Is the location of your Private Label Pet Products Manufacturer Important? Does it help to be in close proximity of them?
We have watched the private label industry grow over the past 20 years.
What started as an obscure path that only a few entrepreneurs dared to tread... has turned into a thriving industry that will only continue to grow. According to Nielsen, private label CPG sales now account for 15% of total CPG sales in the US. Not to mention, that figure keeps growing every year.
Now that so many have realized the potential of starting and expanding their own private labeled line of pet products, we have many more customers contacting us to ask how it works.
Those are easy conversations for us, because they usually already decided to private label and just want to make sure we have the best products and best program for them.
However, when we run into someone where the topic of private labeling is brought up and they haven't yet decided to make it happen, there's usually a different discussion that takes place. They want to talk through the advantages, but also the challenges of private labeling. Some have valid concerns and some have misconceptions that hinder them from starting.
We wrote an article that addresses the realities of private labeling vs. the misconceptions. So, if you have thought about private labeling, but just aren't sure yet, maybe this article can help you out. You can find it here: https://www.cassco-bio.com/post/selling-your-own-brand-of-products-by-private-labeling
On the topic of a valid concern... is the location of the manufacturer of private label products important? Let's look into how proximity can play a role in private labeling.
Are there advantages in being close in location to a private label pet products manufacturer?
In our normal daily lives, proximity is typically important. The less "windshield time" we have, the better. If something is closer, we can get there quicker, do what we need to do and move on to the next task.
However, do those same advantages apply to being close to a manufacturer? Well, yes and no.
We believe there are two possible advantages to being closer in proximity to your private label manufacturing partner:
It's easier to feel connected to them
Shipping products can sometimes be less expensive and more convenient
Neither of these is crucial to growing a successful brand.
But, if you are just another number to a product manufacturer, it could severely limit how successful your brand can be. You need a responsive and concerned partner to make the most out of growing your brand.
Let's take a look at the two advantages of being located close to your private label partner.
Feeling Connected:
If someone is closer in proximity, it helps to feel like they are more accessible. Even if you don't actually visit their location, it emotionally feels like they will be easier to get in contact with. While in reality, this is more of a misconception than a fact, it can still help you breathe easier when you are starting up a new venture.
We agree that it's very important to feel supported by your private label manufacturing partner. That's why we always make ourselves easily accessible. We want to connect with our customers. We want to get to know them. We want to support their goals and make them the heroes. It feels good and helps our customers feel supported and easier to get behind building their brands.
As long as you can reach out in the way that is convenient to you and get the help you need... then it's much less important where you are located, in regards to your manufacturing partner.
Shipping Convenience
Shipping costs have really increased the past few years. So, our customers tend to ask about how the shipping works. However, since we can ship from our facility to wherever the customer needs the product to go, it helps offset shipping concerns. We ship the finished, private labeled products to our customer's facilities, their Amazon Distribution Center or their 3rd party fulfillment company's location.
We do not have any service charges to pack for different carriers, print & apply labels, wrap skids with extra packing materials, etc. So, regardless of where our customers are located, we can easily get their products wherever they are needed in a safe and cost-effective manner.
In addition, since we have been shipping product for a long time, we get great rates from freight companies.
When it comes to freight, one big advantage is being located in the Midwest.
If you are located on the West Coast and order product from the East Coast (and vice versa), then your shipping costs and lead times for shipping, can really be a hindrance to your business.
Luckily for us and our customers, we are very close to being in the very middle of the United States. So, it's never a huge cost, or really long lead time for our customers. So, in that sense, proximity is helpful!
Make sure you have the best Private Label Manufacturer!
Although it can be helpful to be located closely to a manufacturing partner, we think it's far more important to have one that offers the most important attributes.
As one of the most experienced private label pet products manufacturers, we make sure we bring these crucial elements to each of our customers:
Natural Products
People want to purchase natural products because they tend to be safer than chemical alternatives. We were one of the first companies in the pet industry to offer all natural and naturally-derived pet products to our private label customers.
We make our dog treats with all natural ingredients. We have yummy baked treats and we also have a number of all natural pet supplements. We use a cold-process to manufacture our pet supplements, so that we can protect the active ingredients in the treats... so that pets can get the most out of them.
I wrote an article about our naturally-derived pet grooming products. It's explains more about what makes them natural and why they are better than other "natural" products out there. You can read it here: https://www.cassco-bio.com/post/what-are-naturally-derived-pet-grooming-products-and-how-do-they-help-your-pet
Ingredients Sourced Strictly from the United States
If you want to offer your customers the best pet products available, then you have to start with the highest quality ingredients. To attain that goal, you have to make sure you use only ingredients that are sourced and processed here in the United States.
We discussed why it's important to use only ingredients that are sourced from the U.S. in your private label pet products in another article. If interested, you can read more about it here: https://www.cassco-bio.com/post/the-importance-of-using-ingredients-sourced-from-the-united-states-in-natural-pet-and-equine-product
Graphic Design that Makes the Products Stand Out
We tell our private label customers that "packaging gets the product sold, while the product performance gets the reorder". So, while our product formulas will ensure your customers love the products and reorder them... the packaging is important to make sure it gets ordered initially!
That's why we make unique, custom labels and pouches for our customers. We can design whatever our customers need to convey their brand's personality and message. Not to mention, just making them attractive! Then, we run them on the highest quality print machine so that our customers can get the best image possible.
We offer this as a complimentary service... which simply goes back to having a great connection with our customers!
Not only does it save our customers money to have us handle the graphics for them, but it can also avoid some costly mistakes. We actually wrote a post about what types of problems can be avoided by having us do the graphic design work. It can be found here: https://www.cassco-bio.com/post/why-private-label-graphic-design-work-should-be-done-by-the-manufacturer
If you would like to discuss your goals and get some details about our products, feel free to connect with us at any time! Just click on the link below to find out more about us and how we can help...
