Fix it Quick: Managing Product Recalls

product recallsWhen 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.

Marketsupport’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.

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