Is There Room for Your Product? How to Evaluate Market Opportunity in the U.S. Before You Invest

Launching a consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand in the U.S. is a big leap—and an expensive one. Too often, brands make that leap based on intuition, past success in other countries, or assumptions about “market potential.” The result? Poor sell-through, shelf delisting, and money lost.

The truth is, many products that perform well locally fail to find traction in the U.S. simply because the opportunity wasn’t properly validated. Before you invest in export logistics, trade shows, wholesaler negotiations or retail outreach, you need to ask the most important question:

Is there really space for my product in the U.S. market?

This article will walk you through the core areas you need to evaluate to make an informed, data-driven decision—and avoid costly mistakes that can be prevented with strategic foresight.

1. Understand category maturity and shelf saturation

The first and most critical question is: Is your product entering a crowded, mature category, or one that still has room for innovation and differentiation?

✅ What to look for:

  • Number of SKUs in your category in key retailers (e.g., Whole Foods, ShopRite, Wegmans)
  • Dominance of legacy brands vs. emerging ones
  • Shelf space density vs. purchase frequency
  • Innovation rate (how often do new products enter and survive?)

If your category is highly saturated—say, plant-based milks or protein bars—then your brand needs to bring a very sharp and clear differentiation to justify its shelf presence.

🔎 Tip: Go into stores and photograph the category. If you can’t instantly identify where your product fits—or what makes it different—you have a problem.

2. Validate consumer demand at a localized level

Even if a category is growing nationwide, that doesn’t mean there’s demand in the markets you’re targeting. The U.S. is not one homogeneous market—especially in food and beverage.

✅ What to explore:

  • Regional taste preferences (Northeast vs. Southeast vs. West Coast)
  • Cultural or ethnic alignment (Does your product match the local demographic profile?)
  • Retailer assortments in your target region
  • Search trends or social listening for your category keywords

🔹 Example: A tropical fruit beverage may be well-positioned for South Florida, but could struggle in the Northeast unless supported by education and local relevance strategies.

3. Analyze competitive pricing structures

One of the most common reasons brands fail is because they cannot land a viable retail price point, either due to high COGS or unrealistic expectations.

You should reverse-engineer your price starting from the shelf:

  • What is the consumer price point for similar products in the category?
  • Can you reach that number after accounting for wholesaler, retailer, broker, and promo margins?
  • Are you underpricing yourself and devaluing your positioning? Or overpricing and losing competitiveness?

If the numbers don’t work from the shelf backward, you may need to rethink your hero SKU or your entry strategy entirely.

4. Identify whitespace or differentiation opportunities

The most successful brands aren’t the ones that copy what’s already working—they’re the ones that solve a need that others haven’t solved yet, or do it in a way that resonates better with the target audience.

Use this checklist to pressure-test your differentiation:

  • Do you have a functional, emotional or cultural angle that hasn’t been tapped?
  • Is your packaging format truly different or optimized for shelf impact?
  • Are you creating a new use occasion or challenging a legacy brand?

🔹 If your only differentiator is “we use better ingredients,” that’s probably not enough.

5. Talk to the right people before you move

Don’t guess. Talk to experts who know the market from inside the shelf. That includes:

  • Retail buyers (when possible)
  • Brokers who understand category rotation and margins
  • Sales & merchandising teams who see what happens day to day
  • Consultants who have launched similar products and can tell you the truth—even when it’s hard to hear

At MCC, we’ve seen many brands lose time and money because they skipped this step. A single validation conversation early on can save months of effort and thousands of dollars.

Conclusion: Invest only when your opportunity is real

The U.S. market offers enormous potential—but also enormous risk. Brands that succeed here do the homework first. They validate the opportunity, build a product-position-price alignment, and enter with clarity and competitive strength.

At Group MCC, we help CPG brands evaluate the real viability of their product before they invest. Through our strategic consulting services, we analyze your category, pricing, regional potential and differentiation—and help you build the roadmap that turns potential into performance.

If you’re considering launching in the U.S. but want to make sure there’s room for you before you invest, contact us. We’ll help you find the answer—and the strategy behind it.

The Role of Independent Chains in Scaling CPG Brands on the East Coast

When most international CPG brands think about launching in the U.S., their eyes go straight to national retail giants: Whole Foods, Walmart, Costco, Target. And while those names look great on a sales deck, they rarely represent the best first step—especially for emerging brands entering a complex, competitive market like the East Coast.

