Target told me to consolidate my packaging, and against my better judgment, I said yes. Sales plummeted, and we were pulled six months in.
The product was the PaciPal Teether Blanket. A plush blanket with a pacifier holder and a built-in silicone teether. At Target, it hung on a peg, full size, easy to understand. A mom could see it, touch it, and know exactly what it was. It sold, the feedback was glowing, and we were expanding into all Target stores.
Then the buyer came back with a planogram problem. The set was tight and my item took up too much space. The ask: consolidate the package. Fold it down. Smaller footprint.
I complied, stayed quiet, and crossed my fingers.
That's the folded version on the right. Same blanket, folded into a small block with a hang tag. We even put a big tag on the front with a photo of it open, to show what was inside. It didn't matter. You couldn't see the blanket. You couldn't feel it. A shopper walking the aisle had no idea what it was.
Nothing about the item inside had changed.
Here's the part that still bugs me. The buyer wasn't wrong about the space. But out of fear of losing the peg, I treated "make it smaller" like a yes-or-no question.
What I would do today:
First, I'd say no, then give them data to back up why.
I'd put the folded package in front of real shoppers before I agreed. A quick survey would do it. Ask people what it is and count how many get it wrong.
Then I would have my reps pull category data on a product that went through something similar and didn't survive, and show the buyer that, too.
Then I'd go back to the buyer with a presentation. Buyers respond to data. They do not respond to "I don't think it's a good idea." Do the legwork for them and show them an alternative if your product allows.
If a shopper can't tell what your product is, the price doesn't matter, and neither does the planogram.
If your product becomes unrecognizable, it becomes unsellable.
Retail is my superpower.