You probably think that product availability of a gift recommendation is a no-brainer, but you would be amazed. Many manufacturers promise the world, but can they really deliver?

How does River Rock Marketing avoid availability being an issue with our recommendations? While there are multiple things that can affect availability, it usually happens in two ways.

Understanding Manufacturer Order and Forecast Policies

Manufacturers have a slew of policies and procedures they use to minimize their risk when producing and distributing product. At River Rock Marketing, we painstakingly review every policy to get the most out of every manufacturer possible. What kind of policies can affect a marketing gift selection? Some manufacturers require a forecast, some do not. Some have a minimum order quantity, others don’t. Some require orders 10 days in advance of shipment, others can ship the same day. Knowing the intricacies of each manufacturer gives us the ability to match their performance with your needs. This deep knowledge in retail manufacturing is one of our keys to minimizing any program pain you could potentially experience.

Poor Lead Time Performance

It’s one thing to say you can deliver, it’s another to have a track record. When making a gift recommendation, we not only look at the stated capability of the manufacturers to meet the deadlines necessary to support the recommendation, we use our experience and the experience of other retailers on how the supplier has actually delivered.

Determining the product availability of a recommendation is the first critical review step in every recommendation that River Rock Marketing provides. We understand how painful switching can be, which is why we carefully review every manufacturer to guarantee their ability to meet the needs of your bank. This is another example of how we do our homework to make gifting easy and painless for you!