When you manufacture and distribute a product, there are a
number of challenges - we all know this. The choices you make, from design
stage, to distribution channel, to location, all impact your bottom line and
ultimately how well your product performs. When it comes to emergencies- we are
talking here about product recalls - these decisions become even more
important, as a poorly handled product recall can impact not only your sales,
it can cause often irreparable damage to your brand’s reputation.
Product recalls happen all the time, often for unforeseen
reasons, and this is why having a strategy in place to manage this challenge is
so essential.
How you approach the management of a product recall will
largely depend on the type of recall you are dealing with. For example, a
product found to contain something that is a known health hazard requires a
very different process than a recall regarding an allergy alert.
With a health hazard recall, product will need to be removed
from the shelf immediately, shipped back to the warehouse or directly to Health
Canada and examined or destroyed. New, uncontaminated product will need to be
sent out and restocked. This needs to be done very quickly in order to avoid
lost sales and a damaged reputation. That being said, there is very little
wiggle room when it comes to a health hazard recall, as removal is the only
option.
Many believe that this is also the case when it comes to labelling
issues, ingredient discrepancies and allergy alert product recalls, and assume
that product needs to be removed from the shelf, sent back to the warehouse,
relabelled and then shipped back to the store. This process is both costly and
time/resource consuming. And it isn’t necessary.
What do we mean it isn’t necessary? Well, if there is
nothing wrong with the product, and just the label requires attention, why
spend money and time shipping the entire batch back to the warehouse? Instead,
bring in a team with the experience dealing with product recalls to quickly
re-label all product. Makes sense, no? That way, time is not spent with empty
space on the shelf where your product should be (meaning no lost sales as a
result) and money is not spent shipping product back to the warehouse to do
what can be done in store.
So how do you manage product recalls properly? No matter the
case, it needs to be handled quickly, but just make sure that the decision you
make regarding the process you choose is the most cost-effective and defensive.
Storesupport’s emergency response services can ensure that
your product recall is handled effectively and efficiently. Call us today to
set a plan in place: 1 877 421 5081.