If your brand is seeking capital, it needs good answers about its distribution strategy

While the internet has made it possible for brands to come out of nowhere and find success, it hasn’t made raising capital simpler for entrepreneurs in the natural products space.

Investors want to see a great product, but they’re also going to ask for a detailed plan on how to market it online. They may want to hear about staff positions devoted to navigating Amazon, or they may demand to see a social marketing strategy with specific influencer outreach targets.

Putting that pitch together is complicated, and evaluating the answers can be just as difficult. In a world that evolves with every new point and click, both investors and brands are left to make sense of what consumers are buying, where they’re buying it and where they expect to be parking their virtual and actual shopping carts next.

It may be easier than ever for consumers to find your product, but finding those consumers is part of the complexity of the omnichannel era.

The Nutrition Business Journal has responded to this new set of needs with its first Sales Channel Report. The omnichannel revolution has made it clear that the only way to support, explain and interpret a business plan is with the best available data and the report is designed to add rigor to the sales strategy portions of a business plan pitch.

The report includes sales data with projected trends across e-commerce, brick and mortar and additional channels for food and beverage, natural living and supplements. A pair of surveys included in the report examine both consumers’ thoughts about which products fit best for them into which channels, and manufacturer attitudes about where they plan to steer their sales plan.

The report is designed not just for brands to present the best and clearest picture of their marketing strategy, but also for investors who need to read business plans with a keen eye for effective strategies.

The internet may have made shopping simple for consumers, but selling to those consumers is more complicated than ever.