The minimum standards can include requirements such as:
Û Minimum dollar value of opening inventory order
Û Maintaining annual purchases at or above a certain dollar value
Û A specified basic inventory selection in order to participate in national
or regional promotions
Û Mandatory participation in national or regional promotions
Û Maintaining a specified minimum amount of shelf space for the
product line
Û Maintaining a certain appearance of the product presentation by
requiring use of shelf headers or other point of sale (POS) materials
supplied by the manufacturerAlthough the above are not questions, use them as questions for your research
for each of the various suppliers or kinds of suppliers.
- Product quality and selection
Research the quality of suppliers' products. The range of quality options is also
important and the depth of selection within those quality ranges.
Customers today are looking for value. They want to be able to fit the
quality of a product to both their pocketbook and the expected usage of the
product.
The reputation of a company and its perception in the marketplace will
depend on:- Do the products have a good track record of performance?
Do they live up to the advertised claims?
How the products are generally rated against other brands offered in the
market?
How would the products rate on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest
quality?
Do customers in the marketplace perceive the products as good value for
the money?
Alternatively, do customers see them as overpriced or underpriced in
relation to other brands and performance delivered?