Reliable White Labeling to Launch Your Own Branded Products

White labeling is the process of taking a product that already exists and applying a new brand to it. For example, a business may decide to sell metal water bottles (which are already being made), and put a logo on the bottle or sell the bottle in packaging unique to their brand.

Private labeling and white labeling are similar, and sometimes are used interchangeably, but there is a nuanced difference between these two strategies. White labeling involves taking an existing product, putting a unique brand to it, and selling it through multiple retailers or sales channels.

Private labeling also takes existing products which are uniquely branded, but where they are sold is different. Private labels are sold exclusively through one retailer (hence the word "private.") For example, the store brand Equate is exclusively sold through Wal-Mart, which makes it a private label product.

There are multiple reasons you may choose a product to white label, including a product that's:

• A good match for your specific brand or collection of products
• Trending, and you want to take advantage of a product fad (like fidget spinners or pop-its)
• Already winning in other markets, but have not been introduced elsewhere (like selling a product in the U.S. that has already proven to be popular in China)

Trustworthy, reliable manufacturers will accept common payment methods. Sourcing agents, like Kanary, will make sure that your payment is secure and that you are working with a trustworthy, reliable manufacturer.

Not all businesses need to white label a product. However, there are several good reasons to do so, including:

• Product testing: If you're curious if a product type will be successful or not, white labeling is a way to test the market without investing resources into customizing a product or developing an entirely new one.
• Product fads: If your business tries to take advantage of product fads, then white labeling is a way to make sure you get a product to market while it's still popular.
• New business: If you're just getting your business or brand off the ground, you may not have the resources needed to develop a new product (or you may not be in a position to take the risk of a new product). White labeling is a way for businesses to be able to sell products while keeping their overall risk low.

White label products are generic products that are sold to businesses, who then brand those products. Vitamin supplements are an example of white label products, as most supplements are made by the same suppliers, but they are branded across a wide spectrum of different target demographics.

There are businesses that sell products to be white labeled, but you can also connect with suppliers directly to source white label products. If you're inexperienced with finding suppliers, you may want to partner with a sourcing specialist, like Kanary, to make sure you find a factory that's a good fit.

You can! In fact, many brands are developed by selling a white label product, gathering customer feedback, and then customizing the product to improve the customer experience. While customizing a white label product technically means it's no longer "white label," many suppliers that manufacture white label products can customize those products, too.

If you're interested in partnering with a supplier that can customize white label products, you'll need to make sure they have the engineering capacity to do so. If you aren't sure how to find a supplier that can make and customize white label products, then consider partnering with a sourcing specialist, like Kanary, to help you find a supplier that's a good fit.

There are several ways you can find a supplier for white label products:

• Alibaba: Alibaba, and other similar websites, are platforms where businesses and suppliers can connect. If you know what product you want to source, you can use online platforms to search for suppliers that make those products.
• Sourcing specialist: You can also use a sourcing specialist (like Kanary) to help you find a supplier. They'll use their own connections and tools to find factories that may be a good match, and then they'll use their expertise to narrow down the options.
• Online search: You can search online for businesses that sell products exclusively for white labeling purposes. Your product choices will be more limited, but it may make for a shorter, easier search. Keep in mind businesses that sell products for white labeling will likely charge a premium that you can avoid by connecting with suppliers directly.

You can brand white label products without customizing them. Instead, you can focus on factors like:

• Unique and high-quality packaging
• Logo placement
• Online marketing that emphasizes the characteristics of your brand over the actual product itself.

If you have a white label product that's a success, you may want to consider creating a product iteration based on the customer feedback you receive.

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Kanary performs an enormous amount of work to make sure that you can source white label products with a high probability of success. We can't guarantee products will be winners, but we can improve the odds by:

• Finding high-quality suppliers that specialize in your product type
• Negotiating the best prices so you can invest resources in other parts of your business
• Managing the sampling process to ensure that a supplier can successfully make a product
• Overseeing production to ensure quality control procedures are followed
• Planning shipment to make sure products are delivered to you as quickly as possible without unnecessary hangups in customs

If you want a sourcing specialist as a partner in helping make your white label products a success, we encourage you to reach out to us.