Like any 50-plus-year-old who tries to stay active, I occasionally get a little banged up. So I’m certainly no stranger to orthopedic products, and throughout the years I’ve gone through a variety of supports and braces for my knees, elbows, wrists and whatnot to help me with active recovery. 

So when I learned that Canadian orthopedic support brand Trainer’s Choice landed its first U.S. retail customer from a meeting at an ECRM Health Care Session, I wanted to learn more about the company and its experience breaking into a new market with these types of products, especially as I personally have a lot of experience with them.

Not only did I discover the brand’s unique background and cool sustainable products, but I also gleaned some great insights to share with other Canadian brands seeking to break into the U.S. market (watch full video interview below).

From clinic to shelf: The Trainers Choice origin story

Trainers Choice is a family-owned sports medicine brand that has its foundation in sports medicine and rehabilitation clinics. It was founded by Rick Schaley, an athletic therapist, when he saw a gap in the market for superior products for patients recovering from injuries.

So he began sewing together some products himself. He used his sports medicine clinics as his laboratory, collaborating with chiropractors, physiotherapists and orthopedic surgeons to build products based on their collective knowledge and patient treatment experience. Product sales eventually took off (and he no longer sews them himself!).

“People loved the quality and durability of the product,” says Taylor Schaly, Director of Sustainability and Business Development at Trainers Choice. “The products started in the clinics, grew into the 'Trainers Choice' brand, and are still used and tested on our patients today. This allows us to ensure quality and get immediate patient feedback."

This "clinic-to-shelf" model provides instant credibility and a unique selling point that resonates with retailers and customers alike. As a result, Trainers Choice orthopedic products can be found in most of the major pharmacy and grocery chains in Canada, including Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharma Choice, Loblaws and Metro, as well as in many independent retailers. In addition, they are involved with several professional sports teams in the country.

Sustainability as a core differentiator

Trainer’s Choice has also prioritized sustainability, making material choices that are both functional and environmentally conscious. Its key innovation is the use of Geocell – a natural rubber derived from FSC and PFC certified hevea trees – as an alternative to neoprene.

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certification on hevea trees signifies that the natural rubber comes from responsibly managed sources, ensuring environmental, social, and economic sustainability. These certifications verify that rubber plantations meet strict criteria, including legal harvesting, proper treatment of workers, and conservation of biodiversity. 

However, when it comes to orthopedic products, performance is where the rubber (or rather, Geocell) meets the road, and this new sustainable material doesn’t sacrifice any, according to Schaly. "It just minimizes that need for neoprene, which is really bad for the environment,” says Schaly. “You  wouldn't be able to tell the difference in performance, however, because that four-way stretch is there."

Expanding the brand’s distribution into the U.S. market

Having already seen success in the Canadian Market, expanding distribution to the U.S. market was the next logical step for Trainers Choice, and to do this Schaly signed up for ECRM’s 2024 Health Care Session. What attracted Schaly to ECRM Sessions was the private, pre-scheduled meetings with buyers from large retail chains – a much different experience than trying to flag down retailers from an expo booth. 

"We'd been looking around for some trade shows, and ECRM really stood out because of those 20 minute meetings that are offered,” says Schaly. “Setting up a booth can be intimidating, and it can be hard to get people who don’t know you as a brand to stop by. We thought, what better way to get one-on-one with a category manager than to go to ECRM?"

Schaly was assigned a dedicated Client Success Manager who outlined what to expect, helped her prepare for her meetings, and ensured that she had everything she needed at the Session itself. “Our CSM was great,” says Schaly. “We had a lot of questions about what to expect, and she helped us get ready. It was really a seamless process.”

The Ingles Market deal

One of these meetings led directly to Trainers Choice’s success with Asheville, N.C.-based 200+ store chain Ingles Markets, taking them from an initial meeting with Ingles' buyers at the 2024 Health Care Session to being on the shelf in just over a year. 

“We had a really great meeting with Ingles, and when we followed up via email, they wanted to set up a meeting again right away to meet with more people from their team,” she says. “We had several meetings during which they really wanted us to share our category expertise. We looked at their gaps and provided suggestions on what we think would benefit their set the best, and then we finalized everything.”

