Many heavy-side, bulk, product manufacturers have tried in recent years to crack the merchant market with small-scale versions of their existing offer but not all succeed.

In theory it is a recipe for both manufacturer and merchant to cash in, take a well-established and highly developed construction solution and repackage for a user who needs the quality but less quantity. But, it isn’t that straight forward.

To really benefit merchants there are three core objectives that we know need to be met:

  • Supply a version of your existing portfolio which you’re certain meets merchants’ needs
  • Support merchants in their delivery of the range through training and point of sale materials
  • Provide on-going support beyond the products’ initial launch.

We’ve been manufacturing and delivering products for decades so we had every confidence that merchants could benefit from our expertise and technology before we launched i-fix.

Through a series of workshops, merchant briefings, robust market research, and previous industry knowledge we have created a complete range of patio and driveway repair and maintenance products.

By packaging up six products which complement each other in a range of landscaping, building and gardening tasks, we’ve designed a solution that merchants can sell with ease and confidence.

We’ve also developed our i-fix products to give merchants some unique selling points such as our Speedy Paving Grout which can be poured straight over paving without time consuming pointing and gives four times the strength of alternative brands.

By working with merchants and taking the time to understand their needs, we are confident that we can give them the sales potential they require to increase profits and decrease losses.

Nick Holmes is technical support manager, i-fix.