In cities like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, independent and regional chains dominate shelf space, consumer loyalty, and local velocity. These stores aren’t just stepping stones—they’re strategic platforms for testing, refining, and scaling your brand.

In this article, we’ll break down why independent grocery chains are key to sustainable growth, how they work, and what successful brands are doing to win in this environment.

Why the East Coast retail landscape demands a different approach

Unlike the more consolidated grocery environments of other regions, the East Coast is a mosaic of small and mid-sized grocery chains. Some are family-owned groups with 10–50 stores. Others are ethnic supermarkets serving highly defined communities. Many operate through regional wholesalers like Krasdale, C&S, or UNFI—but maintain full autonomy in product selection and merchandising decisions.

This makes them:

  • ✅ Accessible to emerging brands that can’t yet meet national volumes.
  • ✅ Flexible in how they merchandise, promote, and price products.
  • ✅ Influential within their communities, creating loyal, repeat consumers.

If you’re building your brand in this region, these chains aren’t just an entry point—they’re a proving ground.

The hidden advantages of independent chains

1. Easier access and shorter sales cycles

Large retailers have long onboarding processes, layers of buyer approvals, and rigid reset calendars. Independent chains, on the other hand:

  • Can often onboard a product in a matter of weeks, not months.
  • May allow store-level or regional-level decision-making, not centralized buyers.
  • Are more likely to give new brands a shot, especially when the product caters to their local consumer base.

This allows your brand to start testing and rotating much faster, gaining valuable data and refining your retail execution.

2. Higher impact from merchandising and store visits

In large chains, store managers often have little say in how your product is stocked or promoted. In independent chains, store-level relationships matter a lot more.

When you invest in:

  • Regular visits from sales reps,
  • Strong relationships with store managers,
  • In-store promotions or demos,

You can directly influence how your product is placed, stocked, and sold. And in markets as competitive as New York or New Jersey, that difference can determine whether your product thrives or disappears.

3. Strategic flexibility for emerging brands

Launching with a major chain typically locks you into:

  • High minimum volumes
  • Aggressive trade spend
  • Strict pricing and promotional commitments

In contrast, independent chains let you:

  • Test different SKUs or pack sizes to see what works best
  • Adjust pricing more easily without a national planogram
  • Pilot promotions at a smaller scale before committing large budgets

For brands still adapting their offer to U.S. consumers, this flexibility is invaluable.

4. Proof of performance for future expansion

One of the best ways to get the attention of major retailers or national distributors is by showing:

  • ✅ Strong sales velocity in real stores
  • ✅ Demonstrated local demand
  • ✅ Operational readiness in retail execution

Independent chains allow you to build this proof organically, so when the time comes to scale, you’re not selling a pitch—you’re showing real data.

Turning small wins into big leverage

One of the most effective ways to build leverage with national distributors or large retail chains is to start by performing exceptionally well in independent channels. These stores offer the opportunity to:

  • Test SKUs and pricing models in real retail environments
  • Capture sell-through data and retail insights
  • Refine logistics, merchandising, and marketing strategies at a manageable scale

When you document strong rotation, reorder consistency, and retail execution in smaller chains, you gain a powerful narrative backed by real results. It shows future buyers that your product doesn’t just look good on paper—it performs under real-world retail conditions.

For many brands, regional chains and independents aren’t just the launchpad—they’re the proving ground that allows you to scale intelligently and sustainably.

Conclusion: Don’t overlook the power of independents

For CPG brands entering the U.S. East Coast market, independent grocery chains aren’t a backup plan—they’re a strategic foundation. They allow you to:

  • Enter faster, with lower risk and more control
  • Build strong retailer relationships from day one
  • Test, learn, and refine before scaling nationally
  • Prove your value in real retail environments

At Group MCC, we help CPG brands develop retail strategies that recognize the full potential of these high-impact, often-overlooked channels. Through consulting and execution, we design your entry roadmap, help you activate merchandising, and build your sales infrastructure for long-term success.

If you’re preparing to launch in the U.S. market, let’s talk about how to turn local chains into your biggest growth advantage.

Pricing for the U.S. Market: How to Build a Structure That Works Across Wholesalers, Brokers, and Retailers

For international CPG brands looking to enter or expand in the U.S. market, one of the most underestimated (and most dangerous) blind spots is pricing.

