# 183: Getting a New Hardware Product into Retail Stores

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2023-07-07
- Length: 21m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-07-07-183-getting-a-new-hardware-product-into-retail-stores
- Listen: https://productstartup.com/

## Summary

Yohan Jacob, founder of RetailBound, explains how emerging hardware brands can leverage retail stores for legitimacy and volume, drawing on his 30 years of experience as a buyer for Sears and OfficeMax. He argues that retail is not dead but has evolved into an omni-channel model, offering physical touchpoints and impulse buy opportunities that online sales cannot replicate. Jacob advises startups to start small, perhaps via retail marketplaces like Walmart or Best Buy, to prove sales velocity and supply chain reliability before negotiating broader shelf space. He emphasizes that long-term profitability comes from scaling volume to negotiate lower manufacturing costs, rather than expecting high margins on initial small orders.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-07-07-183-getting-a-new-hardware-product-into-retail-stores#t=0) Introduction: Yohan Jacob and RetailBound
- [2:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-07-07-183-getting-a-new-hardware-product-into-retail-stores#t=135) Yohan Jacob's Background: From Buyer to Consultant
- [3:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-07-07-183-getting-a-new-hardware-product-into-retail-stores#t=233) Why Retail is Still Vital: Omni-channel and Legitimacy
- [7:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-07-07-183-getting-a-new-hardware-product-into-retail-stores#t=473) The Power of Physical Retail: Impulse Buys and Store Layout
- [12:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-07-07-183-getting-a-new-hardware-product-into-retail-stores#t=730) Retail Profitability: Volume, Margins, and Manufacturing
- [15:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-07-07-183-getting-a-new-hardware-product-into-retail-stores#t=931) Getting Into Retail: Trade Shows, Marketing, and Starting Small

## Topics

- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- RetailBound (company)
- Sears (company)
- OfficeMax (company)
- Best Buy (company)
- Target (company)
- Costco (company)
- Walmart (company)
- CES (other)
- Toy Fair (other)
- Kickstarter (other)
- Amazon (company)
- Home Depot (company)
- Sony (company)
- Hasbro (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#020 - Executing lean and agile retail growth for your startup or SME, with Benjamin Ertl of Retailbound, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-04-05-020-executing-lean-and-agile-retail-growth-for-your-startup-or-sme-with-benjamin) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [T-25-006 : Yohan Jacob - Consumer Electronics Buyer to Retail Channel Product Launcher](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2025-01-07-t-25-006-yohan-jacob-consumer-electronics-buyer-to-retail-channel-product-launch) (TRADEOFFS)
- [#047 - RERUN - How next-generation retail looks like, with Vibhu Norby of b8ta, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-01-31-047-rerun-how-next-generation-retail-looks-like-with-vibhu-norby-of-b8ta-usa) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [Advice Line with Pete Maldonado of Chomps](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-05-02-advice-line-with-pete-maldonado-of-chomps) (How I Built This)
- [Opportunity Knocks: Get Direct Access to Top Retailers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-04-26-opportunity-knocks-get-direct-access-to-top-retailers) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-07-07-183-getting-a-new-hardware-product-into-retail-stores. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Product Startup.