products are right for every store.

Q. What about Dollar Stores — can you help me compete against them?
A. Absolutely. Part of our job is to source products for c-stores from the same suppliers that the dollar stores use. By aggregating our purchasing power we are able to get some of the better deals.

Q. Will my competitors steal my ideas?
A. You will not have any direct competitors as members of Retailer’s Radar Network. With larger retailers there may be some small overlap with other stores, but you will know about this prior to subscribing. Our web site is secure and all the information shared with members is licensed to members only.

Q. How do I join?
A. Simply call us at 877-488-0596 or send us an email. We will check the availability of a Retailer’s Radar Network membership in your part of the country and answer any other questions that you may have.

Q. Is Retailer’s Radar Network a wholesaler or distributor?
A. Neither. We are a research and buying cooperative. Our job is to find the hot new products early and arrange the best pricing for our members who want to buy them.

Q. Do you take a commission on the products members buy?
A. No. Subscription fees to the Retailer’s Radar Network cover our research expenses and overhead.

Q. What about movie tie-ins?
A. We closely monitor the trade press for Hollywood as well as the licensing industry in general. When new movies with potential tie-ins are announced we contact them and inquire about merchandise opportunities for our industry. Typically the studios will have a primary tie-in with a major fast food chain for example. However secondary merchandising opportunities will be researched and reported to our members.

The difficulty for retailer can be connecting with the licensee manufacturers and distributors. The trading cards companies have done a good job in our channel, but there are numerous other licensed products. For example, the Power Puff Girls movie (a summer 2002 release) had licensing deals with over 75 companies.