It’s easy to believe that if your product is priced well in your local market—and if your COGS are relatively low—you’re ready to compete in the U.S. But in reality, the U.S. retail chain adds multiple layers that can destroy your margins if not planned for from the start.

This article will walk you through the core pricing structure you need to understand, break down the margins expected by each player in the chain, and explain how to set your pricing strategy to protect your business, attract buyers, and drive long-term growth.

Why pricing can make or break your U.S. market strategy

Many brands approach the U.S. market with a “what’s left” mindset:

“I have my cost and a target price—let’s see how much is left for everyone else.”

But that’s not how this market works. In the U.S., pricing needs to be built in reverse. You need to start from the shelf price (what the consumer sees), and work backward through the chain to determine:

  • If your margins are viable
  • If you can meet everyone’s expectations (retailers, brokers, distributors)
  • If your product will be priced competitively on shelf

Step-by-step breakdown: How the pricing chain works in the U.S.

Let’s start with a simplified version of the pricing chain. Suppose your product’s MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) is $5.00. Here’s what typically happens to that number:

  1. Retailer margin: 30–40%
    • Expected retail margin varies by category, channel, and store type.
    • Let’s assume 35%: that means the retailer expects to pay $3.25 for your product.
  2. Wholesaler margin: 10–15%
    • If the retailer buys through a wholesaler, that wholesaler needs their margin too.
    • With 12% margin: your product must be priced to the wholesaler at $2.90.
  3. Broker fee: 5–8% of wholesale price
    • Brokers typically charge a commission on sales.
    • At 7%, you’re now receiving $2.70 per unit.
  4. Trade spend & discounts: 10–15%
    • Retailers expect promotional support: BOGO, TPRs (temporary price reductions), display incentives.
    • If you allocate 12% for this, your real average revenue per unit drops to $2.38.

Now ask yourself: can you profitably produce, import, and support that product at $2.38 per unit?

If not, you have two choices:
✅ Redesign your cost structure
✅ Rebuild your go-to-market strategy

Key pricing principles for CPG brands in the U.S.

1. Always price for the channel you’re targeting

  • DTC and Amazon can tolerate higher price points.
  • Conventional retail (especially value chains) is highly price sensitive.
  • Premium retail (like Whole Foods or Erewhon) allows for margin, but only if your value proposition justifies it.

🔹 Example: Many international snack brands succeed in Sprouts or Whole Foods at $4.99—but fail in conventional chains like ShopRite or Kroger where that price is too high for the category.

2. Build your hero SKU with U.S. pricing realities in mind

Sometimes the issue isn’t your brand—it’s the specific product format or size you’re trying to launch.

Ask yourself:

  • Can we build a retail hero with better margin structure?
  • Would adjusting pack size or ingredients improve pricing viability?
  • Can we create a product that’s optimized for velocity AND margin?

🔹 Example: A frozen Latin American brand we worked with couldn’t make margin on their core empanada SKUs, so we helped them develop a smaller “snack size” 3-pack that allowed for a $5.49 retail with better unit economics. That SKU became their U.S. retail lead.

3. Treat promotional spend as part of your pricing structure

Retailers in the U.S. expect regular, aggressive promotions—especially during launch periods.

If you don’t budget for it, you either:

  • Can’t support the promotion when it matters, or
  • You do it anyway and hurt your margins.

🔹 Best practice: Create a “net net” pricing model that includes your base price and your promotional burn. That’s your real revenue per unit.

4. Don’t forget hidden costs in logistics and compliance

Your landed cost doesn’t stop at freight. It includes:

  • Customs, duties, and port fees
  • 3PL or warehouse costs
  • Distributor fees
  • Regulatory compliance costs (e.g. relabeling, certifications)

If your pricing model doesn’t account for these, your margin is already gone before you start selling.

Conclusion: Price with precision or risk your entire launch

Pricing isn’t just a finance issue—it’s a strategic pillar of market entry. Brands that succeed in the U.S. are those who:
✅ Understand the economics of the full retail chain
✅ Build products and portfolios around viable price points
✅ Support pricing with the right promotional and trade strategies

At Group MCC, we help CPG brands analyze, structure, and validate their pricing models to ensure they’re not just exciting for consumers—but viable for the U.S. market.

If you’re planning your launch and want to ensure your product is priced for long-term success, contact us to learn how our consulting services can help you get it right from the start.

