How Sunhine Bouquet Launched a
New Floral Bouquet Collection to $2M in First-Year Sales.
A nationally distributed mass-market floral brand needed to launching an entirely new seasonal product line without losing ground on their core business. Axis built the go-to-market strategy, the retail marketing materials, and the multi-channel launch program — and made sure it landed.
client
Sunshine Bouquet Company
industry
Consumer Goods · Floral Distribution
service
Product Launch · Trade Marketing · GTM
result
$2M+ First-Year Sales
the challenge
A High-Stakes Launch With No Margin for Error
Sunshine Bouquet had built a strong reputation as a floral wholesaler with established retail partnerships. Entering a new product category — a curated bouquet line marketed directly to consumers and retail buyers — was an entirely different challenge.
The risk was real: a poorly executed launch could damage retail relationships, confuse the existing customer base, and dilute the brand equity they'd built. The execution had to be precise — and the results had to justify the investment in the first 12 months.
"Scott understood our brand from day one and knew exactly how to position the new line without undermining what we'd already built. The results reflected that."
— Brand Leadership, Sunshine Bouquetthe strategy
Win the Trade First.
Then Win the Customer.
Retail product launches live or die at the buyer level. A consumer campaign that drives demand to empty shelves is worse than no campaign at all. So we focused on securing retail commitments first — with the right trade marketing materials — then built the consumer campaign on top of confirmed shelf presence.
Built distinct positioning for the new bouquet line that honoured Sunshine Bouquet's existing brand equity while clearly differentiating the new product. Two message frameworks developed: one for trade buyers (sell-in), one for consumers (sell-through).
Designed and produced the complete retailer launch kit — sell sheets, category business reviews, planogram recommendations, trade presentation deck, and in-store display specifications. Materials built to give retail buyers the business case and the confidence to commit shelf space.
Worked directly with the sales team to prepare for retail buyer presentations. Briefing sessions on how to present the category opportunity, handle objections, and close on initial orders. Customised pitch materials built per key retail partner.
With retail commitments secured, launched the consumer program: social media content strategy, influencer seeding, email campaign to existing customer base, in-store POS materials, and a PR push to lifestyle publications. All channels launched simultaneously with in-store availability.
Monitored sell-through rates by retailer and provided weekly reporting back to retail partners. Executed a mid-season consumer campaign timed to support the reorder window. Reorder commitments secured before end of launch season.
Care about: margin, velocity, planogram fit, and sell-through data. Speak in: category business reviews, planograms, promotional calendars, and case studies.
Care about: beauty, occasion, value, and brand story. Speak in: lifestyle imagery, social content, influencer recommendations, and emotional messaging.
the execution
Three Phases - One Coordinated Launch
A product launch in consumer retail isn’t a single moment — it’s a sequence of coordinated activities across trade and consumer channels that have to land in the right order. We built and executed that sequence across three distinct phases.
Win the Trade
Win the Consumer
Secure the Reorder
the results
$2M in First Year Sales.
Reorders Secured. Category Established.
The launch exceeded first-year revenue targets across all retail channels. More significantly: retail partners committed to reorders — the clearest possible validation that sell-through was real.
First-Year Product Revenue
Total first-year revenue across all retail channels for the new bouquet line — from a standing start with zero brand equity in the new category at launch.
Retail Commitments Secured
Key retail partners committed to reorders before the end of the launch season — the strongest possible validation that consumer sell-through was strong enough to justify continued shelf space.
Core Business Disruption
The new line launched without disrupting Sunshine Bouquet's existing retail relationships or core product revenue — precise positioning and differentiation held throughout.
"Scott understood our brand from day one and knew exactly how to position the new line without undermining what we'd already built. The results reflected that — and the retail partners came back for more."
— Brand Leadership, Sunshine BouquetThe bigger picture
Trade AND Consumer. Not One or the Other.
Most brands make one of two mistakes on retail product launches: they focus exclusively on consumer marketing and assume retail will follow demand — or they focus exclusively on retail sell-in and have nothing to drive consumer pull-through.
The Sunshine Bouquet launch worked because we built both sides simultaneously and sequenced them correctly. Retail commitments first. Consumer activation on the heels of shelf availability. Sell-through data fed back to support reorder conversations.
Consumer marketing that drives demand to empty shelves is wasted money and damages retailer relationships. Win the shelf first.
A new product that competes with your existing line is a problem, not a launch. Precise positioning protects both.
Retailers reorder products that are selling. Real-time sell-through reporting used proactively in reorder conversations is one of the most underused tools in trade marketing.
Initial orders mean a buyer took a chance on you. Reorders mean you earned the shelf. That's the real measure of a successful product launch.
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