Schaly notes that sometimes it can take a year or more to get on the shelf, depending on when a particular retailer does their resets. The benefit of this, however, is that it allows ample opportunity to make sure everything is squared away, packaging and presentation-wise. “It ensures that you get out all the details you need to make sure it's a seamless launch,” she says. “It looks great on the shelf, and they've got a lot of great feedback so far.”

The brand is also in the process of closing some more deals from that first Session, and following up with some new buyers it met at this year’s Session. 

Buyer meeting best practices for CPG brands

Schaly and her team’s meeting preparation, execution and follow up efforts offer a masterclass for those looking to get the most out of ECRM Sessions. She offers the following six pieces of advice:

1. Pre-Meeting research is paramount

Since brands participating in ECRM Sessions are given their meeting schedules weeks in advance, Schaly did a deep-dive into each of the retailers on her appointment list. But she didn’t stop there; she wanted to study the retailers’ actual shelf sets to review their current assortment of products and to identify gaps which they could fill. 

However, as the retailers they were to meet are based in the U.S., Schaly took a creative approach to collecting this intel as she prepared for her meetings from Canada.

“We travel a lot to the US so we know a fair amount of people in different areas,” she says. “So we’d call them up and ask them to run to the store and take a picture of the set. So we were able to get some of those pictures that we might not have been able to get”.

2. Tailor your pitch to the retailer’s needs

Based on her research, Schaly customized her pitches to address each buyer’s needs based on the research she gathered about them. "We curated our pitch specifically to each retailer making notes ahead of time knowing this is a pain point that they could be facing,” she says. “This way we make sure we address how Trainers Choice could fit within the current set."

3. Show how you’ll support sales at the shelf

Getting on the shelf is just the beginning. Buyers want to know how you will help move products into shoppers’ baskets. To support in-store sales Trainer’s Choice taps into the expertise of its clinical staff to provide tons of educational content about its products. Every product box includes a QR code that links customers to an injury education page, which can help direct them to the exact product that will meet their specific needs. "We have athletic therapists that are ready to help if you have any specific product or injury questions,” adds Schaly.

In addition, the Trainers Choice blog is a one-stop-shop for information about injury prevention and support with many seasonal tips – such as its current article on common snow shoveling injuries and how to avoid them (just in time for winter!)

4. Deals are done in the follow up

The process doesn't end when the 20-minute meeting is over. Schaly emphasizes the importance of following up. For this she leveraged the power of the ECRM portal, which helps organize meeting notes and buyer feedback and follow up timing. 

"We took all of that information, put it together, and then followed up with the specifics in which the buyers were interested,” says Schaly. “From there we reached out to get another meeting."

5. Keep showing up

Having once again participated in the Health Care Session this past summer, Schaly notes the value of consistency in getting in front of buyers. For one thing, it keeps you front of mind for those buyers who may not have been ready the first time, and for newer brands, it shows you are serious and have some longevity.

“It was great to reconnect with some of the brands we met with the previous year who weren’t having category reviews,” says Schaly. “At that point, they told us, ‘great product, great brand, but not the right time.’ Meeting with them again was great, and has helped up with our followups, which has progressed to pricing and suggestions of what they may be missing and how we can help.”

6. Network like crazy

One of the benefits of having all participants on site at the same location for the duration of the Session is that it provides plenty of opportunities for networking. While this offers a chance to further develop relationships with buyers, it also lets newer brands tap into the collective expertise of veteran participants. 

Next steps for Trainers Choice

Trainer's Choice's successful U.S. launch with Ingles Markets is a great example of how international brands can leverage ECRM as a launching pad into the U.S. market. And they are just getting started. Now that they have a foothold in the U.S., they plan on continuing their expansion and bringing their sustainable products and education to additional markets. As they make their way up the East Coast, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for their products, because as I approach the second half of my 50s, I’m sure I’ll need more and more of them! 

Watch my full interview with Trainers Choice' Taylor Schaly here!