Shelf or Obscurity: How In-Store Merchandising Defines the Fate of Your Brand in U.S. Retail

Getting your product into a retailer is a milestone—but keeping it there, growing your share of shelf, and accelerating sales velocity? That’s where the real game begins. In the U.S. retail landscape—especially in fragmented, competitive regions like the Northeast—the difference between a product that scales and one that disappears quietly often comes down to in-store execution.

Yet many brands still treat merchandising as an afterthought.

They focus heavily on sales, logistics, and marketing, assuming that once their product reaches the shelf, it will sell itself. The reality? Even a great product with strong marketing support can fail at retail if it’s not merchandised properly.

In this article, we’ll unpack:

  • Why merchandising matters more than ever in retail,
  • What strategies top-performing brands use to succeed in-store,
  • And how your brand can avoid becoming just another SKU that didn’t make it.

Why merchandising makes or breaks retail success

Let’s be clear: Retailers don’t sell your product—you do.

Their role is to provide the shelf. Yours is to ensure the product moves. And if it doesn’t, they will replace you.

Here’s what happens when merchandising is weak:

  • Your product is placed too low, too high, or behind a competitor.
  • Promotions go unnoticed or are executed incorrectly.
  • Stock levels drop, and no one notices until it’s too late.
  • Consumers walk past your product—because nothing calls their attention.

Without visibility and strategic placement, your product becomes invisible, regardless of its quality or marketing budget.

Now flip that: a product that is consistently restocked, faced properly, supported by signage or cross-merchandising, and has a strong in-store story—that product gets reordered.

In-store realities you can’t afford to ignore

Many international CPG brands are surprised by how operationally brutal U.S. retail is. Some of the key realities you must plan for:

1. Shelf resets are frequent

Chains reorganize aisles based on seasonality, category performance, or new buyer decisions. If you’re not there to advocate for your product, you risk being displaced overnight.

2. Category captains dominate space

In many categories, one or two large players influence planograms. You need field support to defend your space and fight for promotional or secondary placement.

3. Managers have autonomy

Even if your product is in the system, store-level execution varies wildly. Relationships matter. If no one is visiting the store, checking the shelf, and asking the right questions, you will lose ground.

What smart CPG brands do differently: Execution strategies that work

Here are the merchandising strategies we see working for brands that are scaling successfully:

1. Own your shelf presence

Your team—or your partner’s team—should be in stores regularly:

  • Checking that SKUs are properly stocked and faced.
  • Ensuring pricing labels and promotions are in place.
  • Speaking with store managers and solving issues in real time.

It’s not glamorous, but it’s essential.

2. Go beyond the shelf

Endcaps, shippers, clip strips, refrigerated bunker spots—these secondary placements drive trial and visibility.

Even small placements in high-traffic areas can outperform a poorly placed shelf spot. Smart brands negotiate and earn these spaces through retail support and activation planning.

3. Sync field teams with marketing

It’s not just about physical presence. The brands that win are the ones whose merchandising execution is aligned with:

  • Digital campaigns targeting the zip codes of their stores.
  • In-store promotions that match online messaging.
  • Launch calendars that prepare stores before the traffic hits.

This creates cohesion between what consumers see online and what they find in the store.

4. Capture data and respond fast

Field reps should report real-time data: OOS alerts, competitor placements, promo execution. This feedback allows you to:

  • Adjust your trade marketing quickly.
  • Target stores that are underperforming or at risk.
  • Spot expansion opportunities where sales velocity is high.

The difference between surviving and scaling

Plenty of brands get on shelves. Only some stay.

And even fewer scale, gaining new placements, increased facings, and stronger relationships with buyers. The difference isn’t luck. It’s execution.

Merchandising isn’t just logistics—it’s strategy. It’s what makes your marketing visible, your sales sustainable, and your investment worthwhile.

Conclusion: Retail is won in the field

If you’re aiming to scale in the U.S. retail market—especially in the competitive Northeast—your product can’t just sit on a shelf and hope for the best.

You need a strategy. You need people on the ground. And you need to treat in-store execution with the same seriousness as your pricing or product development.

At Group MCC, we help CPG brands not only get listed, but stay listed. Our consulting services guide you in designing a merchandising strategy that fits your stage, your budget, and your market. And when you’re ready, our in-field sales & merchandising teams ensure your product performs where it matters most: at the point of sale.

If you’re preparing to scale in the U.S. and want to make sure your product doesn’t end up in obscurity, talk to us. We can help you turn your shelf space into real sales.